Rejuvenation will award R10 000 in cash prizes to three winning entries. The competition seeks submissions from all South African residents, and entries ranging from short stories to socio political essays are welcome.
"A significant percentage of JHBLive's readers work in advertising, marketing and IT," says Michael Balkind, JHBLive director. "Our readers are very creative, and they respond to the site because it reflects the emerging Joburg youth culture, and it is uncensored in terms of content. Wideopen's sponsorship of the Rejuvenation competition will give our readers the opportunity to express their own creativity, without any limitations."
JHBLive's growth over the last two years mirrors that of the competition sponsor, Wideopen Advertising. Having begun life as a small community based web site, JHBLive has mushroomed into the central online resource for Johannesburg youth culture, offering an eclectic mix of entertainment journalism, socio politcal discussion and locally relevant night life information to Joburg's 21 – 35 year olds. From humble beginnings, JHBLive now dominates Johannesburg's online youth culture scene.
Similarly, Wideopen Advertising has over the last two years imprinted its stamp on outdoor advertising in South Africa. In 2001, Wideopen closed what was the largest ever outdoor deal in South Africa, placing the airport busses at Johannesburg International. Hot on the heals of the airport deal came the Cell C for the City project, which has seen the Joburg CBD transformed through high impact 'art' outdoor advertising.
The Cell C for the City project is currently the largest ever outdoor deal closed in South Africa.
"Our emphasis with the Cell C for the City project was to offer Cell C real value in terms of exposure and branding impact," says Caryn Cohen, CEO of Wideopen Advertising.
"But we offer that value through a concept which relied on a creative approach and used the skills of South Africa's best young artists. We tried as hard as possible to step away from one dimensional, in-your-face advertising. This is why it made so much sense for us to team up with JHBLive for the Rejuvenation creative writing competition. The competition allows us to continue our emphasis on the need for creativity in the evolution of South African society - and the way that evolution is presented in the media."
With first, second and third place cash prizes of R5000, R3000 and R2000 respectively, and no restrictions on attitude or types of content, JHBLive and Wideopen are offering South Africa's writers an opportunity they very seldom get.
South Africa is plagued by a lack of support for the literary arts, with very few accessible initiatives that encourage writers to get creative without being tied down by an advertising-driven editorial focus.
"The Rejuvenation competition will offer young creatives, whether they work within the media industries or not, the opportunity to express themselves without any limitations," says Balkind. "This is what JHBLive and Wideopen are all about – encouraging creativity in the belief that it will define our culture and the way our country and our cities are viewed across the world."
The Rejuvenation Creative Writing contest is accepting submissions from November 4 to December 10. Log onto www.jhblive.com for entry details.
