Tennyson & Vinitha Rodrigo Trust launches “Heta Dinana Sri Lankavak” competition to inspire thought leaders, change agents

The Tennyson & Vinitha Rodrigo Trust, has unveiled a ground-breaking initiative aimed at engaging and empowering thought leaders and change agents across the nation. 

The competition, aptly titled “Heta Dinana Sri Lankavak: Sri Lanka – A roadmap for a secure tomorrow”, is set to catalyse attitudinal change and address the crucial need for intellectual capital in Sri Lanka.

Promoting progressive themes, “Heta Dinana Sri Lankavak” offers a choice of four subjects to select from in submitting entries: 

•  Modern and forward-looking Sri Lanka
•  Educational reforms in Sri Lanka
•  Harnessing science and technology to supplant superstitious attitudes
•  Inculcating honesty, dignity and integrity in society at large.

 In order to recognise and reward outstanding contributions, TVR Trust is offering substantial prizes, including grand prizes of Rs. 150,000, Rs. 100,000, and Rs. 75,000 for the first, second, and third positions in Sinhala, Tamil, and English categories. Additionally, 10 consolation prizes of Rs. 10,000 each will be awarded in each language category. 

Entries should be either a video in MP4, wmv or mov format, not exceeding 3 minutes and 200MB; or a written essay in PDF format, not exceeding 2,500 words. Individuals or teams of up to three persons are eligible to participate, with a deadline for submissions set on 15 January 2024. Submissions can be made through the official competition website: 

https://www.tvrtrust.lk/competition2024. 

“Heta Dinana Sri Lankavak” competition is open to aspirational Sri Lankan citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 years, who possess a “can-do” attitude and a commitment to positive change. 

An esteemed panel of judges will evaluate entries based on relevance to the competition topic, creativity, technical skill and persuasiveness of the entry. 

Influential individuals and community leaders are urged to play a pivotal role in encouraging the youth to participate. This competition serves as a timely opportunity for individuals or teams to express their vision and critical thinking to revitalise Sri Lanka.

The settlor of the Trust, the late Tennyson Rodrigo was a visionary who was also altruistic with a burning desire to transform Sri Lanka to a modern, secular, forward-looking nation in the international arena. He believed firmly that schools, universities and other institutions of higher learning have a compelling role and responsibility to create and foster attitudinal change and critical thinking so that education will serve as a core pillar in producing the next generation of thought leaders and change agents in the community.