Halifax, NS – Undergraduate and graduate students across Canada who are 18 years of age or older are being encouraged to help “Right the ship” in Atlantic Canada by entering the AIMS/on/Campus essay competition.

The AIMS/on/Campus essay competition is part of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) campus outreach program. AIMS is a distinctive Atlantic Canadian voice on public policy regionally, nationally and internationally.

“We are asking students to apply their critical thinking skills at a time when Atlantic Canada could use an infusion of fresh, new ideas,” says Marco Navarro-Genie, president and CEO of AIMS. “This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their talent and earn some money doing it.”

The theme, “Righting the ship,” requires a short personal statement and two short essays on policy or economic related issues facing Atlantic Canada.

Navarro-Genie believes the theme will produce some interesting papers.

“The Atlantic Canadian economy is stagnating. Low productivity and out-migration have conspired with aging demographics to put immense fiscal pressure on local and provincial budgets,” adds Navarro-Genie. “This is a chance for bright students to make a difference by imagining they work at a think tank dedicated to righting the ship.”

AIMS is asking all students from various academic backgrounds to apply. The deadline to submit is June 7, 2015 at 11:59pm.

Top prize is $1,000; second place, $750; and third place, $500.

AIMS is a Canadian non-profit, non-partisan organization. The AIMS/on/Campus programme is made possible through the generous support of the Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation (www.hecht.org).