Are you a budding writer under 18 years old ? Do you fancy entering a competition that would look good on your CV and potentially help open doors to a writing career? Yes?

Well enter the Royal Commonwealth Society’s Essay Competition now. Entries close on 1 March 2009 and full details can be found on the RCS web site. Click here Good luck !

And continuing the writing theme………

The Guardian Newspaper in the UK is currently running a competition amongst professional and amateur journalists to produce features on development issues around the world. Sixteen have been shortlisted in anticipation of the final winner being announced in November. They are all written to a very high standard and are well worth reading. Subjects are wide ranging and include ‘Why girls don't go to school’ by Anita Pati through to ‘The Mothers of Matero’ by Jamie Baldwin, a look at the impact of HIV and AIDS on grandmothers in Zambia . Read them all by clicking here