Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA)

Pembroke Pines, FL (August 22, 2014) - The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 FCCA Children's Essay Competition. The competition invites students from schools around the Caribbean and Latin America to submit essays on the interplay of their destination and the cruise industry, and then awards the students and schools to help further their education.

This year's essay contest attracted entries from 19 countries. The prompt-"Why is it important that the cruise ships come to my destination?"-showcased the students' knowledge of the cruise industry and its economic benefits, discussing sold goods, employment, foreign exchange, infrastructure investment, taxes, return stay-over guests and word-of-mouth publicity. The essays also displayed excellence in writing and analyzing.

Understandably, it was difficult to choose winners, but first, second and third place was awarded to participants from the junior division, consisting of students between nine- and 12-years-old, and the senior division, featuring students between 13 and s16. The 2014 winners are:

First place in the junior division was Gabrielle Pratt from Jamaica, and Leigha Burke from the British Virgin Islands took the gold in the senior division. The first-place winners and their schools will receive $3,000 academic scholarships, and the winners and a chaperone will be invited to accept their prizes at the FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference & Trade Show Opening Ceremony in St. Maarten on Tuesday, October 7th, 2014.

Second place in the junior division was Caniqua Elliot from St. Kitts, and Chrislon Fraser from St. Vincent & the Grenadines earned the honors in the senior division. Second-place winners and their schools will receive $1,500 scholarships.

Third place in the junior division was Karlton Holligan from Barbados, and Marie-Ange Nadege Emanuel from Dominica won it in the senior division. Third-place winners and their schools will receive $1,000 scholarships.

To reward all the students and schools for their great efforts, all other finalists and their schools will receive $200 scholarships.

The FCCA and the FCCA Foundation is proud to offer opportunities like these to assist the youths in its partner destinations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

Created in 1972, the FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization that provides a forum for discussion on tourism development, ports, safety, security, and other cruise industry issues and builds bilateral relationships with destinations’ private and public sectors. By fostering an understanding of the cruise industry and its operating practices, the FCCA works with governments, ports and private sector representatives to maximize cruise passenger, crew and cruise line spending, as well as enhance the destination experience and increase the amount of cruise passengers returning as stay-over visitors. For more information, visit F-CCA.com and @FCCAupdates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.