Ugandan Young Achievers Awards entrants double

"The nominations that closed on 12th June 2010, saw over 700 submit in their nominations for the 11 different categories, a bigger response compared to the 305 nominations of last year," Gilbert Beyamba the YAA coordinator has said on Monday, 26 July 2010.

Seeking honour

This year's awards attracted applicants living both within Uganda and in the diaspora, Beyamba added. The applicants are seeking honour and cash prizes of up to UGX100 million (US$44,444) which will be awarded to 10 winners at the awards gala due in Kampala this November. The ten will be drawn from a list of 25 finalists out of the 700.

The YAA is an annual event for promoting the best practice and excellence in youth creativity by demonstrating a young person's potential to create an outstanding nation built on entrepreneurship. The awards are organised by Tetea Uganda, a local media consultancy firm and the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI).

Evaluation underway

The competition is open to economically-active Ugandans between 18 and 35 years. Duncan Mugabe, a tennis player, won the overall Young Achievers Award 2009, adding it to his list of local and global achievements in the sport.

In an interview, Beyamba said evaluation is currently underway for this year edition and will be concluded by the end of September. The number of participants has forced the team to extend the evaluation process in order to contact each nominee for more information.