Top Photographic Prize announced!
Two top prize winners of the 2011 Photographic Awards will be flown to Perth, Western Australia and have their work exhibited as part of a special prize commissioned by the Commonwealth Festival Perth.
Entrants from around the Commonwealth have until 1st August to pick up a camera and take their best shot for a chance to win the top prize. Click here for more information on how to enter.
To find out more, 
download our special joint press release 
.
Steering Committee just recruited!
A new, great team has been appointed to help shape, plan and deliver the RCS' largest ever project
If you want to find out how you can get involved, please email on jubilee@thercs.org 
These were the lead responsibilities we were looking for, as outlined in the information pack .
Photos from this year's Commonwealth Observance at Westminster Abbey, attended by schools from all over the UK.
In 2011, the RCS is planning a whole range of exciting new initiatives. Get a taste of top ten plans below!
1. The Commonwealth Young Leaders Network
Building on national youth volunteering programmes, this initiative will create a common training programme to be rolled out across the Commonwealth to build leadership, advocacy and entrepreneurial skills amongst young people. 'Graduates' will join a global network of young leaders with opportunities to contribute to future projects nationally and internationally.
2. The Commonwealth Jubilee Time Capsule
An ambitious project to build a peoples' history of the last sixty years. People around the Commonwealth will be asked to contribute stories, photos, films, etc. about what happened in their family, community or country on a given day from the last sixty years. The best 21,915 entries (one per day) will be sealed into the Jubilee Time Capsule to be launched on Commonwealth Day 2012.
3. GreenHouse: A Commonwealth Climate Challenge
An innovative project to engage households in cities across the Commonwealth countries to reduce their environmental impact over 12 months. It will tell the stories of people from very different parts of the world as they try to make their lives more environmentally sustainable.
4. Commonwealth Women as Agents of Change
A portfolio of projects - including innovative new research, public engagement initiatives and a series of events –“ designed to explore the 2011 Commonwealth theme, 'Women as agents of change'–¦
New research: we plan to publish an Index which ranks Commonwealth countries from the best to the worst places to be a born a girl, taking into account education, political, health and economic gender gaps.
Public engagement: using the Index to generate interest, we will engage people all over the Commonwealth in on- and off-line discussions about gender issues and offer the chance to present a new agenda for change to the world's leaders.
Events: we will run a series of debates throughout the year which tackle issues raised by our Index, as well as featuring inspiring women speakers in our high-profile annual events.
5. The Commonwealth Green Investment Platform
This Commonwealth-wide investment platform will enable environmental entrepreneurs and companies all over the world to pitch to a range of international investors, facilitating investment in practical innovations and sustainable technologies designed to mitigate the effects of climate change.
6. The Commonwealth Sustainable Travel Academy
Tourism is twice as important to Commonwealth countries as the global average. Working with the Rainforest Alliance, we plan to launch an initiative which will build green capacity within local tourism sectors, promote and reward innovation, and share best practice.
7. Diaspora Dialogues
Starting with a trip to Sri Lanka in January 2011 and in partnership with the peacebuilding charity International Alert, we hope to build bridges between Commonwealth diasporas and their countries of origin. The project will build leadership skills amongst diaspora youth and nurture positive connections between countries.
8. A Commonwealth Guide to London
A new guide to London seen through the eyes of 53 people with roots in the Commonwealth. Available in print, online and as a mobile app, the guide will tell the story of London's living links to the Commonwealth –¦ and help find the best Aussie bar or Jamaican jerk joint.
9. Commonwealth Prizes
A new high-profile prize scheme to recognise individuals and organisations that have done the most to promote the key principles on which the Commonwealth is built. Presented in several categories (e.g. democracy, development, environmental stewardship), the awards will celebrate those who embody the values of the association.
10. The Great Shakesperiment
To mark the 400th anniversary of The Tempest, the RCS working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, will invite young people from around the Commonwealth to send in a video clip of them performing one of the play's 702 lines. The best entries will be stitched together a wonderful, contemporary, global tribute to Shakespeare.