State banking giant People‘s Bank has entered into partnership with the popular and informative children’s magazine Funday Times， issued with The Sunday Times， to conduct an all-island essay competition that will coincide with International Children‘s Day 20xx.

　　The competition was announced in June 2008， and was open to all children island-wide. At present finalists have been selected from the 25 districts. The second round is scheduled to be held on August 9 at designated centres around the country.

　　There will be four categories in which children can participate： these include Grades 2 and 3， Grades 4 and 5， Grades 6 and 7， and Grades 8 and 9. Each category will have a different topic to write on， and the essays can be written in Sinhala， Tamil or English.

　　As a responsible corporate citizen， People’s Bank has for more than 47 years carried out various programmes aimed at nurturing the talents of future generations. Through its ‘Isuru Udana’ and ‘Sisu Udana’ products， designed especially with the welfare of children in mind， the Bank has paved the way for all children to learn the value of savings.

　　Through this essay competition， the Bank， together with the Funday Times， aims to encourage the language and creative writing skills of children. The winners will be rewarded with valuable prizes and certificates at a ceremony which will be held on October 4.