Contest launch: April 1, 2021

Essay submission deadline: May 31, 2021 11: 59 p.m. (EDT)

Essays must be sent using the form provided as registration for the contest at ideasparaelfuturo.caf.com/en; with automatic response of registration formalization.

Email address ideasparaelfuturo@caf.com will be set up for any questions.

The jury's decision will be announced on the contest website on July 5, 2021, for the national winners and on October 4, for the Ibero-American winners.

The theme of the essays should focus on the opportunities to create a sustainable recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean, which would aid efforts to overcome the health, economic and social crisis facing the region due to COVID-19.

Participants may approach this theme from different perspectives, for example:

• Reconstruction difficulties from an environmental sustainability perspective;
• The challenge of economic reactivation while ensuring countries’ macroeconomic sustainability;
• The construction of more resilient and inclusive social protection systems for societies;
• The creation of more robust health systems;
• Integration and cooperation obstacles with regard to future pandemic mitigation;
• The use of digital innovation as a tool to boost employment, education and the provision of social services.
• The role of infrastructure investment in post-COVID recovery and alternative financing mechanisms.

The essay:

• It must be strictly unpublished, including publication on the internet.
• It must not have been awarded at any other contest. If, before this contest is over, the essay presented is awarded a prize in another contest, it must be immediately reported by its author.
• It may be submitted in Spanish, Portuguese or English.
• It will be between 4,000 and 6,000 words long, of which 200 will be the executive summary. Any essay that exceeds the maximum length of 6,000 words will be automatically excluded.
• The essay must be sent with a title and follow the structure below:
  • Executive summary (included in the 6,000 words).
  • Introductory part containing the identification of the problem and the statement of the objective and/or hypothesis of the work.
  • References (not included in 6,000 words).
  • No attachments.
  • Footnotes (other than the strictly bibliographical references) will be counted in the 6,000 words.
• It will be sent in PDF format and written in Arial text font, 12 points and Normal margins (2.5 cm top and bottom and 3 cm left and right), which Word configures by default. Line spacing should be 1.5.
• Any style of reference and bibliographic citation, recognized and used consistently in the academic field, will be accepted.
• To ensure the integrity of anonymous assessments, authors should remove any indication of authorship (names, email, university) from the document. This information will be provided only through the registration form.

• To ensure the integrity of anonymous assessments, authors should remove any indication of authorship (names, email, university) from the document. This information will be provided only through the registration form.

• The overall essay score shall be obtained as follows:

  Conceptual framework        Evidence y sustenance    Originality                  Coherence                  Wording

  25% 25% 20% 15% 15%

• At the time of the final assessment at the Ibero-American national level, the jury will receive the documents to be qualified in anonymity, to guarantee transparency during this phase.
• Any essay submitted after the deadline - and, in general, any essay that does not comply with the conditions stated in these rules - will not be admitted to the contest.

• Age between 18 and 29 years (born strictly between December 31, 1991, and January 1, 2003).

• Young undergraduate and graduate students of any discipline, enrolled at a university of one of the 19 CAF countries, with certification of studies (regular student certificate or its equivalent).
• No officials, interns, consultants, former officials or former consultants of CAF or Central Banks, as well as family members up to the second degree of consanguinity of CAF and Central Bank officials, may participate in this call for applications.
• The Ibero-American winners of the previous editions will not be able to participate.
• Authors may submit a maximum of one essay. Participation is strictly on an individual basis.
• Participants should submit their essays through ideasparaelfuturo.caf.com/en, by completing all the fields expressly declared as mandatory.

• National level:
  • Assessment of the essays at the national level in each of the CAF member countries will be carried out by a jury made up of representatives from CAF and the Central Bank of the respective country.
  • A winner will be chosen in each country.
  • The winners will receive a certificate of recognition and a gift to be presented at an awards ceremony organized jointly by CAF and the Central Bank.
  • The prize may be declared void if the jury, whose decision will be final, considers that none of the works submitted is of due quality.
  • The national winners will compete in their category in the general call, which brings together the 19 CAF shareholder countries.
• Ibero-American level:
  • The assessment of the essays at the Ibero-American level will be carried out by two independent international experts and the Executive President of CAF.
  • The winners will present their essays at the CAF Annual Conference, to be held in in November 2021, in person or virtually depending on existing conditions. CAF will cover travel, accommodation and per diem expenses to the country in which the Conference is held. Additionally, there will be an award a prize of $3,000 (Three thousand United States dollars) for the first place (Guillermo Perry Award), $2,000 (Two thousand United States dollars) for the second place and $1,000 (One thousand United States dollars) for the third place.
  • The prize may be declared void if the jury, whose decision will be final, considers that none of the works submitted is of due quality.

• The participant expressly agrees to comply with any and all RULES of this contest.
• Failure to comply with any of the RULES will result in the participant's exclusion from this contest.
• If there are any doubts or discrepancies in the interpretation of any of these rules, CAF will make an interpretation according to the spirit and purpose for which this contest has been created.
• For well-founded reasons, CAF may modify these rules once the contest has begun.
• The rules of this contest will be available, during the period in which they are in force, on the CAF website.

• The authors authorize CAF to collect in the organization's databases, personal data relating to name, telephone number, email address, address, national identity card and all data provided in the contest.
• The participants will give the editorial rights of reproduction, distribution, transformation and public communication to CAF free of charge; with the right to quote.
• In the event of being the winner in any of the three categories, they authorize CAF to process the personal data for transfers and accommodation, and related activities.
• In addition, the winners authorize CAF to record their voice and still image and/or in motion, in whole or in part, to the extent that it is technically necessary at the sole discretion of CAF, and to include them in all materials that CAF makes available at its sole discretion.

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