Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

PASHA Bank and British Council Azerbaijan announced the winners of Essay Competition 2013 on June 13.

The aim of the project was to address the issues of economic growth, reform and development and to encourage young people to become more active agents for future development.

The judges received over 70 applications, which for the most part were of a very high standard.

British Council Director Elizabeth White, studying all applications personally shared her impressions:

"As a newcomer to Azerbaijan and involved in this competition for the first time, I am very much impressed by the quality of the writing. Without exception, the applicants have dedicated great care and considerable thought to their essays, and there are many instances of applied wisdom and original thinking at levels which are quite remarkable for undergraduate writing."

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of PASHA Bank Farid Akhundov, commenting on the essay competition expressed his confidence in the bright future of youth.

"These interviews gave me a chance to meet a highly impressive group of young people - determined, competent, ambitious and full of ideals. Each of them showed great promise; together, they give me confidence in the next generation of economists and finance specialists. I wish each of them well, and look forward to seeing their careers develop in the future," Akhundov said.

The competition was held in three stages: the first text review round followed by two interviews. The eventual selection of winners was not an easy one, given the strong motivation and intellectual and personal qualities of the applicants.

Some 10 candidates were interviewed by Farid Akhundov, Director of Public Relations and Marketing department of PASHA Bank Sona Abbasova and Lead Manager, PR and Marketing of PASHA Bank Aynura Piriyeva, together with Elizabeth White at the final stage.

After the final interview the panel of judges agreed on the winners, as follows:

The three equal first prize winners, Gunay Gozalova, Jeyhun Huseynov, Ismayil Mirhadi- the students of the Azerbaijan State Economic University won a scholarship to study summer school courses in Business and Management at King's College London.

An honorary first prize was also awarded to Murad Hamidov, last year's winner, student of Azerbaijan State Economic University who participated in the competition.

The student of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy Toghrul Novruzlu and the
student of Qafqaz University Zamir Salmanov were the second and third prize winners respectively and awarded with presents.

The last ten candidates who passed the final interview obtained certificates from British Council Azerbaijan and PASHA Bank.

British Council is the UK's leading international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. It operates in 109 countries worldwide. The British Council builds relationship and understanding between people in Britain and other countries to increase trust between the nations and appreciation of the UK's ideas and achievements overseas.