International Essay Contest 2019: Promoting Youth in harnessing Culture of Peace and Sustainable Development
The Goi Peace Foundation is seeking applications for 2019 International Essay Contest for Young People to harness the energy, creativity 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. This program is an activity within the framework of the UNESCO Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
Theme
- The theme of this contest is “Creating a Society Full of Kindness”
Award Information
- 1st Prize: Certificate, prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$900 as of February 2019) and gift (1 entrant)
- 2nd Prize: Certificate, prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$450 as of February 2019) and gift (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 to be held in Tokyo, Japan on 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 on October 31, 2019 (Japan time) on this website.
Certificates and gifts will be mailed to the winners in December 2019.
- Children (ages up to 14)
- 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 and cover page. Essays may be typed or printed.
Guidelines
| 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) 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 and cover page. Essays may be typed or printed. |
| 3. | 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. * Since the online registration page is expected to experience high traffic towards the June 15 deadline, we suggest that you submit your essay as early as possible. |
| 4. | Entries submitted by postal mail must include a cover page indicating (1) your name (2) category (Children or Youth) (3) age as of June 15, 2019 (4) gender (5) nationality (6) address (7) e-mail (8) phone number (9) school name (if applicable) (10) your essay title (11) language (12) word count (13) list of ten acts of kindness you performed (describe briefly). 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. |
| 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. |
| 8. |
If you have questions, please consult the FAQ section. |
How to Apply
Entries may be submitted online or by postal mail given on the website. For further information, please visit https://www.goipeace.or.jp/en/work/essay-contest/