The International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH), a bridge for the international water, sanitation, and hygiene community with specific focus on the role of the plumbing industry in community collaborations and educational exchange, will again administer an essay competition awarding scholarships to three young people with an interest in how the plumbing and mechanical industry can create and promote positive change across the globe.

Participants in this year’s contest will submit essays expressing their thoughts on the following: “In November 2017, IWSH completed the Community Plumbing Challenge 2017 in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. If you had to choose one location within the U.S. to conduct the next Community Plumbing Challenge (providing safe access to clean water and proper sanitation), which location would you choose and why?”

“Though technologically advanced, the U.S. is not completely free of many of the same issues that plague residents of developing nations where it concerns access to healthy drinking water and efficient sanitation,” IWSH Board of Trustees Chairman Dan Daniels said. “By bringing the Community Plumbing Challenge home, IWSH would hope to increase awareness of the need for collaboration and improvement wherever it arises, anywhere on the planet.”

This topic chosen by the IWSH board of trustees provides ample room for exploration and solution finding by competition participants. The competition is open to any student actively enrolled in a high school, community college, trade school, four-year accredited college or university or working in an apprentice program.

Submitted essays must be the completely original work of the submitter and a minimum of 1,000 words. The essay entry deadline is May 1 via e-mail, fax or mail to IAPMO World Headquarters. The winning essay will be announced in October at the 2018 IAPMO Education and Business Conference in Philadelphia.

The author of the essay awarded first prize will receive a $1,000 scholarship and a one-year paid membership to IAPMO. Second-place winner will receive a $750 scholarship, and the third-place winner will receive a $500 scholarship. All winning essays will also be published in Official, IAPMO’s membership magazine, and on the IAPMO website.

Individuals who meet the qualifications to submit an essay to the competition should include your name and your school’s or education/training organization’s name. All essays should be sent to Gabriella Davis at IAPMO by e-mail at essay@iwsh.org; by fax at 909-472-4222; or by standard mail to her attention at IAPMO, 4755 E. Philadelphia St., Ontario, CA 91761.