Are you a budding sourcing/outsourcing thought leader looking for an audience for your game-changing thoughts? Well, by a tremendously felicitous coincidence, Outsource is seeking fresh talent, so put your creative hats on and get ready for global fame, by entering our Spring 2017 Writing Competition - in which you can WIN a seat on SIG University's Certified Sourcing Professional course! That's right: a place on SIG U's game-changing, career-boosting CSP course is up for grabs - alongside all manner of profile-propelling coverage right here on Outsource! When thinking about what topic we should focus on for this contest, the Outsource team began with only one restriction: we wanted to take a different track from that down which we journeyed in our last competition. Our Summer 2016 event asked contestants to look into their crystal balls and discuss what they believed would be "the most important drivers of change in the global sourcing arena over the next decade". That contest produced a host of fine entries, the winning trio of which can be seen and enjoyed via these links to the winning, second- and third-placed entries - and it was my great pleasure to be able to publish articles by those authors and other entrants over the following months. Now, we're looking for more excellent writers to follow in their footsteps - and we're confident we've chosen another topic which will bring out the best in all you would-be Carnegies, Coveys and Collinses. Before we unveil that topic, though, of course you're asking the important question: "But what will I win?" Well, of course you'll have your work showcased in front of the movers and shakers of the international sourcing and outsourcing industry, in the form of publication on this very site - which alone should be enough for anyone! However, we're also offering the author of the winning entry a place on the panel for an Outsource Talks webinar later this year (we'll keep the specific date flexible) AND a podcast with myself to explore in more depth the points covered in the champion article. And if that's not enough to tempt anyone looking to establish themselves as a voice of value in this space, I don't know what is... BUT: of course we're showering you with temptation with this competition, because the winner will also receive a place in a forthcoming semester of SIG University's Certified Sourcing Professional course. If the winner doesn’t satisfy SIG U’s entrance criteria, he or she can transfer the prize to someone else within his or her organisation who does (subbject, of course, to SIG U's approval), thus earning priceless kudos internally (which never hurts…). Mark Pollack, Chief Strategy Officer of Sourcing Industry Group (SIG) and SIG University's Vice President, says: "We are delighted to team back up with Outsource for another competition and I can't wait to see the entries when they come in. Last time, the calibre of submissions was extremely high and we were hugely impressed - and equally hugely challenged when it came to judging; I am sure this time round things will be no different and it's great to encounter - and encourage - thought leadership of such stellar quality. Good luck to all the entrants; I look forward to reading your masterpieces!" So what's required? Entrants must submit an article of between 1,500 - 2,500 words, addressing the following question: "What are the biggest challenges facing the international outsourcing industry today - and how would YOU solve them?" Entries must be in English, supplied (in Microsoft Word format) to me at jliddell@sig.org, with the subject line “WRITING COMPETITION ENTRY” by no later than midnight UK time on March 31st, 2017. Entries must include a photo and 100-word (exclusive of the total word count for the article) bio of the author. Crucially, nobody who’s already been published on www.outsourcemag.com before can apply: this competition seeks to find and spotlight new talent, not those who’ve already made a name for themselves (people who have entered previous competitions but have not been published are of course free to enter). Articles must be vendor-neutral, non-promotional and absolutely original: no article that’s already been published anywhere else online or in any other format will be accepted. (For full terms and conditions, see below.) There you go: that should be more than enough to send you racing to the keyboard/writing pad/slate/cuneiform tablets (actually, scrap that: "articles must be in English" and all that...) to get your world-beating efforts over to me ASAP. A priceless, powerful enhancement of both your profile and your career could be only a couple of thousand words away: what are you waiting for? I'm eager to read everyone's entries and am confident I'll be blown away once again. Any questions, please drop me a line at jliddell@sig.org - best of luck, everyone! About SIG University SIG University was developed by and for sourcing and outsourcing professionals and academics to supplement real-world experience with the knowledge seen as lacking in the industry today. Based on the theory of Vested relationships, SIG University is designed to give you the soft and hard skills necessary for today’s sourcing professional. SIG U is transforming business one student at a time. Recognising that companies are desperate for innovative, analytical, transparent and customer-centric sourcing professionals, SIG U has taken guidance from the preeminent leaders in sourcing and created a curriculum that meets the needs of today’s workforce for tomorrow’s expectations. For more information please see www.siguniversity.org or contact Mark Pollack at mpollack@sig.org or on +1 904 304 6154.
Terms & Conditions 1. This competition is not open to employees of Sourcing Industry Group, Sourcing International Group, SIG University or their relatives; nor to anybody who has previously been published by Outsource in any format and/or medium whatsoever. 2. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence shall be entered into. 3. To qualify for the competition, all entries must be received no later than midnight UK time on March 31st 2017. 4. Submissions must be supplied in Microsoft Word format, in English, by email to jliddell@sig.org with the subject line “WRITING COMPETITION ENTRY”; each entry must be accompanied by a photo of the author in .jpeg format. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt. 5. Submissions must be between 1,500 and 2,500 words in length including all annotations but excluding the author’s biography of no more than 100 words which must accompany, in the same document, the article being submitted. 6. All submissions must be completely original; no entry shall be deemed valid if it has previously been published in whole or in part anywhere in the world, in any medium whatsoever. 7. Articles must not contain graphs, diagrams or any other type of illustration; no images other than the photo of the author will be published. 8. All submitting authors will identify themselves and assert in the act of their submission that they are the sole authors of the article being submitted and that no other authors’ rights are being infringed in any way. Sourcing Industry Group/Sourcing International Group will not be held liable in any way for any copyright infringement resulting from the publication of any article submitted to this competition. 9. All submitting authors will in the act of their submission transfer in perpetuity to Outsource and Sourcing Industry Group/Sourcing International Group the full ownership of the article being submitted and all rights to publish the article, along with or without the image of the author supplied as part of the submission, anywhere in the world, in any medium. Outsource and Sourcing Industry Group/Sourcing International Group will acknowledge the authorship of the article as and when it is published on every occasion. The Outsource editor reserves the right to edit any submission in any way he sees fit. 10. The prize of one enrollment in SIG University’s Certified Sourcing Professional (CSP) course will be awarded to the author of the winning entry, who may take the course him/herself or, if s/he does not meet the criteria for eligibility, may transfer the prize to a colleague meeting those criteria. Eligibility shall be decided solely by Mark Pollack, Vice President of SIG University, and no substitute prize shall be given in its stead should the winner and/or any other proposed recipient of the award be deemed ineligible. Any winner deemed eligible and subsequently taking the CSP course shall be subject to the usual SIG University Terms & Conditions. 11. This prize has no cash value. 12. This competition shall be held according to the laws of England and Wales. 13. All entrants will automatically be subscribed to the Outsource mailing list and their information may be shared with Sourcing Industry Group, SIG University and associated organisations.
