The competition is open to Malaysians between the age of 13 and 23 with a valid (blue) identity card.

No. As long as you are a Malaysian within the age bands, you are eligible to enter. However, schools, colleges and universities that are not physically based in Malaysia are NOT eligible to win the institution prizes. Top winners from overseas institutions can instead nominate a Malaysian educational establishment or a charity of their choice to receive the institution prize.

Yes, you may! However, one contestant can only win one prize across all categories. If you are in the finals for more than one category, we will award you a prize according to your highest standing within a category. However, you are eligible for more than one Consolation Prize.

You can use services such as Word Counter to determine your word count. Please be aware that we will disqualify entries with word counts that differ by more than 10 words. For example, if your word count maximum is 1,000 words, and you submit an entry with 1,012 words, your entry will be disqualified. Similarly, if the minimum word count is 850 words and your submission is 835 words, your entry will be disqualified. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Note: Titles, footnotes, endnotes, references, and your name do NOT contribute towards the word count.

No. However, we encourage our contestants to attribute their sources in footnotes or endnotes as far as possible, especially for essays. We are strongly against plagiarism, so if you use a quote, statistic or argument put forward by another source, please attribute accordingly. Citations, footnotes, endnotes and bibliographies will NOT be part of your word count.

You are welcome to follow either MLA or APA to format your citations, which include footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies. There are some free tools available to help you with this, one of which is citationmachine.net

First prize winners of all categories and age groups will get sponsored participation in a leadership camp or summit of the organiser’s choice. They also win RM3,000 in cash (18-23 age group) and RM2,000 in cash (13 – 17 age group), as well as RM500 for their school or charity. Top ten winners will also get their entries published. For the complete list of prizes, head to the Prizes page.

No, we don’t. Entries for the Essay and Fiction categories need to be submitted via our the Submit Entry page while photo entries need to be posted on Instagram with the hashtags #mfplfcontest2020 #climateaction2020 & #CategoryA / #CategoryB for your age group.

Take a look at the judging criteria here

You have from 17th April 2020 until the final stroke of midnight 30th November 2020, or in digital terms, 11:59pm 30th November 2020.

Any camera at all. You can use your camera phone, your DSLR, your Polaroid – the choice is entirely yours. All we ask is that you upload your photos to Instagram, hashtag #MFPLFCONTEST2020 #CLIMATEACTION and tag @plfperdana. Also, tell us your age category either #CategoryA or #CategoryB

Unfortunately, no. The contest is via Instagram and we would encourage you to open an account if you don’t already have one. Opening an Instagram account is FREE. All you need is a username and password, ensure your Instagram account is set to Public and you are all set. Visit Instagram to learn more.

Yes. The new Instagram rules will not allow us to view your photos if your account is set to private. You have two alternatives:

–       Set your account to “Public” for the duration of the contest, or

–       Open a new Instagram account for the contest (it’s free)

While you are on Instagram, do follow @plfperdana!

No. Each entry must have only one author or photographer.

We will be posting articles on climate change as well as tips and pointers to help you write and take better photos. The resources will be posted on our website www.EmpoweringAseanYouth.com. Information and updates on the contest will be posted on our social media, so do follow us on Facebook , Instagram (@plfperdana), and sign up for our newsletter .