2009 IRF Student Essay Competition

Deadline for Submissions - May 31, 2009

Submit Your Essay
Read last year's winning essay (PDF)

The International Road Federation - WPC has officially opened the 2009 IRF Student Essay Competition. IRF will be accepting submissions from now until May 31, 2009.

This year, IRF will be accepting essays in five categories with three topics to choose from under each category. A winning essay will be selected from each theme and awarded a $1,000 prize.

This year's themes and topics are:

  • Road Safety

    1. What low-cost initiatives are available to make roads safer for vulnerable users? Evaluate their effectiveness.
    2. How can we improve temporary traffic control and/or traveler information during incidents?
    3. As an intersection is, at its core, a planned point of conflict in the roadway system, what measures can be taken to improve intersection safety?

  • Sustainable Roads

    1. How can road design/development help reduce pollution and congestion?
    2. How can we maintain an energy efficient perspective in future road designs?
    3. How do we develop the less-developed countries while maintaining high environmental standards?

  • Innovative Financing

    1. How can we implement innovative road maintenance and operations budgeting to achieve a safe, clean, satisfactory level of customer service?
    2. How can innovative road pricing be used to reduce congestion, pollution and injury accidents?
    3. How can Innovative financing of road projects help improve performance outcomes?

  • Intelligent Transportation Systems

    1. How does ITS contribute to economic growth?
    2. How does ITS contribute to sustainable development and environmental protection?
    3. At a time of financial difficulties and facing many competing and alternative investments, how can Governments find and secure funding for ITS infrastructure?

  • Pavement Technology, Maintenance and Management

    1. What are the advantages/disadvantages of mechanistic-empirical design?
    2. What cost-effective solutions can be implemented to extend the service life of deteriorated pavements?
    3. Evaluate the role of recycling in current and future pavements. What other methods and/or technologies can be implemented to improve sustainability?

Official Rules

  1. Essay is limited to one of the proposed topics and must be typewritten in English. Essay should not be bound and can be submitted in hard copy or electronically.
  2. Essay must be a maximum of 2000 words.
  3. References to incidents or other data should include documentation verifying the information.
  4. Contest is only open to full-time students enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate transportation curriculum at IRF member universities or Research Institutes.
  5. Employees of the International Road Federation and their families are not eligible to enter the contest.
  6. Essay must be submitted no later than May 31, 2009.
  7. The International Road Federation is not responsible for lost, late or misdirected submissions.
  8. Essay must be submitted by the sponsoring professor.
  9. All entries must include the name, address, e-mail address and telephone numbers of the student and the sponsoring professor
  10. All entries will become the property of the International Road Federation.
  11. Acceptance of any award constitutes consent to use the winner’s name, photo and likeness for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes.
  12. This contest is subject to all applicable laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.
  13. All decisions made by the International Road Federation are final.

Contestant, by entering the contest, agrees to be bound by the above rules.

All entries must be submitted by May 31, 2009.

Essays can either be submitted using the online form or they can be mailed to:

IRF ESSAY COMPETITION
Madison Place
500 Montgomery Street
Fifth Floor
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
USA

Tel: +1 703 535 1001
Fax: +1 703 535 1007

E-mail: info@irfnews.org

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