Call for Entries: Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development Will Begin Accepting Entries Jan. 2

CORAL GABLES, FL--(Marketwire - Dec 5, 2011) - The Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development is accepting entries beginning Jan. 2, 2012 from students of all engineering fields, architecture, building and construction management, and chemistry. By submitting a paper that outlines contributions to sustainability, students have an opportunity to engage in a challenging exercise to develop engineering and chemical solutions and win $65,000 in cash prizes for themselves, their faculty advisors and their universities. All entries are due by May 31, 2012.

Whether related to efficient uses of sustainable materials, new chemical and petrochemical processes or new building techniques, projects should explore innovative practices, methods, and ideas that can be implemented on a variety of real-world ventures. Award entries will be judged on content, technical contribution, applicability, clarity/presentation and reasoning/depth. Currently, the Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development is also presented in six other countries. The U.S. program is brought through a partnership of two subsidiaries of the Odebrecht Organization -- Odebrecht USA, the North American division of Construtura Norberto Odebrecht, a global leader in engineering and construction services, and Braskem, the largest manufacturer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas.

"We've been meeting with students and professors across the country and are inspired by the surplus of talent at universities throughout the United States," said Gilberto Neves, President & CEO of Odebrecht USA. "These young adults are inspired about turning their innovations into lasting changes for our society through inventive solutions."

The award is open to any undergraduate enrolled at a U.S.-accredited university, with at least one student seeking a degree in engineering, architecture, building and construction management, or chemistry. Entries will be accepted from January 2, 2012 through May 31, 2012 at www.odebrechtaward.com. Meanwhile, participants are encouraged to engage on Facebook and Twitter.

Prizes* will be awarded as follows:

First Prize:
$20,000 to the student (s), $10,000 to the advising professor and $10,000 to their university

Second Prize:
$7,000 to the student (s), $4,000 to the advising professor and $4,000 to their university

Third Prize:
$5,000 to the student (s), $2,500 to the advising professor and $2,500 to their university

Additionally, participants of all shortlisted entries will be invited to participate in the process to become an Odebrecht Young Partner or a Braskem Associate. These are trainee and internship programs where young talents will experience firsthand what it is like to work for a global leader in the fields of engineering and construction and chemicals and petrochemicals.

"We're inviting young visionaries to join our revolution -- to take this opportunity and contribute to positive change," said Ricardo Lyra, VP HR & Communications for Braskem America. "We anticipate groundbreaking ideas from American students and we can't wait to see what they come up with."

About the Odebrecht Organization
Founded in Brazil in 1944, today the Odebrecht Organization is a diversified business leader laying the groundwork for positive sustainable change worldwide. With a presence throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, the Odebrecht Organization engages in various industries that energize economies and create value for its clients. Besides its strong leadership in engineering and construction, the Odebrecht Organization serves a variety of sectors including: chemicals and petrochemicals, sugar, ethanol, bioenergy, oil and gas, transportation and logistics, and environmental engineering among others. It currently has more than 157,000 team members and $32.3 billion in revenues in 2010.

About Odebrecht
Founded over six decades ago, Odebrecht has grown to be a global leader in engineering and construction services, ranked by ENR as the 15^th largest international contractor in the world with 126,000 team members. As part of the Odebrecht Organization, Odebrecht USA opened its office in 1990, and since then it has successfully delivered projects throughout the United States. Odebrecht has a particular emphasis on public-sector infrastructure projects of vital importance.

About Braskem
Braskem is the largest manufacturer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas. With 31 industrial plants in Brazil and the United States, the company produces more than 33 billion pounds of thermoplastic resins and other petrochemical products annually. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Braskem America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Braskem S.A., has three production facilities located in Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as its Technology and Innovation Center in Pittsburgh.

*All cash prizes currently listed before taxation in accordance with state and federal law.