Northern Ireland Good Food, the Ulster Farmer’s Union and Taste of Ulster, with support from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, have launched an exciting children’s competition to find the best ‘Breakfast Rap’!

The competition is intended to engage and inspire children and young people across Northern Ireland to put their creative skills to the test and write a fun and informative rap style song which celebrates breakfast and Northern Ireland food.

At the launch of the competition, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michelle Gildernew said: "This is a great, innovative way to encourage children to think about what is the most important meal of the day! By engaging in a fun activity with friends, family and teachers, children can learn about the benefits of a nutritious breakfast and the wealth of quality local produce we have available on our doorsteps."

"The Breakfast rap offers a unique opportunity to engage and educate kids about the local agri-food industry. Activities like this are very encouraging and I am only too happy to voice my support – as long as I don’t have to rap!"

Michele Shirlow of Northern Ireland Good Food explains; "We are challenging children and young people from Primary, Secondary and Special Schools, aged from 8-14 years old, to compose a very catchy and effective rap which will deliver the key message of how important a good breakfast is to start the day. Four finalists from the Primary/Secondary School categories will be invited to come along to this year’s Balmoral Show and perform their rap live before a celebrity judging panel at a special VIP event on the Northern Ireland Good Food stand. One winner from each school category will be selected by the judging panel. The overall winner of the Special Schools category will also perform their rap at Balmoral and all three winning raps will be played on City Beat radio. All finalists will be awarded two free tickets to attend the Balmoral Show and the three winners will also receive a luxury Breakfast Hamper! This will be an exciting opportunity for the successful ‘rappers’ and we look forward to hearing all the entries."

The competition is open to all Primary, Secondary and Special schools across Northern Ireland. There are two age categories: 8-11yrs and 12-14yrs. Entrants can be an individual or a group consisting of up to four people and should submit their rap as a CD recording along with a written copy of the lyrics and a completed entry form. The lyrics of each rap song must make reference to breakfast and local produce in Northern Ireland. The closing date for entries is 4pm on Friday 16th April 2010.

For full competition details, advice on how to record your rap and to download an entry form, please visit www.nigoodfood.com

Media Contact: Michelle Ferguson 028 9037 0222