2014 NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE WRITING CONTEST - $3000.00 First Prize

DEADLINE: JUNE 30, 2014

Welcome to the 2014 National Intelligence Writing Contest sponsored by AFCEA Intelligence (AFCEA) and the Naval Intelligence Professionals (NIP).

Both AFCEA and NIP are not-for profit associations.  We have joined forces for this writing contest to encourage thoughtful discussion of issues relevant in today’s intelligence and national security environment. 

2014 Topic                        
Developing, Mentoring and Leading Intelligence Professionals in the Midst of Change

Expansion:  Many forces are impacting the intelligence community: budget, aging workforce, technology, emerging issues to be examined and physical infrastructure lagging commercial advances.  Additionally, generational change in the workforce and differing levels of expectations are creating a "knowledge and experience gap" between older professionals and those just entering the workforce.  What are the factors in dealing with these changes?  What can professional organizations such as AFCEA and NIP do to help build a professional intelligence workforce in the current reality?  How can we work with the Intelligence Community on programs to enhance professional knowledge and tradecraft?  How can ideas like "reverse mentoring" (e.g., technology mentoring senior employees by younger members) be a tool in helping to modernize the total workforce?

Prizes 
First Place:           $3,000 and a three-year membership in AFCEA and NIP

Second Place:      $1,500 and a three-year membership in AFCEA and NIP

Third Place:          $750 and a three-year membership in AFCEA and NIP

(If an essay is co-authored, each co-author will receive one-half the monetary prize as well as a three-year AFCEA and NIP membership.)

Eligibility                         
The contest is open to everyone and can be approached from any relevant perspective: strategic, operational and/or tactical.

Deadline                             
11:59pm EST, June 30, 2014

Guidelines                   
Entries must be submitted via email to E-Mail.  The email subject line must say “NIWC Contest” and the body of the email must include the author’s name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, and the exact title of the submission.

There must be two attachments to the email.  The first is the author’s biography – consisting of no more than 50 words.

The second attachment is the entry itself which must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.  The second attachment’s file name should reflect the essay’s title to the extent practical, but not the author’s name.  Submissions can be no longer than 2,000 words (inlcuding footnotes and captions for graphics), double-spaced, with a minimum of a 12-point font.  To ensure anonymity of the author during judging, the document must not include the author’s name on any page, but each page of the submission must show the exact title of the paper as a header.

Appropriate graphics or illustrations are permissible, but not required.  Graphics may be embedded in the entry or a placeholder inserted to mark the location of the graphic.  In either case, please send the graphic (photos or illustration in JPEG format; others (table/spreadsheet) in native format) as a separate attachment to enable proper viewing and formatting for possible publication.

Submissions will be evaluated based on originality, strength of argument and recommendations, adherence to the norms of spelling, grammar, and syntax, and clarity.  Entries must be unclassified original analytical and/or interpretive work not previously published or currently submitted for publication elsewhere.  Entries not fully complying with the following contest guidelines will not be considered.

Winners will be requested to submit a 3-5 minute video of themselves summarizing thier papers.  The videos will be posted along with the winning entries on the AFCEA and NIP websites.

Evaluation                        
A panel of intelligence professionals from the AFCEA Intelligence Committee and the Naval Intelligence Professionals will judge all entries and make the final selections. Entries will be judged without knowing the authors’ identities.

Permission to Publish 
Submission for the contest constitutes the author’s permission to publish.

Winning entries become the property of AFCEA and NIP and may be published in SIGNAL Magazine, the NIP Quarterly, or other sponsored journals. It is the responsibility of the author to meet any requirement for pre-publication security review prior to submission.

Notification            
Winners will be notified in writing not later than August 31, 2014.

Questions?           
703-631-6219

Good luck!