Frequently Asked Questions

 

Entry

 

Would it be advisable to write down the Organisation I'm currently employed by? I only ask because I wouldn't be submitting as an employee so I was unsure why I would need to mention my employer.

  • If your essay is submitted privately there is no need to include the name of your employer.

Can you please clarify the age limitation for the competition? It states that the entrant "will be less than 31 years of age &/or less than 22 years of age as at 30 June 2008.

  • The intent of the age limitation as stated is that entrants less than 31 years of age or 22 years of age as at 30th June 2008 will not be born before 30th June 1977 or 30th June 1986 respectively.

I am a New Zealand citizen under 31 years of age, living in Australia. Am I eligible to enter the competition?

  • As a New Zealand citizen under 31 years of age, you are now eligible if you are a Permanent Resident OR you have a valid Special Category Visa together with an Australian Tax File Number. See the revised Terms and Conditions. 

I turn 31 years of age on 30th June 2008. Am I eligible to enter the competition?

  • Unfortunately not. The Terms & Conditions state that entrants must be under 31 years of age as at 30 June 2008. 

 

Essay

 

Can figures and graphs be included in the essay? These could help to clarify ideas more concisely and clearly. If they can be included, would they be counted in the word count, and how would they be counted?

  • Figures and graphs should be included and any words they will not be counted in the word count apart from their titles. In other words captions are not included in the word count.

If text and figures are included in tables, is this included in the word count?

  • Yes, text within tables will be included in the word count but not figures within tables (as above)

Can the essay be broken into sections, with section headings? This may help to make the essay more readable, and help to contain ideas to identifiable sections.

  • The essay may be broken into sections as needed.

Is there any tolerance on the word limits?

  • The word limits quoted are the maximum.

Will references to information supplied by government agencies be treated similarly to those to information from peer reviewed academic journals?

  • Peer reviewed references are sought. Other references will be assessed, where possible, on the professional standing of the source.

Is Part A of the essay question seeking an opinion on what the writer thinks should happen in the future, or what will happen in the future?

  • The essay question asks the writer to predict the changes in primary energy demand, sourcing and facilities to 2050.
  • The response must include reference to past and future growth patterns and the writer's interpretation of the technological and societal changes influencing this growth, as well as to how this energy demand will be met in the context of currently available technologies

What is the format for references and are they included in the word count?

  • Where possible, references should list the author or entity responsible for the reference, the title, number (where applicable), publication and date together with ISBN reference or full web site address (where applicable)
  • The preferred format is the Harvard (author, date) system
  • References are not included in the word count.

Is a table of contents required and is it included in the word count?

  • A table of contents would be useful and would not be included in the word count

Do we need to address each of the six points identified as required in the response to Part A?

  • Yes, Part A must include reference to each point 

Part B asks us to dream a little which makes it difficult to create a decent financial model - is this important?

  • Part B is not seen to require as much rigour because any new sources require speculation on their relative position on costs, emissions etc. The essayist can come up with anything as long as it looks as if it could be practical.

 

Judging & Awarding

 

How are the essays identified during the selection and judging process?

  • On registration of entry, each essay team will be provided with a Unique Registration Number.
  • Each page of the essay must be sequentially numbered and contain the Unique Registration Number on the top right hand corner of each essay page.
  • Entrant's names will not appear on any page of the essay nor will they be made known to the selection and judging panels.

What is required of prize winners?

  • Winning entrants may be required to take part in media activities connected with the announcement of the winners of the NEEC and the award of prizes
  • Prize winners may also be invited to participate in a televised presentation/debate.

Can you clarify the way that the 15 marks allocated to "Assessment Rationale" in Part A are judged?

  • The marks will be based on an assessment of the methodology used to rank how Australia's energy will be sourced up to 2050.