Election Commission launches nationwide contest to spread electoral awareness

New Delhi: The Election Commission has launched a nationwide contest in a bid to leverage the talent and creativity of citizens and spread electoral awareness, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said on Friday.

The contest, themed ‘My Vote is My Future: Power of One Vote’, is classified into five categories — quiz, slogan, song, video making, and poster design. The last date to apply for the contest is February 15.

In a statement, Singh said that the contest has been launched by the Election Commission to emphasize the value of each vote through creative expression.

He mentioned that this contest will not only harness mass creativity at a national scale but also engage the talent of individuals to generate valuable assets for voter awareness.

The top three winners in each category will receive attractive prizes, he said.

The Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme’s national voter awareness contest leverages every citizen’s talent and creativity while also strengthening democracy through their active participation, according to the statement.

The CEO has directed all district election officers to spread the message regarding the contest, seeking maximum participation from the citizens of Delhi.

He said this will help promote electoral participation and inculcate a sense of civic duty and democratic rights amongst the citizens.

He also encouraged booth-level officers to disseminate information about the contest amongst the citizens. Electoral literacy clubs established in all educational institutions such as universities, colleges, and schools shall sensitize students and teachers about the contest to make it an effective campaign.

The content will be shared on social media handles to garner more attention using the hashtag #PowerOfOneVote.

The CEO also urged all members of electoral literacy clubs and ‘Chunav Pathshalas’ of all educational institutions across Delhi to positively change the dynamic of youth participation to increase electoral awareness through this contest.

The aim of the quiz contest is to engage with inquisitive minds in order to reinforce participants’ understanding of the country’s electoral process, according to the official statement. ”The slogan contest will urge people to get involved and weave their thoughts into a catchy phrase based on the aforementioned theme in order to inspire others. The song contest strives to tap into the imagination and potential of creative minds through the medium of a song in any genre, including classical, contemporary, and rap music,” the statement read.

”On the above theme, participants can compose and share creative compositions. Artists and singers are free to use any musical instrument they want. The song can’t be more than 3 minutes long,” it added.

The video-making contest invites all camera enthusiasts to create a video that showcases the diversity, intensity, and festivity of Indian elections. Participants are encouraged to create a short one-minute video.

Entries for the video, song, and slogan contest can be submitted in any official language.

Singh encouraged all citizens, of all ages and backgrounds, to participate in this national contest and express their talents to produce relevant, trending, and eye-grabbing tools for raising electoral awareness.

”All entries must be emailed by March 15, 2022, to voter-contest@eci.gov.in along with participant’s details,” the statement read.