{"id":83881,"date":"2026-02-26T18:29:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greaterbelize.com\/?p=83881"},"modified":"2026-02-26T18:29:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:29:47","slug":"new-rules-bigger-prize-as-belize-at-45-competition-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greaterbelize.com\/new-rules-bigger-prize-as-belize-at-45-competition-begins\/","title":{"rendered":"New Rules, Bigger Prize as \u2018Belize at 45\u2019 Competition Begins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Belize is gearing up for a bigger, bolder Independence celebration, and organizers say they\u2019re already feeling the excitement as this year\u2019s \u201cBelize at 45\u201d theme competition officially opens with stricter rules, a higher prize, and a call for creativity straight from the heart.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Eluide

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Eluide Miller<\/p><\/div>\n

Eluide Miller, National Celebrations Commission<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are absolutely looking forward to the Belize at Forty-five celebrations this year. As it relates to the theme competition, as you highlighted, last week Friday, I believe February twentieth, the call went out for the Belize at Forty-five theme competition for this year. Last year, this competition saw just under four hundred submissions and the winning theme, of course, was \u201cBelize at Forty-four: Stronger Together, Rising Forever.\u201d The commission felt that that really captured the spirit of our nation at that time. And, of course, last year we had two winners who were the co-authors of that submission. And so, this competition is really significant for us. The criteria is very straightforward, submissions must be no more than ten words. So we like a theme or submissions that are extremely concise, straight to the point but really captures the Belizean spirit during the independence season. The other criteria is that each person has only up to three entries. So if you\u2019re making a submission, you can make a submission, but no more than three entries or else your submissions will be disqualified. We are also prohibiting the use of AI this year, and so entries will be tested for an AI score and those who exceed a certain percentage, forty to fifty percent, will be disqualified. Of course, the deadline has been set for early April. April tenth, to be precise, end of the day on April tenth. The price is being increased to two thousand dollars this year, as opposed to one thousand dollars, which it has been for the past couple of years.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.<\/h6>\n

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Watch the full newscast here:<\/h4>\n

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