International Essay Contest by UNESCO-Goi Peace Foundation for Young People Worldwide

International Essay Contest for Young People

Essay(s) Offered: Dreams, Ideas
Essay Level: Youths worldwide
Provider: Goi Peace Foundation, UNESCO, etc
Country to Write in: Any country

Essay Description
What kind of future do you wish to create for yourself and the world? The Goi Peace Foundation UNESCO International Essay Contest for Young People offers you the opportunity to share your dream and ideas for making it a reality. Plus monies to be won.

The Goi Peace Foundation and UNESCO are offering an International Essay Contest for young people around the world. The international Essay contest is aimed to enable young people develop their full potential, as they are crucial for the shaping of our future.

UNESCO’s objective is to help empower young people, reaching out to them, responding to their expectations and ideas, and fostering useful and long-lasting skills.

Essay Guidelines / Eligibility
This annual essay contest is guided as below:
1). Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old (as of June 15, 2019) in one of the following age categories: a) Children (ages up to 14); AND b) Youth (ages 15 - 25)

2). 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.

3). Essays must have a cover page indicating:
(a) category (Children or Youth) (b) essay title (c) your name (d) address (e) phone number (f) e-mail (g) nationality (h) age as of June 15, 2019 (i) gender (j) school name (if applicable) (k) 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.

4). Entries may be submitted by postal mail or online.
* IMPORTANT: To send your essay online, you must go to the online registration page and follow the required steps.

5). Essays must be original and unpublished. Plagiarized entries will be rejected.

6). Essays must be written by one person. Co-authored essays are not accepted.

7). Copyright of the essays entered will be assigned to the organizer.

Eligible groups
Citizens of ANY nationality or country worldwide

Essay Theme
2019 Theme:
“Creating a Society Full of Kindness”
What does “Kindness” mean to you? How do you think we can create a kinder society?
Carry out ten acts of kindness, and then use your experience as inspiration in writing your essay (your essay does not need to be about your acts of kindness).

PREVIOUS YEARS THEMES

For 2018:
“The Change I Want to Make”
What is the one thing you would like to change the most to make your school, workplace, community, country or the world a better place? How would you bring about that change? Please share your concrete ideas.

For 2017:
“Learning from Nature”
Modern civilization has developed through controlling nature and exploiting its resources. At the same time, we human beings are part of the natural world, and nature has many things to teach us. Scientists, philosophers, poets, and artists have all found inspiration in nature. What can we learn from nature, and how can we make use of that learning for the future? Please describe your ideas, including your own observations and experiences.

For 2016:
"Education to Build a Better Future for All"
We live in a world with many complex problems, both local and global. What kind of education and learning would help us address these challenges and create a sustainable world and a better life for all? Describe your concrete ideas for an ideal education.

For 2015:
“Building Peace in Our Hearts and Minds”
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.

For 2014:
“My Role as a Citizen of Earth”
In the vast universe, we were born on this planet called Earth, where various cultures and ethnicities, all living things, and all of nature exist together. However, in our world today, we face numerous problems–environmental destruction, resource depletion, wars and conflicts, poverty, and many more–that make our future uncertain. Given this situation, what do you think is the best way forward for humanity? How do you wish to fulfill your role as a citizen of Earth?

For 2013:
“The Power of Culture to Create a Better Future”
Every part of the world has its own culture. Culture includes the arts, traditions and customs of a country or region, as well as the wisdom, values, lifestyles and trends of the people living there. In order to build a peaceful world, we need to acknowledge and respect each other’s cultures. What aspects of the culture in your country or region do you take pride in, and how can youth make the most of them to create a better future?

Essay benefits
The following awards will be given in the Children’s category and Youth category respectively:

• 1^st Prize (for 1 entrant): Certificate and prize of 100,000 Yen
• 2^nd Prize (for 2 entrants): Certificate and prize of 50,000 Yen
• 3^rd Prize (for 5 entrants): Certificate and gift
• Honorable Mention (for 25 entrants): Certificate and gift

* 1st prize winners will be invited to the award ceremony in Tokyo, Japan scheduled for November 23, 2019 and will receive the Minister of Education Award. (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 31 October 2019 on the Goi Peace Foundation web site (www.goipeace.or.jp). Certificates and gifts will be mailed to the winners in December 2019

Method of Application
Entries may be submitted by postal mail or online. To submit by post, send entries to:
International Essay Contest c/o The Goi Peace Foundation; 1-4-5 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093 Japan. OR, to submit online, send entries via the online registration page and follow the required steps.

It is important to visit the 2019 Essay Contest page for complete information on applying for this essay competition.

DEADLINES:
For the essay submission deadline, entries must be received by June 15, 2019 (23:59 your local time)

PLEASE NOTE:
The organizer is unable to confirm receipt of essays or answer individual inquiries concerning contest results. 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.

Application Deadline: 15 June 2019
Open to International Applicants: Yes

More Scholarship Information and Application

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