Press Release No. 14/362

Press Release: IMF Announces Finalists for Student Essay Contest: “How to Build a Better Future for Latin America”

July 24, 2014

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced today the eight finalists in its essay contest, “How to Build a Better Future for Latin America,” for undergraduate and graduate students in Latin American universities. The announcement was made by Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu during a student event in Lima, Peru, which is hosting the 2015 Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the IMF and World Bank Group.

“I am delighted to announce the finalists of our Latin America student essay contest. Among the more than one thousand essays we received from students in 23 countries across the region, our eight finalists stood out for their originality and incisiveness. We look forward to welcoming these finalists to the 2014 Annual Meetings in Washington, DC in October,” Mr. Zhu said.

Participants were asked to explain the main challenges that the region faces and propose solutions to them.

The finalists are:

• Adriana Rojas Castro, 29 years, Colombian, Universidad de Concepción, Chile

• Daniela Amórtegui Martinez, 19 years, Colombian, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia

• Gonzalo Huertas, 26 years, Argentinean, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Luiz Guilherme de Brito Soares, Brazilian, Universidade Católica de Pernambuco, Brazil

• Mariana Montero Vega, 19 years, Costa Rica, Universidad de Costa Rica

• Mauricio Rada Orellana, 19 years, Peruvian, Universidad del Pacifico, Peru

• Monica Sodré Pires, 29 years, Brazilian, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

• Nabil Lopez Hawa, 24 years, Dominican, Michigan University, USA

The finalists will be invited to the IMF Annual Meetings from October 10-12.

An evaluation committee comprised of senior IMF officials and the Central Bank of Peru, as well as professors at Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico and Universidad de Chile, selected the finalists. In reviewing the essays, the evaluation committee considered their purposefulness, originality, coherence, structure, and eloquence; as well as the countries of origin; gender; equal representation of public and private universities; and academic diversity of the participants. Peru’s Consorcio de Investigación Económica y Social (CIES) helped coordinate the contest with the IMF.

For more information on the contest visit: http://www.imf.org/external/np/seminars/eng/2014/imflima2015/youth/