CONTEST | ATTENTION ASPIRING JOURNALISTS: NEW YORK TIMES "WIN A TRIP" COMPETITION

I wasn’t planning to include writing contests on this blog, but this one is too good to pass up: The New York Times is sponsoring a “Win a Trip With Nick Kristof” over the next month or so for university students. The fortunate one or two winners will spend 10 days this summer traveling with Kristof to a yet-to-be-determined locale, to report the bejeezus out a yet-to-be-determined story. All the possible places Kristof listed are in Africa: "rural Burundi and Rwanda in central Africa, or an odyssey from the coast of Cameroon inland to the heart of the Central African Republic.”

Romenesko (www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45) featured the pre-announcement memo from Mr. Kristof himself in today’s posts.

The Times is dispatching its Web producer Naka Nathaniel on the trip with Kristof and his travel companion(s). (He does stellar work, by the way.) Lest any members of the Future War Correspondents of America Club get their hopes up, Kristof notes, “Now I should say upfront that our lawyers are pretty boring. They've nixed the idea of us all hiking through Afghan minefields, riding a camel through Darfur, or sneaking illegally into Zimbabwe. So no war zones.” He's telling contenders they’ll work dawn to late at night, and interview peasants to presidents. (As to presidents: More than one? Really?)

To enter, students will submit a 700-word essay. The Times plans to announce full details next week. Stay tuned. (Note: I will not be entering this one.)