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ÂÒÂ×Ðã Grand Challenges and 'Sophia' magazine have announced a writing competition open to current PhD and Masters students from any ÂÒÂ×Ðã department and medical students in their fourth year and above.

The theme of the writing competition is 'The Challenge of Sustainable-City Living & the Scale of Community'. First Prize is £250 and Second Prize is £100, and the deadline for entries is 1 May 2009.

Entries should be informal articles or creative written work of up to 2,500 words drawing inspiration from the above theme. Further details and a short description of the theme can be downloaded from the 'Sophia' website. It is anticipated that a PDF supplement to 'Sophia' will include the prizewinners and a selection of runners-up.

'Sophia' is a new volunteer-run magazine aiming to showcase talent in research, writing and art from current ÂÒÂ×Ðã staff and graduate students. By publishing academic content written for a general readership, 'Sophia' hopes to encourage the sharing of ideas and an appreciation of the advances being made in areas of research other than our own, and to act as a forum for the discussion of academic issues and current affairs.

The competition is dedicated to the memory of Craig Patterson, Founding Director of ÂÒÂ×Ðã Grand Challenges, who died in September 2008. The many members of the ÂÒÂ×Ðã community who had met him will have been struck by his energy, enthusiasm and pragmatic idealism. He regarded student engagement as essential to the success of the ÂÒÂ×Ðã Grand Challenges.

To donate to the Craig Patterson Tribute Fund: