Wonderful prizes for top pupils

AFTER a difficult judging session due to the high calibre of the entrants, the judges of the Herald Continental Matric of the Year competition are poised to announce the Eastern Cape's top matriculant at a gala event tomorrow evening.

It could not have been easy for judges Jiminy-Ann Knoetze-Bosman of Continental Tyres, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's Pieter Swart and the Eastern Cape Education Department's Isaac Metembo to choose an overall winner from the list of academically, culturally and philanthropically gifted teenagers.

At the awards function at the Athenaeum tomorrow night, guest speaker Thina Maqubela, a Rhodes University lecturer, will give the keynote address.

The finalists can look forward to amazing prizes, chief of which is a fully paid undergraduate bursary at NMMU. Other prizes include computers, gym memberships, The Herald and Weekend Post subscriptions and a celebratory dinner for the overall winner.

Head judge Pieter Swart said of this year's entrants: "It is amazing where these young people find the time to perform not only academically but in all spheres of life.

"Once one has completed the judging of the 20 finalists and has met them personally the winners just announce themselves."

Prizes include:

• The Herald giving each finalist a subscription and a framed certificate acknowledging their achievement;

• NMMU awarding the bursary to the overall Matric of the Year, a scholarship to the Scholarship Award category winner, a R10000 sports bursary to the Sports Award category winner, a R350 gift hamper to each finalist and a R375 corporate gift to each category winner;

• Profiles Health Club giving three-month gym memberships to the category winners and Scholarship Award winner to the tune of R870, while the overall top pupil will win a free year-long contract and R2568 spa voucher. Each finalist gets a two- month membership worth R680;

• The Beach Hotel and Fat Cats Catering giving the overall winner a grand graduation dinner package at the hotel, valued at R4168, Fat Cats providing the feast for the winner and 25 guests to the tune of R3718;

• Walmer Park Shopping Centre sponsoring R300 vouchers for each finalist. Each category winner gets a R1000 voucher. The top matric and Scholarship Award winner will receive R3000 and R2000 shopping vouchers respectively;

• Proline Computers will give the sport, cultural and community category winners 10.1-inch Android tablets valued at R2899 each. The academic category winner gets a 14-inch laptop worth R3499;

• Vodacom will award the Matric of the Year and Scholarship Award winners a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 4, which includes a one-gigabyte data bundle, valued at R5149 each;

• Waltons will give each finalist a stationery pack worth R300, with the Scholarship Award and overall winner getting a Canon Pixma printer worth R500 and a Pantem mono laser printer worth R1000 respectively;

• Rafi's Appliances and Mattresses have sponsored a R799 Russell Hobbs microwave for the scholarship and overall winners, with a kettle and toaster set to be given to each category award winner and Scholarship Award winner's school each worth R899; and

• Van Schaiks Bookstore will give each category winner and the Scholarship award winner a R750 voucher.

- Zandile Mbabela