MySpace, The New York Times will send you on African Reporting Trip

MySpace.com announced it is teaming up with The New York Times for its second annual “Win A Trip With Nick” African reporting competition, offering one college or graduate student as well one middle- or high-school teacher the opportunity to accompany Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Nick Kristof on an expedition to Africa. MySpace is creating a customized community to engage users in the contest and offer video from the expedition, raising awareness about the challenges facing strife-ridden African nations.

“Traveling through Asia and Africa when I was in college was a turning point in my life,” said New York Times’ op-ed columnist and award winning journalist, Nick Kristof. “My hope is that the student and teacher who join me this summer will be similarly affected and will share their discoveries about Africa and its people with their peers and their students.”

Beginning this week, students and teachers are invited to submit essays explaining their reasons for wanting to go to Africa and articulating what makes them ideally suited for such an experience. Any student 18 or older who is attending an American college, university, or graduate school, and any teacher currently working in a middle or high school in the United States, is eligible. Essays must be limited to 700 words and must be received along with application forms by April 6. Information about the competition is available at www.myspace.com/winatrip and www.nytimes.com/winatrip.