Press Releases
Launch of 2010 INTO/EBS Handwriting Competition
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
EBS and INTO Launch the 2010 National Handwriting Competition and their campaign to enthuse students about the art of handwriting.
EBS Building Society in conjunction with the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) today launched the 2010 INTO/EBS National Handwriting Competition and their campaign to highlight the art of handwriting. The competition, now in its 18th year, is open to all national schools throughout the country and its focus is to keep the art of handwriting alive in the schools across the country.
The competition traditionally attracts entries from over 100,000 children all over Ireland each year and 2010 should hopefully be no different. This year entrants are being asked to write a piece of prose or a poem about their own family or copy a piece connected to family in some way. Students are not being judged on content but the style, flair, neatness and layout of their handwriting.
Speaking at the launch, Máire Ní Chuinneagáin, President of the INTO said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of the 2010 INTO/EBS Handwriting competition. The competition has been a huge success over the last seventeen years and it is a great achievement for all involved to be heading into the 18th year of the competition. I hope the number of entries will continue to rise this year and wish everyone the best of luck.
Our aim is to celebrate the skill of handwriting among all children from infants to 6th class in all languages. As always style, flair, neatness and layout of handwriting are the criteria that judges use to assess the entries. I would like to thank EBS for their continued support of the competition.”
Aidan Power, Head of Marketing, EBS said: “EBS has a long-standing commitment to education and we believe it is important for children to continuously improve their writing skills. National commentary has sometimes focused on why we continue to teach handwriting in schools to our children since we are in the "digital" age and using a computer is a far easier way to get things done. Only recently, Umberto Eco, the world-famous novelist, wrote an article lamenting the lost art of handwriting and blaming the advent of the ballpoint pen for its demise. The EBS/INTO Handwriting competition hopes to reverse this thinking and encourage students and teachers alike to take handwriting seriously.”
“This year EBS is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Family is and has been at the heart of EBS throughout those years. With the ‘EBS family’ growing to more than 430,000 members, this year’s handwriting competition will reflect the family theme. This means that entrants must write a piece of prose or poem about their own family or copy a piece connected to family in some way.”
Entries are received in categories ranging from infants to 6th Class, with a Special Education prize also being awarded. The closing date for entries to the 2010 INTO/EBS National Handwriting Competition is 26th of February. The National Prize giving ceremony will take place in Dublin on Saturday 24th April.