As today’s young people are crucial for the shaping of our future, it is imperative that they are enabled to develop to their full potential. UNESCO’s objective is to help empower young people and ensure that their contributions are taken into account. This annual essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world’s youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world.
UNESCO was created 70 years ago to build peace in the minds of men and women as a way to attain lasting peace in the world. What does it mean to build peace in our hearts and minds? How does it relate to the world around us? Please illustrate your ideas with your personal experience.
Theme: Building Peace in Our Hearts and Minds
Organizer: The Goi Peace Foundation
Prizes
The following awards will be given in the Children’s category and Youth category respectively:
1st Prize: Certificate and prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$840 as of February 2015)… 1 entrant
2nd Prize: Certificate and prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$420 as of February 2015)… 2 entrants
3rd Prize: Certificate and gift…5 entrants
Honorable Mention: Certificate and gift… 25 entrants
* 1st prize winners will be invited to the award ceremony in Tokyo, Japan scheduled for December 2015. (Travel expenses will be covered by the organizer.)
* Additional awards (Recognition for Effort, Best School Award, School Incentive Award) will be given if applicable.
* All prize winners will be announced by the end of October 2015 on the Goi Peace Foundation web site (www.goipeace.or.jp). Certificates and gifts will be mailed to the winners in November 2015.
Deadline
June 15, 2015 (23:59 your local time)
Guidelines
- Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old (as of June 15, 2015) in one of the following age categories:
- a) Children (ages up to 14)
- b) Youth (ages 15 – 25)
- Essays must be 700 words or less in English, French, Spanish or German, or 1600 characters or less in Japanese, excluding essay title. Essays may be typed or printed.
- Essays must have a cover page indicating (1) category (Children or Youth) (2) essay title (3) your name (4) address (5) phone number (6) e-mail (7) nationality (8) age as of June 15, 2015 (9) gender (10) school name (if applicable) (11) word count.
- Teachers and youth directors may submit a collection of essays from their class or group.
- Please enclose a list of participants’ names, ages and the name and contact information of the submitting teacher or director.
- Entries missing any of the above information will not be considered.
- Please note that the organizer is unable to confirm receipt of essays or answer individual inquiries concerning contest results.
- Entries may be submitted by postal mail or online.
- To send your essay online, you must go to the online registration page and follow the required steps.
- Essays must be original and unpublished.
- Essays must be written by one person. Co-authored essays are not accepted.
Inquiries
For inquiries, please contact essay@goipeace.or.jp
