Condé Nast Traveler released the names of the finalists in the
14th Annual “My Caribbean” Essay Contest. Each year school children between the ages
of 8 and 12 enter a writing contest geared toward promoting tourism awareness in the
Caribbean.

Each finalist and a chaperone will fly to the Caribbean Tourism
Conference (CTC) in Grand Bahama Island, which is being held this year from October
22-October 24, 2006. A grand prize-winner and two runners-up will be announced
during the awards ceremony on October 24, 2006. A $2,000 scholarship for the winner
and two $500 scholarships for the runners-up will be awarded.

Each of the 26 finalists attending the Caribbean Tourism Conference this year will
receive an eye-opening experience into the world of tourism. The contest, sponsored
by Condé Nast Traveler, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, American Airlines,
Pelican Bay Hotel, UNEXSO Grand Bahama, and the Grand Bahama ISLAND magazine,
educates elementary school children in the Caribbean about the importance of tourism
to their country.

Grade school children of the 32 CTO member countries were asked to submit a 250-word
essay on the following topic:

“Imagine that you are a travel journalist and you have been assigned to write a
story about your country for Condé Nast Traveler. Remember that our editorial
mission is Truth in Travel, and we like to go beneath the surface to show people
more than just the usual tourist spots.”

The theme and rules for the 2006 “My Caribbean” essay contest were communicated to
all CTO members and the Ministers of Tourism by Lisa Hughes, Vice President and
Publisher of Condé Nast Traveler. The contest was then administered through the
school system in each Caribbean country. This year’s 26 islands/nations participated
with over 114 essays received. After a multi-step judging process involving the
ministries of tourism, the ministries of education and the Caribbean Tourism
Organization, a finalist was chosen on each island.

The winning essay will be published in the January issue of Condé Nast Traveler, on
newsstands on December 26, 2006.

The finalists in alphabetical order by country are:

 

Anguilla, Vince Webster
Aruba, Belinda Ho
The Bahamas, Shanté Swan
Barbados, Ashley Harris
Belize, Vivian Courtenay
Bermuda, Sarah Hopkin
British Virgin Islands, Joseph Archibald-Bowers
Cayman Islands, Ashley Amador
Dominica, Jawole Mandisa Joseph
Dominican Republic, Virginia Nϖez Mir
Grenada, Joshua Tuson
Guyana, Sidonia Peters
Haiti, Christina Melodie Beauboeuf
Jamaica, Renee Duhaney
Martinique, Daphne Xavier Maximin-Anne
Montserrat, Tiffannie Skerritt
Nevis, Austine Liburd
St. Eustatius, Reinalda Fleming
St. Kitts, Renicia McDonald
St. Lucia, Nadege Boriel
St. Maarten, Alexandria Stanford
St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Yahtibah Speedwell
Suriname, Jasherel Wielzen
Trinidad & Tobago, Kyle Ramdeo
Turks & Caicos, Crivanne Adams
U.S. Virgin Islands, Tequan Cruse
——-