Here's how you can win up to P350,000 (£5,000) for your studies with the IELTS Prize 2023
Are you aspiring to study in your dream school locally or abroad, but don't have the financial means to support your studies?
If so, you may want to consider applying for the British Council IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Prize 2023, where you'll have a chance to win up to PHP 350,000 (£5,000) towards tuition fees in universities accepting IELTS in their admission requirements.
A total of three winners will be selected for the Philippines through a competitive application process, with the deadline for submissions for applications being Sept. 15 this year.
Here are some things you need to know about the competition and how you can win the study grant:
What is the British Council IELTS Prize?
The British Council IELTS Prize is a monetary reward that will help financially support the winners’ undergraduate or postgraduate studies for those starting the academic year from January this year to March 2024.
The competition takes particular interest in "motivated, proactive people who are focused on making the world a better place." However, only three participants will be selected to receive the award, which is as follows:
- £5,000 (P350,000) - 1 winner
- £2,000 (P140,000) - 1 winner
- £1,000 (P70,000) - 1 winner
To enter, applicants must be 18 years old and above and have taken IELTS with British Council between April 1, 2022, and August 31 this year with a minimum overall band score of 5.5 or above.
You must also have applied for undergraduate or postgraduate studies locally or overseas and be scheduled to begin your course from January this year to March 2024.
What are the mechanics?
The IELTS Prize 2023 application has two phases: writing and filming.
For the first one, you will need a compose a 500-word personal statement that answers the question: What have you done to support and improve your local community over the last year?
This will be evaluated based on whether your essay inspires and engages the reader, whether it shows that you want to make a positive impact on your community, whether it has expressed what you hope to achieve in the future, and whether it is clear and easy to understand.
You will also need to provide answers of no more than 150 words to three supporting questions, which will be used by the British Council for promotional purposes. These are:
- How was your experience of taking IELTS with the British Council?
- How will IELTS help you achieve your personal or professional goals?
- Which country have you chosen to study in and why?
Other requirements include a clear photograph of yourself, your official British Council IELTS documentation, and an official letter of acceptance from the university you applied for.
After a screening process, 25 people will be selected by a panel of judges and be invited to submit a one-minute video presentation exploring the topic, "How will taking IELTS and studying abroad or locally help you make an impact on your community in the future?"
Once you've completed the video, you must then upload it to Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook using the hashtag #IELTSPrize2023 and tag the official accounts.
The deadline for the first phase is on Sept. 15, while the second one is on Oct. 15. The winners will then be announced sometime in November this year.
If you want to know whether the university you want to study in accepts IELTS in their application, you can check this on their website.
For the Philippines, these include Ateneo De Manila University, De La Salle University, the University of Santo Tomas, the University of the Philippines, and more.