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Integrated Education Fund: Carson Awards

Integrated Education Fund
Open or will open again Age Community and neighbourhood development Community development Cross community Education and learning good relations Multiculturalism School, College and University Young people (13-25) Antrim & Newtownabbey Ards & North Down Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Belfast City Causeway Coast and Glens Derry City and Strabane Fermanagh and Omagh Lisburn and Castlereagh Mid and East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne and Down Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Micro (up to £1,000)

Overview

The Carson Awards aim to support Integrated school students who are interested in demonstrating ‘What integrated education means to me’ through their creative talents. In keeping with the characters of Frank and Tony, creativity is the key and we envisage a wide range of applications in a variety of mediums, which might include short films, documentaries, dramas, musical compositions, comedy sketches or artwork – the students may well come up with other ideas not mentioned here.

There are two elements to the Awards:

  1. The Carson Bursaries – open to Year 11, 12, 13 and 14 students at Integrated colleges and, if applicable, collaborative partners from another school or schools including non-integrated schools. Bursaries provide resources to carry out and complete a creative project under the theme ‘What Integrated Education Means To Me’. They would like a clear focus on Integrated Education within your project. Bursaries are awarded up to £1,000.
  2. The Carson Prize – open to all students of Integrated primary schools and second level colleges and, if applicable, collaborative partners from another school or schools including non-integrated schools. Completed creative projects, under the theme ‘What Integrated Education Means To Me’, may be entered for The Carson Prize. £500 awards.

The completed project must be of a high standard suitable for presentation to an audience.

Who May Apply

The programme is open to students in Years 11, 12, 13 and 14 in Integrated colleges (including those schools awaiting Departmental approval; actively seeking Integrated status; or associate members of NICIE) and applications are welcome from:

  • Individual students
  • Groups of students
  • A collaborative project with students from another school or schools including non-integrated schools

Criteria

  • The completed work must principally be the work of the applicant(s) although this does not preclude the project involving the participation of others within their school(s)
  • The completed work must be original and must have benefited directly from the Bursary
  • Students can incorporate coursework from their GCSE/AS Level/A Level studies or equivalent, should it be relevant and possible
  • Integrated colleges who wish to showcase/disseminate the work of Bursary winners can encourage associated costs to be included in the proposal for consideration
  • Should equipment need to be purchased as part of the production costs, it is expected that such equipment will be retained by the school(s) after the completion of the project as a resource to benefit future students. In exceptional circumstances, a case can be made on the application form for Bursary winners to retain the equipment which will be decided by the Judging Panel.
  • If the project is not completed, all the associated equipment purchased through the Bursary must be returned to the IEF and ownership of the equipment will be decided by the Panel.
  • Collaborative projects must have an applicant from an Integrated college as the lead partner
  • The winners must be committed to showcasing their work at future IEF events and sharing their completed works with the IEF for the purposes of marketing and promotion.

Please note the completed work must be easily transportable in a regular car otherwise it may not be possible to feature it in the Carson Awards Showcase event. Applicants will be responsible for delivering and collecting their project(s).

Key dates

Carson Prize closing date 24/05/2019
Check for details and deadline for Carson bursaries 04/11/2019
Review awards 25/02/2020
Carson Prize Closing Date 26/05/2020
2021 Closing Date 27/05/2021
Deadline for Carson Bursaries 02/12/2022
Deadline for Carson Prizes 26/05/2023
Bursary deadline 3pm 05/12/2023
Awards deadline 3pm 24/05/2024
Submission Date Deadline: 3pm, Friday 23/05/2025