Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (WAVA), in partnership with the Johns Hopkins International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC) and Direct Consulting and Logistics (DCL), is hosting this Human Papillomavirus contest. We are calling for dance videos, comedy skits, essays, and poetry applications from the 36+1 states in Nigeria. Application is eligible for Nigerian adolescents and youths aged 9-25.

About the contest

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that can lead to several diseases if left untreated. The HPV vaccine plays a crucial role in preventing cervical cancers and other HPV-related diseases. Consequently, the Nigerian Government, through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), plans to introduce the HPV vaccine for girls aged 9-14 on October 24^th, 2023. This contest aims to engage young artists in educating their peers about the significance of the HPV vaccine through captivating and thought-provoking art expressions.

Participant eligibility

Adolescents and youths aged 9-25 from the 36+1 states in Nigeria.

• Interested participants can submit a (1) dance video, (2) comedy skit, (3) essay, or (4) poem.
• Entries should be original work that communicates the burden of the HPV disease and the importance of the HPV vaccine.
• Dance videos should be less than 45 seconds recorded in portrait or landscape mode.
• Comedy skits should be less than 2 minutes long and recorded in landscape mode.
• Essays should be limited to 1500 words.
• Poems should be limited to 14 lines.

Screening Criteria

• Essays and poems would be judged based on clear messages on HPV and the vaccines, organized flow of thought, originality of the essay, and artistry. We will not consider entries with artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted content.
• Comedy skits would be screened based on storyline, humour, creativity, clear message on HPV and the vaccines, and effort.
• Dance videos will be screened based on creativity, talent, and effort.

Submission

• All submissions must be made via this form. Emails of entries sent to WAVA/DCL official emails will not be considered for this contest.
• Participants are required to share their submissions through their social media platforms using the hashtag #FightCervicalCancerWithHPVVaccination and tag @wavaorg

Voting

• Voting will be distinctly categorized for adolescents and youth.
• The WAVA team will preselect all entries to identify the overall top ten entries across all categories (dance video, comedy skit, essay, and poem).
• The top ten entries will advance for public voting on wavang.org.
• For transparency, the voting platform will be accessible for the public to vote and view live scores.

Important Dates

• Contest Launch: 31st August 2023
• Submission Deadline: 20th October 2023
• Voting starts: 30th October 2023
• Voting ends: 5th November 2023
• Winners’ Announcement: 8th November 2023

Prize

• Prizes will be given to both adolescent and youth winners.
• NGN 300,000 cash prize for the 1^st position (NGN 150,000 each for the adolescent and youth) + Winning art featured in HPV awareness campaigns and WAVA and DCL websites and social media handles.
• NGN 200,000 cash prize for the 2^nd position (NGN 100,000 each for the adolescent and youth)
• NGN 100,000 cash prize for the 3^rd position (NGN 50,000 each for the adolescent and youth)
• All participants will receive a certificate of participation.

Disclaimer

By participating in the contest, artists grant permission for their artwork to be used for educational and awareness purposes by the organizers.

For inquiries and more information, contact WAVA at info@wavang.org.

The HPV vaccine is a one-dose regimen targeted at a multi-age cohort of girls aged 9-14 years. It is expected that over the next two years, 3,005,381 girls aged 9 years and 14,329,029 girls aged 10-14 years will be vaccinated.

HPV vaccination will commence with a multi-age-cohort (MAC) campaign targeting girls aged 10-14 years through school and community-based outreach and mobile strategies. The routine introduction will then follow with fixed and school outreach sessions from health facilities, targeting 9-year-old girls and any 10-14-year-olds that missed their vaccination during the MAC campaigns

The first phase introduction will begin in September 2023 in 16 states (FCT, Nasarawa, Benue, Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba, Kano,f Kebbi, Jigawa, Abia, Enugu, Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom, Ogun, Osun, Lagos) across the six (6) geo-political zones of the Country. In the second phase, expected to commence in 2024, the remaining 21 states will be reached.

Successful HPV vaccine introduction and achievement of target coverage rates will require strong multisectoral collaborations across relevant stakeholders such as Faith-based organizations, line ministries, education institutions, parents/guardians, and other priority groups.

CSOs have been recognized as an important Gavi alliance partner that can significantly contribute to immunization programming by complementing public service delivery by generating demand for immunization, tackling misinformation and gender-related barriers, linking and engaging other relevant groups, and mobilizing eligible populations to uptake health interventions.

CSOs, however need to be primed with training support to ensure they have adequate technical capacity to participate in the HPV vaccine introduction planning and implementation processes and position themselves for Gavi’s Civil Society and Community Engagement (CSCE) funding opportunities.

IVAC, through their in-country partner, WAVA is conducting a two-day training to and equip CSOs with accurate information about the HPV vaccine, its benefits, safety profile, and the rationale for its introduction. The training will help CSOs identify potential roles and responsibilities they can play in the successful introduction of the HPV vaccine in the country. This training will also be the starting point to initiate regular coordination between CSOs and RI program managers at the national and sub-national levels.