THE Yummy/Royal Computer Essay Competition has got off to a great start with keen interest by many primary and high schools across the island.

The organisers are being congratulated on choosing such a refreshing and relevant topic at this time as Jamaica celebrates 50 years of Independence.

The Yummy team received calls from teachers and principals of rural area schools wanting more information and making suggestions.

One area of concern for some teachers is the word count of 3000-5000 words, which they believe may be a bit too much especially for the eight to 12 age group.

Yummy has reduced the word count for this age group to 1,500-2,000 words and 2,000-3000 words for the 13-18 age group.

Prizes of Apple iPads and tablet computers will be given for the Best Essay and runner-up. The schools with the winners will get a computer and a printer.

Students are being asked to submit essays under the topic "Over the past 50 years who are the most influential Jamaican citizens?"

The organisers say that credits will be given to students who show a depth of research on the subject matter and who creatively present their findings.

"The essay must be properly structured with a clear introduction, body and conclusion. There should be full development of ideas, good organisation, clear expression and use of English," said Janice Lee, business development manager at Yummy about the criteria on which the essays will be judged.