Washington, D.C., June 1 - The International Campaign for Tibet is pleased to announce the results of the second Light of Truth essay contest.

The four judges recognized the following winners:

• First Prize: $1000 to Sozong Lhadar
• Second Prize: $500 to Tenzin Dickyi
• Third Prize: $250 to Sonam Dorjee

Entries were judged on the basis of content, responsiveness to the question and for leadership qualities. The international judging panel consisted of the following:

• Ven. Achok Rinpoche, Director of the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, Dharamsala, India
• Professor Samten Karmay, Director of Research - National Centre of Scientific Research, Paris France
• Kasur Tenzin Tethong, The Dalai Lama Foundation California
• Ms Tsering Yangdon, Instructor, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey & Board Member of Tibet Fund, New Jersey, USA

Each judge received copies of the essays from which the names and identifying information had been removed. The judges rated each essay from 1 to 5 and the winners were selected by taking an average of each score.

More than 60 essays were submitted in Tibetan and English and 44 were qualified. The others were received after the deadline or exceeded the word limit.

Writers were invited to comment on the following topic:

An important aspect of the Tibetan struggle is the issue of empowerment of Tibetans in Tibet. Although the population of Tibetans in Tibet is much greater than those living in diaspora, the latter has the responsibility and the opportunity to help in the empowerment of Tibetans inside Tibet.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan leadership in exile have been encouraging active international engagement that will improve the Tibetan people's quality of life and to address the existing imbalances in the development of Tibet. They have been calling for greater contact between diasporic and homeland Tibetans and encouraging newly arrived Tibetans in India to return to Tibet after completing their education in order to contribute to the development of Tibetan society there.

What are the different opportunities and/or responsibilities of different segments of diasporic Tibetan society, as individuals or as groups, toward the economic challenges faced by the vast majority of Tibetans in Tibet, particularly those in the rural areas? How effective is it for diaspora Tibetans to reach into Tibet by starting joint business ventures (either between Tibetans or facilitating joint ventures between homeland Tibetans and international agencies), building hospitals and schools, or teaching English?

What are the ways in which Tibetans in exile can help in the development of Tibet while maintaining the essence of Tibetan identity and culture?

ICT wishes to thank the judges, to congratulate the winners and to thank everyone who submitted essays. The next essay contest will be announced in November, 2003.

The winning essays will be published by the Tibet Press Watch, the Tibetan Review and also can be viewed on our website www.savetibet.org in the coming days