International Association For Intelligence Education 2015 Essay Competition

The International Association for Intelligence Education is pleased to announce its Essay Competition for 2015. This competition promotes IAFIE’s goal of providing a forum for the creation of knowledge and the dissemination and exchange of ideas and information for those interested in and concerned with intelligence education.

The competition is open to everyone with an interest in furthering intelligence education. (IAFIE board members, officers, and staff are not eligible to compete.)

Topic

Please respond to one of the following questions:

In an era of rapidly increasing technical capability where the intelligence focus is often on the modes of collection and tools of analysis rather than the analyst themselves there is a perception that the role of the analyst is diminishing in importance. Examine the role and function of the intelligence analyst and discuss the importance or otherwise of the analyst to the intelligence system.
OR
Big data is the new black. Will exploiting big data be an intelligence game changer? Discuss the use of big data in the intelligence domain, consider its potential advantages and vulnerabilities and how it might impact intelligence practice.

Organizer

The International Association for Intelligence Education

Prizes

First place finishers in each category will receive a $1,000 cash award, and second place finishers in each category will each receive $500 in cash. First and second place finishers will have the opportunity to publish their essays on the IAFIE website, and receive a one year free membership in IAFIE.

Deadline

May 3, 2015, midnight, EST.

Guidelines

ELIGIBILITY:

Professional – An individual who is working or who has worked as an intelligence practitioner, or an individual who is or has been involved in teaching intelligence studies or providing intelligence training (i.e., teacher, trainer, consultant).
Graduate Student – A full-time or part-time graduate student currently enrolled with a college or university.
Undergraduate Student - A full-time or part-time undergraduate student currently enrolled in a college or university.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Submissions must be in ONE word document (please NO PDFs) and include a title page with the following:
 author’s name
 contact information (include phone, email, and mailing address)
 category (professional, graduate student, or undergraduate student)
 150-word (or less) biography
 name of the organization where you work, or college or university you attend
 title of the essay

Essays must be submitted in English, must not exceed 3500 words (excluding endnotes and bibliography) and should be submitted double spaced using Times New Roman, 12 point font. Please number the pages.

Essays must be original and not previously published. Submission constitutes permission to publish.
Email your submission to: submissions@iafienet.org

Evaluation Criteria: A panel of intelligence professionals will judge all entries and select the winners for each category. Essays will be evaluated on their relevance to the question, resourcefulness, clarity of the argument, logic and coherence, evidentiary support, and the quality of the exposition.

Notification: Award winners will be notified no later than May 29, 2015.

Inquiries

Questions can be addressed to submissions@iafienet.org