2011 International Essay Contest for Young People

Organized by The Goi Peace Foundation and UNESCO
Endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan
Japanese National Commission for UNESCO, Japan Broadcasting Corporation
Nikkei Inc., Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education
Supported by FELISSIMO CORPORATION

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, reaching out to them, responding to their expectations and ideas, and fostering useful and long-lasting skills.
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.
The theme of the 2011 International Essay Contest for Young People was "My Story of Inspiration." From among 6,931 entries from 140 countries, the following winners were selected. First prize winners have received the Minister of Education Award at a ceremony during the Goi Peace Foundation Forum 2011 held at Ginza Blossom Hall in Tokyo on November 19, 2011.

List of Winners

1st Prize

Children's category (1 entrant)

• Plant for Planet
  Aurona Sarker (Age 14, Bangladesh)

Youth category (1 entrant)

• Pride in Profession
  Dan Erwin C. Bagaporo (Age 20, The Philippines)

2nd Prize

Children's category (2 entrants)

• When I grow up...
  Ummul Baneen Sheikh (Age 10, Pakistan)
• Who Understands Him Best?
  Ai Ohyama (Age 11, Japan)

Youth category (2 entrants)

• A Real Life Nightmare That Woke Up My Consciousness
  Cristina Caraus (Age 18, Moldova)
• Mt Story of Inspiration
  Behjat Sahar Junaud (Age 22, Pakistan)

3rd Prize

Children's category (5 entrants)

• A Bridge Between Japan and Ghana
  Yumiko Tan (Age 10, Japan<Living in Ghana>)
• Coexistence with Nature
  Miho Hiroyama (Age 12, Japan)
• A Quest for Earth-friendly Development
  Hina Mizuki (Age 12, Japan)
• The Drought City
  Leshan Loonena (Age 13, Kenya)
• The Story of Inspiration
  Raymond Cho (Age 14, Korea<Living in Japan>)

Youth category (5 entrants)

• The Power of Prayers
  Noriko Tsushimoto (Age 16, Japan)
• A Bright Spark
  Palvannanathan (Age 16, Singapore)
• The Boy Whose Light Went Out
  Riki Yamaguchi (Age 17, Japan)
• From the Stone to the Heart
  Harun Iseric (Age 18, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• When Tempers Flare
  Nkachukwu Nnebemchukwu Fredrick (Age 24, Nigeria)

Honorable Mention

Children's category (25 entrants)

• Chisako Okamoto (Age 8, Japan)
• Yuma Maeda (Age 9, Japan<Living in Pakistan>)
• Ishita Srivastava (Age 11, India)
• Annie Yang (Age 12, China<Living in USA>)
• Anna Moshkina (Age 12, Russia)
• Ji Won Heo (Age 12, Korea<Living in the Philippines>)
• Akira Tsurumi (Age 12, Japan)
• Faustina Chianugo Odili (Age 12, Nigeria)
• Marika Andoh (Age 13, Japan)
• Mai Ichikawa (Age 13, Japan)
• Mao Iwamoto (Age 13, Japan)
• Kanako Kobayashi (Age 13, Japan)
• Haruko Koyama (Age 13, Japan)
• Minori Suzuki (Age 13, Japan)
• Ayesha Butt (Age 14, Pakistan)
• Alicia Lai (Age 14,USA)
• Masaya Ishida (Age 14, Japan)
• Rinako Uenishi (Age 14, Japan)
• Kainat Afsar (Age 14, Pakistan)
• Saiya Dumaran (Age 14, The Philippines)
• Shaniah Louison (Age 14, Grenada)
• Jun Woo Jang (Age 14, The Philippines)
• Saya Takamoto (Age 14, Japan)
• Hikaru Fukuhara (Age 14, Japan)
• Htet Thiri Aung (Age 14, Singapore)

Youth category (24 entrants)

• Akane Sasaki (Age 15, Japan)
• Ai Satoh (Age 15, Japan)
• Abror Dadaxonov (Age 17, Uzbekistan)
• Alejandra Retana Betancourt (Age 17, México)
• Mitsutoshi Ohyabu (Age 17, Japan)
• Gala Patenkovic (Age 17, Serbia)
• Lin Chih-Ying (Age 17, Taiwan of China)
• Rintaro Noguchi (Age 17, Japan)
• Rie Oikawa (Age 18, Japan)
• Kenechi Gbuchie (Age 19, Nigeria)
• Suman Mandal (Age 19, India)
• Dina Nashaat Mohammed (Age 19, Egypt)
• Shraddha Pandey (Age 20, India)
• Nurbakyt Zhakipova (Age 20, Kazakhstan)
• Joyal Thomas (Age 21, India)
• Tran Nguyen Hoang Thi Tho (Age 21, Vietnam)
• Ability Kakama (Age 22, Tanzania)
• Rina Ariyanthi Dewi (Age 23, Indonesia)
• Karla Gabriela Hernández Aguilar.(Age 24, México)
• Krishnadas Nanath (Age 24, India)
• Subhash Ghimire (Age 24, Nepal)
• Ssozi Javie (Age 24, Uganda)
• Elizabeth Njoki Waithaka (Age 25, Kenya)
• Zuhur Yasin Ibrahim (Age 25, Somalia)

Best School Award

• Matsumoto Shuho Secondary School (Japan)
• Miyagi Prefectural Hakuou Senior High School (Japan)

School Incentive Award

• Universidad Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (Ecuador)
• Omori 6th Junior High School (Japan)
• Kyoto Gakuen Junior High School (Japan)
• Kojimachi Gakuen Girls' Junior High School (Japan)
• Showa Women's University Senior High School (Japan)
• Saint Mary's International School (Japan)
• Chiben Gakuen Senior High School (Japan)
• Doshisha Junior High School (Japan)
• Tokiwamatsu Gakuen Junior High School (Japan)
• Nihon University Mishima Senior High School (Japan)
• Asahigaoka Elementary School of Himi City (Japan)

2011 Award Winning Essays (Anthology in PDF format)

Essay Contest 2011 Guidelines

Essay Contest 2011 Entries by Region