At the 2014 Summit, the India Chapter received a Community of Merit award, with the citation reading “For improving STC visibility and professional standing in the community through a high number of quality initiatives, especially the Think-Tank and Debate contests.” Chapter member Manisha Khurana was there to represent the India Chapter, and we asked her for more information about the contests. Below is what Manisha provided.
In 2013, STC India came up with new ways to provide value to members and to recognize the technical communication professionals.
To make the year fruitful and useful for the writers in India, the India Chapter competitions team in 2013 started the year with various Think Tank contests. These Think Tank contests were very simple and were dedicated towards continuous learning and growth of writers.
In these contests, the India Chapter invited articles on some interesting topics, such as:
- “What are the key differences between British English and American English, in terms of language, writing style and spoken format?” (Limit: 500 words)
- Suggest any three ways to achieve minimalism in technical writing. (Limit: 500 words)
These contests generated great interest in the STC events in India and there was a sharp growth rate in the participation for competitions. The second competition saw a growth rate of around 400% in participation and all other competitions during the year saw at least 50% growth rate in participation.
The India Chapter recognized two winners in the first contest and five winners in the second contest. We received very good feedback on these contests during our AGM as well.
Furthermore, the India Chapter organized a debate on “Who is Better: a Versatile Communicator or a Specialized Writer?” This was a very interesting topic and many writers participated in this contest.
The best entries were published on page 3 and page 4 of the annual conference newsletter, SmartComm.
We did not provide any cash prize to the winners. However, the writers were very happy because of these new initiatives. This proved to be a tool for recognizing the writing talent in India.