Financial Literacy Video-Essay Competition 2026
The video essay competition aims to encourage independent research on selected financial topics. Students are challenged to relate the themes to real-life contexts, drawing on personal or national experiences. Their ability to condense and organise larger volumes of information into coherent, persuasive presentations will also be displayed.
The topic for 2026 encourages students to examine the current banking and foreign exchange access environments within the country, including limits on Bahamians’ access to foreign currency credit and deposit facilities. Students should choose a position on whether allowing all Bahamians to borrow and save in U.S. dollars, without restrictions, will benefit the Bahamian economy; defend their opinion for changing the current policies or having them remain the same. According, students are invited to submit a 3 to 5 minutes video essay responding to the following statement:
“The Bahamian economy would thrive more if customers had full access to the foreign currency credit and deposit facilities offered by banks.”
Submissions should explain and defend the student’s views on the topic. They should feel free to draw upon practical examples from inside The Bahamas or relevant experiences from other countries.
Video essays must be produced individually.
The deadline for submission of videos is Saturday, 31 October 2026. These should conform to the submission guidelines below.
Prizes will be awarded in four categories: primary school, junior high, senior high school, and college undergraduates. Winning entries will be featured on the Central Bank’s website and social media platforms, and used as educational tools for on-going financial literacy campaigns.
Contest Eligibility and Guidelines:
Eligible:
Local student(s) currently enrolled in primary, junior or senior high-school, as well as university or college undergraduates.
· Primary School: Grades 4-6
· Junior High School: Grades 7-9
· Senior High School: Grades 10 – 12
· University: locally enrolled up to Bachelor’s Degree
Submission Guidelines:
· The videos must be no shorter than 3 minutes and no longer than 5 minutes, not including introductory information or ending credits.
· The essays should be creatively presented on camera by the contestants.
· School-aged students are encouraged to wear their uniforms for the video recording.
· The videos should display introductory information to identify in writing the names of the contestant, school or college attended, and grade level or study major.
· The videos should conclude with credits that list all sources cited or used in the presentation.
· Videos must not contain any age-inappropriate content: images, offensive language, attire or political messaging.
· Videos must not contain copyrighted music, including background music that will prevent the video from being displayed in its entirety on social media due to copyright infringements.
· Entries must be uploaded to the competition website. Uploads should be in MP4 or MOV format, filmed in landscaped mode, with a high definition (HD) resolution of 720p or 1080p.
The submission link is: https://centralbankbahamas.submittable.com/submit. The first time that a contestant connects to the website, they will be asked to create username and password. Former contestants may be able to recover their old usernames and passwords.
Prizes
Judging Criteria
Videos will be judged mainly on the following criteria:
i. Demonstrated understanding of the topic: Is the presenter able to convey a clear understanding of the topic through definitions, examples or facts used?
ii. Quality of background research and preparation: Is the information presented relevant, and sufficiently varied to provide multiple perspectives on the topic?
iii. Persuasiveness and organisation of presentation: Does the presentation use facts, examples and clear reasoning to defend the positions put forward? Does the presentation show a logical and clear progression of ideas?
iv. Delivery of material: Does the presenter make effective use of oral communication skills to help with the delivery of the material?
Contest Deadline: 11:59pm on Saturday, 31 October 2026.
Completed Submissions should be uploaded to the Central Bank’s file share site:
https://centralbankbahamas.submittable.com/submit
More information may be obtained by writing as follows:
Governor’s Office:
Contest Deadline: Saturday, 31 October 2026, 11:59 pm.
Completed video-essays should be uploaded to the Central Bank’s file share page: on Submittable.com. You will be required to create a Submittable account. Former contestants may be able to recover their old usernames and passwords. Please use the above button or click this link to transfer to the portal. Please have a valid email, phone number and email for parent or guardian before clicking the link.
Under 18: To be eligible, you must have obtained a parent or guardian consent to share your video. If you win a prize, your parent or guardian must also authorize the Central Bank to publish portions or all of your video essay in our financial literacy campaigns.
If your video is shortlisted for a prize you may be asked to provide proof of identity, with a government or school issued ID.
Questions on the competition rules and guidelines can be sent to:
[email protected]
