Six walk away with laptops, tablets and iPhones in CPGL essay competition

Six students between the ages of 11 to 18 walked away with prizes in the second annual CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL) Secondary Schools’ Essay ‘Green Energy & Renewables’ Competition.

CPGL holds a 25% working interest in the Stabroek Block along with Exxon Mobil and Hess.

The winners and their parents were transported to Moraikobai, the only Amerindian Village in Region Five (Mahaica – Berbice), located 96 miles from the confluence of the Mahaicony River for the award ceremony on Saturday.

The award ceremony was attended by Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Vickram Bharrat; Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, Her Excellency Guo Haiyan; President of CPGL, Liu Xiaoxiang; Deputy Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Amerindian and Hinterland Education Development, Marti De Souza, among other dignitaries.

Hundreds of entries from both private and public schools across Guyana were submitted for the competition which closed on November 25, 2022. In addition to winners for each category, prizes were also awarded for the best essay per region.

The annual competition is not only to demonstrate the company’s commitment towards the energy transition and a renewables future but also to focus the young minds of Guyana on the importance of the topic.

Participants in the junior category, ages 11 to 14,  submitted essays on the topic ‘Which source of renewable energy would be most effective for Guyana’s development’ with a word limit of 500 to 1,000 words.

Meanwhile, the senior category saw participants between the ages of 15 to 18, submitted essays on the topic ‘How can Guyana best accelerate its transition to renewable energy’ with a word limit of 1,000 to 1,500 words.

First place for each category walked away with a MacBook Air while second place copped an iPhone 14 and third an iPad Air.

The winners for each category are as follows:

Senior Category

1st Place – Indranie Vanlange – Saraswati Vidya Niketan

2nd Place – Timothy Singh – University of Guyana

3rd Place – Janae Bristol – Mackenzie High School

Junior Category

1st Place – Shreya Ramnarine – Anna Regina Secondary School

2nd Place – Gabriella Desantos – Queen’s College

3rd Place – Malia Joseph – Tutorial High School

Indranie Vanlange said she became aware of the competition by a Facebook post and decided to participate because it presented the opportunity to her to express herself.

“I have dedicated many of my days to researching and drafting this essay. The research enabled me to become aware of this topic and enlightened me on the possible changes Guyana can adopt in order to accelerate its position towards renewable energy,” Vanlange said.

Meanwhile, Shreya Ramnarine said that through the essay competition she was able to voice her opinion on the most suitable source of renewable energy for Guyana’s development.

“I strongly suggest that other youths take part in this initiative so as to be informed and to share their thoughts on issues, it is surely a wonderful opportunity for us,” Ramnarine said.

Delivering remarks at the award ceremony, ​​representative of CPGL Zhu Xiaoming said that are no easy solutions or quick fixes on the road to green energy but noted that with ingenuity, dedication, innovation and most importantly, the fresh ideas of young people a sustainable future powered by green energy is possible.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Amerindian and Hinterland Education Development, Marti De Souza expressed gratitude to CPGL for the “creative and most meaningful” engagement of young Guyanese through the competition.

“The time is right for early engagement on matters of national interest, something as important as conversation, preservation and sustainable development. It is commendable that CPGL has played a key role in raising this awareness for children in such a thought provoking way,” De Souza said.