Winners of the national stage of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards competition for 2017 have been named, with students from schools across Zimbabwe winning accolades for their entries in the poster and essay sections of the competition.
Liz Dziva, publicity and public relations manager of MultiChoice Zimbabwe, said the competition was run at international level, attracting entries from a large number of African countries, as well as at national level, with winners and runners-up in the two sections at both levels receiving prizes. The Zimbabwean country winners will now have their submissions judged at international level.
“We were delighted with the number of entries received for 2017 and judging of submissions from across Zimbabwe has now been completed,” she said.
In the essay category, the 2017 winner is Einstein Mubemi (14) of St Columba’s High School in Bulawayo while the runner-up is Kudzai Kafesu (17) of St Ignatius High College near Harare. In the poster category, Takunda Nyambuya (17) of Mutare Boys High School was named winner, and the runner-up is 17-year-old Gabriella Makandidze of Matopo High School near Bulawayo.
“We are pleased that the prize winners come from a number of schools across the country and we are hopeful that they will do well in competition against the other countries’ national winners, as their submissions have now gone for consideration at international level,” said Ms Dziva.
“We would especially like to commend Mutare Boys High School, which has provided a regular set of quality entries over the years, particularly in the poster category. We had entries from newcomers, including Harare High School, Mbare. It was interesting to note that St Columba’s won the essay category in the previous competition, when the winner was Andile Dube.”
The competition is hosted each year by leading pay-TV operator MultiChoice Africa and satellite company Eutelsat, and is aimed at encouraging students to take an interest in science and technology in general and at satellite technology in particular. Since the competition was launched in 2011, Zimbabwean students have fared well at international level with poster and essay sections having been won by Zimbabweans against stiff competition from peers across the continent.