UBC contest gives students opportunity to meet Chris Hadfield

Col. Chris Hadfield will speak in Kelowna on October 7 as part of UBC’s Distinguished Speaker Series, presented by the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences.

Image Credit: Contributed

September 10, 2013 - 3:18 PM

10 prize packages to receive backstage pass and autographed poster

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - What’s so great about space? If you are a student in Grades 5 to 12, attending school in the Central Okanagan, you can write about space, produce a video or artwork – and possibly win a chance to meet Canadian astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield, former commander of the International Space Station.

The University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus and the Central Okanagan School District are jointly sponsoring a contest that will give Grades 5 to 12 students a chance to win one of 10 Chris Hadfield prize packages, consisting of:

-   Two priority-seat tickets to UBC’s Distinguished Speaker Series event with Chris Hadfield on Monday, October 7 – one for themselves and one for their parent or guardian;
-   A commemorative bag and autographed poster;
-   A back-stage pass to meet Hadfield.

“This contest is a wonderful way to spark the imaginations of school children about the final frontier and Canada’s role in the future of space exploration,” says Hugh Gloster, superintendent of the Central Okanagan School District.

“Our school district is delighted to participate in this contest with UBC to provide this learning opportunity for our students, and to connect them to science and space flight though Canada’s most famous astronaut, Colonel Chris Hadfield,” says Gloster.

Here are the eligibility requirements:
-   The contest is open to Grades 5 to 12 students in all schools in the Central Okanagan area.
-   Students should be prepared to travel to the Kelowna Community Theatre in downtown Kelowna with a parent/ guardian should they win.
-   Students should be comfortable with having their submission shared via promotional tools – social media, web, radio and print – along with their grade, gender and school – though no names will be disclosed without permission of the entrant.
-   Submissions should have as their main theme, What’s so great about space?, and consist of one of the following:
         * an essay, poem, song or creative work of up to 300 words;
         * a hosted video of up to two minutes;
         * piece of digital artwork.
-   Deadline for submissions is 8 a.m. PDT, Monday, September 30.
-   Ten winners will be drawn from submissions on Tuesday October 1. Winners will be contacted by email.
-   Entries, including student’s name, grade, gender and school, must be emailed to:
director.central@sd23.bc.ca

The Distinguished Speaker Series is sponsored by the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences.