SMS Essay Competition 2009 “Series in the application of Mathematics – Astronomy” 1.    Objectives To allow students to explore how Mathematics can be applied in understanding and explaining astronomy. To make students begin to understand how inter-disciplinary research is carried out. 2.    Categories Category A: - Express Stream (local): Secondary 1 and 2 students - Normal Stream (local): Secondary 1, 2 and 3 students - International schools: Grade 6-8 (or equivalence) Category B: - Express Stream (local): Secondary 3 and 4 students - Normal Stream (local): Secondary 4 and 5 students - International schools: Grade 9-10 (or equivalence) Category C: - Junior College (local): JC1 and 2 students - IP schools (local): Year 5 and 6 students - International schools: Grade 11-12 (or equivalence) 3.    Rules Essay entry can be written by individual or a team of no more than 3 members from the same school. Each school is allowed to submit multiple entries in each category. Essay submitted for the competition must not have been submitted to any other inter-school competition organized by any other organization or been previously published in journal, magazine or any form of publication. All essays should be written in English. The length of the essay should be about 1000 words. Each entry should include an abstract of not more than 100 words. Materials submitted will become the property of the Singapore Mathematical Society and will not be returned. The organizers reserve the right at any time to amend rules & regulations, replace or substitute prizes without prior notice. 4.    Judging Essays submitted will be evaluated by a panel of judges made up of mathematicians and school teachers. Each member of the panel of judges should not be involved in any supervision of any student's writing of the essay. Decisions made by the panel of judges shall be final. 5.    Submission All students who wish to submit an essay for the competition must register their essay online before submission can be done. Click here for online registration . The registration period will be opened between 22nd June 2009 (Monday) and 3rd July 2009 (Friday). After an essay has been registered, the teacher supervisor (or student) must make payment to the Singapore Mathematical Society (see below) before they will be issued a username and password which can be used to submit the essay online. Teachers from schools submitting multiple entries can make payment for all the essays together. The deadline for completing payment AND online submission of the essay is 10th July 2009 (Friday). Late submissions will not be accepted except under special circumstances. 6.    Prizes The prize for each category of the competition is as follows: First Prize: $150 Cash Prize Second Prize: $120 Cash Prize Third Prize: $90 Cash Prize Certificates of participation will be awarded to all participants. Winning entries may be published in the forthcoming issues of Mathematical Medley. 7.    Registration Fees There is a registration fee of $5 per essay. The fee may be paid by cash or cheque. Payment must be made before online submission of the essay can be carried out. Cash payment must be made personally to Mdm Chan Lai Chee at Singapore Mathematical Society c/o Department of Mathematics National University of Singapore S14, #03-07 2 Science Drive 2 Singapore 117543 Cash payment is the preferred mode of payment. Please call Mdm Chan at 6516-2773 to make an appointment prior to coming down personally. For cheque payment, please address the payee as “Singapore Mathematical Society”. All cheques must reach Singapore Mathematical Society and be cleared before the username and password required for submission is issued. Cheque payments are to be sent to the same address above. A receipt will be issued once payment is received in good order.