A whopping $16-million worth of cash and prizes will be on hand this year in the Digicel Grand Prix Athletics Championship as the title sponsor announced its commitment to the event until 2019.

In a glittering ceremony at the Terra Nova Hotel yesterday, Digicel announced that the rewards will include a grand prize of $1-million worth of gym equipment to top male and female schools and over $1.2 million up for grabs in academic scholarships.

The track and field showdown will see high schools across the island compete in seven events across six development meets, of which St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and Edwin Allen High are the defending male and female champions, respectively.

David Butler, CEO of Digicel Jamaica, said in order for Jamaica to continue being the incubator of extraordinary athletes, corporate Jamaica, along with the respective sporting institutions, must be willing to push the boundaries to find innovative ways to inspire and support the next generation of world beaters.

“The support for our young athletes ought to last much longer than a mere five days of the year, when the end-product of developmental programmes like Grand Prix is on display for all to see, be awed and inspired. From our vantage point in the stands, we see another 360 days’ worth of opportunity to nurture, grow and mentor Jamaica’s young athletic talent,” said Butler.

The Grand Prix will begin on February 6 with the Western Championship at the Catherine Hall Sports Complex in Montego Bay, St James, and the Youngster Goldsmith Development Meet at the National Stadium.

The other four meets in the Grand Prix include the Corporate Area Development Meet on February 11 and, two days later, the Camperdown Classic, both slated for the National Stadium. The series continues with Central Championship on February 16 and concludes with the GC Foster Classic on February 20.

At each meet there will be specific events, which are Grand Prix events, and whose winners matriculate to the Grand Prix finals. They are the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, long jump, high jump and discus events.

Athletes with the top two times/distances from the first five Grand Prix meets will take the first six spots in the finals, of which there will be two wild card slots.

Athletes will get nine points for a win, seven for second place, going down to one point for eighth spot. Points accumulated by the regional finalists coming into the Grand Prix finals will be added to the points earned at the final and tallied to decide the champion male and female schools.

In addition to the Digicel Grand Prix events, there will be a text element directed at school and supporter in a text to win competition from January 20 to February 20.

At the end of the competition, prizes will be awarded to the school with the highest number of votes; the top voter per day and the top voter overall. Digicel Grand prix winner by Popular Vote will receive $1-million; the top voter per week will get a smart phone and the top voter overall a tablet.

The champion schools will get $1 million, runner-up $500,000, and third-placed $200,000 worth of gym equipment.

Should an athlete break a meet record at any of the six Grand Prix meets, he/she will be awarded a scholarship which will be made payable directly to the school that the athlete, will be attending in September 2016.

Every school with an athlete entry into the Grand Prix final is eligible to receive a cash incentive per athlete with all monetary prizes made directly to the school.

The coach of the 2016 Digicel Grand Prix Athletic Championship-winning male school and female school will each receive $50,000.