I haven't posted in this forum before, but I was concerned abut something I saw in the jobs/opps section and wondered if anyone agreed with me.

"Posted:14/03/2005 Deadline: None
The Eco Trust is pleased to announce the call for entries for the first ever Eco Prize. Entries are invited for this award, which is open to anyone in Scotland from any creative background.
It is awarded for a creative, literary or artistic work, which positively and imaginatively inspires people to be environmentally-friendly and adopt greener lifestyles.
The winner will receive £1,250 with two commended awards each receiving £250.
Web Site: www.eco-prize.org.uk
Email: enquiries@eco-prize.org.uk"

"Anyonenin #scotlanfd from any creative background looks inclusive and positive. But look at the rules on the website, and you'll see that "entry is open to anyone of any age who was born in Scotland and who currently studies, lives and/or works there." That's right - not just live or work or study permanently in Scotland, but actually be BORN here. I must admit I thought it was a typo so I queried it with the organisers - and yes, tht's right - it doesn't matter if you've lived and worked in the country all your life, if you were born over the border in England or in some other country, you can't enter your work.

Isn't this racist? Not to mention daft? I can understand they want to focus on Scotland for this award - but these rules cut out so many people who have a real commitment to the country and to green lifestyles and eco-issues. It even cuts out people of 100% scottish blood and culture who were born while their parents were elsewhere temporarily. I was born in England but have farmed in Scotland for six years ... my husband too, and he's even Scottish by blood, although he happens to have been born in London.

I've complained...but I wondered what other people think.

Clare

Are they likely to ask for proof? It seems bizarre that you might have to produce your birth certificate to enter a comp!

Dee

Maybe they're trying to get round that thing where people enter a comp saying they live in an area and don't always tell the truth- people do this all the time for funding!? just a thought... anyway, keep us posted if you get any further response.

I don't see the problem. You can only enter this competition if you were born in scotland and currently live/work/study there. I don't see anything wrong with that.

Have I missed something?

Colin M

<Added>

Maybe that sounded a bit ham-fisted. What I should have said was that if they want to make their competition exclusive to Scottish nationals they have to have some kind of cut off. You are either eligible or you're not. Maybe this is the easiest solution. It's a bit of a bummer for anyone who was born while their parents were in England for the weekend, but they can always claim to be English for a competition down here.

Colin, I think the problem is that this is a specific themed compeition for artwork (not just writing, but painting, music, sculture, video etc as well) on eco-issues. By cutting out people who weren't necessarily born in Scotland but who have chosen to make a major commitment to the country and to its land, they're alienating just those people who might have a lot to contribute. We moved to the Highlands (in my husband's case moved BACK to the Highlands - his family were from Skye originally) to live and work as crofters and farm organically. I think the point I'm trying to make is that FoE are not recognising choice as more important than what's written on a birth certificate: the commitment to the land should be more important, surely. There's also the fact that it feels like racism. I've never come across a regional comp which demands that you prove you're born in a particular place - only that you live/work/study there.

Clare

Fair argument. Personally I don't get all this nationalism. I've never heard of "Exclusively English" competitions, but I have heard of competitions being exclusive to Irish, Welsh and Scotts. I think it's time they either scrapped the boundaries and we became one country, or we give in to the nationalist ideals and rebuild Hadrian's Wall.

Colin

I couldn't agree with Clare more. The 'born in Scotland' requirement seems entirely unnecessary, and makes me feel alienated, having been born in England but then living in Scotland.

I too thought that maybe this simply means there is an English equivalent that I could enter - of course there isn't, and any case how would I find out about it and why would I want to enter a competition based in another country to the one that I live in and contribute to?

I understand the need for discrimination between entrants for regional competitions but to do that on the basis of birth and not livelihood (which can easily be proved) is highly unproductive.

Yes, in the writing community in general this does appear to be narrow-minded and insular. However, if the thinking behind the comp is discovering local talent, then why not? Local groups have a right to promote local talent… I don’t see a problem with this when there is so much choice, webwide, for competitions.

I don’t see it as racism. If, for instance the rules stated that the comp was open to anyone not born in Scotland, then yes… no problem… that is not acceptable. That is racism. However, I don’t see a problem with nationalities / communities promoting their native talents.

Dee

On that subject, I have some issues of my own. A few years ago my publisher wanted to enter a book of mine for the Commonwealth Writers Prize.
I was born in British Guiana as a British citizen, later I became Guyanese when we got independence. I grew up in Guyana and all my books are set either in Guyana or India or both; all Commonwealth. My language is English and they were written in English. I live in England. But... I have German citizenship, having married a German and taken on his citizenship, Germany does not permit double citizenship.
And so I am a German, and not eligible for the prize. Now, for that matter, would I be eligible to enter ANY of the major competitions held in Britain, except the Orange, as for all of them citizenship is the criteria. (I think).

The Scottish requirement is a bit daft inasmuch that you could be born in Scotland, live and work there, but still be not Scottish! What if you are Norwegian (ie Norwegian parents with strong links back to Norway) but just happen to have been born in Scotland and live and work there!
I don't think limiting the entry to Scottish people is racism, but being born in Scotland and living there does not by any means make you Scottish. And thats why its so daft. They shoul dsimply have said "Scottish" peole and let the entrants themselves decide how Scottish they are.

Whilst I don't hold with any kind of exclusion zone, I have to say that this is not the first time there's been competitions and calls for submission like this. So far I have seen competitions for writers born/resident in Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, Wales and even some parts of the Caribean! I have even seen them for certain London boroughs! I suppose the organisers are offering more chance to locals and I guess everyone has to draw the line somewhere. But I think competitions and calls for submission should be open to everyone - after all - not everyone will enter anyway!

I have no problem with this either. It's just a regional competition and that's all. Perhaps the birthright issue is there because some Scots are fiercely indepenent and still living 500 years ago? I certainly encountered some alarming views toward the English when I lived up there (being called a sasanach on several occasions) or maybe that's my paranoia.

Scotland is a beautiful country and my view doesn't apply to the whole nation, but there are some who seem decidely anti-anglo.

This is nothing to do with anti-English feeling or nationalism. What I found unacceptable was not the regionality but the the "must be born in Scotland" rule. It was just a bloody stupid criterion to pick. Had you been born elsewhere of Scottish parents, moved back to Scotland as an infant and then been raised, educated and lived all your life in Scotland, you'd have been inelegible.

Whereas as long as you were born in Scotland, you could have lived all your life in Outer Mongolia, spoken only Mongolian, only moved back to your birthplace yesterday, and you'd have been fine.

How daft is that? I can understand wanting a regional competition for local talent, but the criterion should be a reasonable amount of time living in and committing to the country, not this accident-of-birth stuff.

Clare

I was merely mentioning it. The rule is dumb and you make a fair point. Can the organisers explain it, I wonder?