How do you see the North?

The people behind a new Arctic Web sit at www.ookpik.org wants to learn what Arctic youth between 12 and 25 think about where they live.

A new contest sponsored by the Arctic Council’s Children and Youth in the Arctic program is asking young people from around the circumpolar world to submit essays, poems, photos or drawings along three themes:

* Your North: if you were a leader in the North, how would you improve the lives of northern youth?
* Your Community: describe what changes you are seeing in the North, what these mean for your community and how it can respond?
* Yourself: is the North a part of your future and why?

Every young person who submits an entry by Feb. 28 will automatically be entered into a draw to win one of three cash prizes of $250.

And everyone who enters will also have a chance to have his or her work published on the On Top of the World Web site at www.ookpik.org.

Entries can be either an essay under 500 words or a poem under 100 words. Any photos or artwork submitted need a brief caption in English, saying what the picture is of, where it was taken and how it relates to one of the three themes.

Entry forms and guidelines can be downloaded from www.ookpik.org.