Chennai: Amrita Jeremiah, a second year B A English language and literature student from Madras Christian College won first place in an essay contest on ‘Portrayal of Gender in Media and Entertainment’ conducted by the U S Consulate General in Chennai in association with an English newspaper.

As many as 367 students participated in the essay contest that was open to college and university students in Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a press release said.

V Bhuvana Sri, a second year B A English literature student from Guru Nanak College, came second. Third place went to Shivangi K Sundaram, a second year Commerce (Hons) student from MOP Vaishnav College for Women. Yatin Satish, a PCMB student from the Lourdes Central School in Mangaluru, Karnataka won a special mention prize.

Varsha Vijay Menon, a final year law student from Kerala Law Academy in Thiruvananthapuram; Ruth John, a second year English literature student from PSG College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore; and Maryam Barak, a PG Diploma in Journalism student from Asian College of Journalism in Chennai were given consolation prizes.

“In line with our democratic principles, the United States strongly values inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds, whether racial, ethnic, religious, geographic, or gender-based,” said Consul General Robert Burgess before presenting trophies to the winners at the American Centre Auditorium in Chennai on Friday.