2023 WIPO National IP Essay Competition for Students in Nigeria

Every year on April 26, World Intellectual Property (IP) Day is celebrated to recognize the importance of IP rights in promoting innovation and creativity. This year's theme, "Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity," highlights women's role in driving innovation and creativity and the challenges they face. As part of this celebration, WIPO Nigeria Office is hosting an essay competition for students to showcase their thoughts and ideas.

The WIPO competition invites all registered undergraduate and postgraduate students from recognized tertiary institutions across Nigeria to participate in the 2023 National IP Essay Competition. The topic, "Gender inclusivity as a strategy to drive innovation and creativity in Nigeria," aligns with the theme of the day. Participants are to address the current challenges faced by female artists, creatives, inventors and entrepreneurs in using the IP system, ways to encourage more women to use the IP system, the benefits of gender parity in the IP system and policy recommendations to support gender inclusivity.

Benefits of WIPO National IP Essay Competition

The WIPO competition offers several benefits to the winners, including scholarship spots on WIPO's Advanced International Certificate Course on IP Management, WIPO Summer School in South Africa and Nigeria, WIPO Certificates of Achievement, scholarships to undertake any of the WIPO Distance Learning courses and scholarship spots on the Africa Regional edition of the Young Innovation Leaders Fellowship. Additionally, the top three essays will be submitted to WIPO for possible publication in the WIPO Magazine.

WIPO National IP Essay Competition Eligibility

The WIPO competition is open to all registered students, including undergraduate and postgraduate students from recognized tertiary institutions in Nigeria, such as universities, colleges of education, polytechnics and professional or vocational institutions.

WIPO National IP Essay Competition Judging Criteria

The judging criteria for the WIPO competition include originality, structural flow, clarity of thought and expression, grammatical accuracy and coherence, relevance to the field of IP and policy suggestions, proposals and/or pathways.

How to Submit Entries for WIPO National IP Essay Competition

Participants can submit their entries for the WIPO competition via email. The essay should be written in English, not exceed 1,500 words (excluding bibliography and references), prepared in font 12 Arial (Black), double-spaced and pages numbered. Entries should be submitted in both Word and .pdf format and must not include any pictures or other graphical illustrations. Entries must not indicate the author's identity or affiliation. AI-generated works are not eligible for submission and plagiarism will result in disqualification.

All entries should be made to: nigeria.office@wipo.int, with the subject title of the email initial.surname_WIPD23 Essay Competition (for example, G.Nduka_WIPD23 Essay Competition).

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Conclusion: The winners of the WIPO competition will be announced in April 2023. Through this competition, WIPO Nigeria Office aims to encourage students to think about the significance of gender inclusivity in the IP system in Nigeria and its impact on the country's development and future.

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