We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 International Essay Contest for Young People.

This year the Essay Contest was held under the theme “Youth Creating a Peaceful Future.” From among 20,674 entries (Children’s category: 6,922 / Youth category: 13,752) from 168 countries, the following winners were selected. We take this opportunity to thank all of you who participated in the contest!

Each first prize winner will receive a certificate of commendation from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and a gift. Certificates and gifts for other prizes will be mailed to the winners in December 2023.

Guidelines for the 2024 International Essay Contest for Young People will be announced on this website and through the Goi Peace Foundation’s mailing list and facebook page by mid-February 2024.

List of Winners

(All ages are as of June 15, 2023.)

1st Prize (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan Award)

Children's category (1 entrant)

• NO HORRORS
  Chimamanda Kaitlyn Uzoechi (Age 8, Nigeria)

Youth category (1 entrant)

• The Power of Dreams
  Michiho Shimazaki (Age 17, Japan)

2nd Prize

Children's category (3 entrants)

• Seeing Things from the Other Point of View
  Ayumi Kuroiwa (Age 13, Japan)
• WE ARE COLOUR PALETTES
  Anelis Kristel Huarhuachi Quispe (Age 14, Perú)
• The Legacy of Loving the Next: Young People Transforming the World into a Better Place
  Marinna Laura Soares Azevedo (Age 14, Brazil)

Youth category (3 entrants)

• Here is My Peaceful World
  Feyisola Maria Bolarinwa (Age 17, Nigeria)
• 700 Hundred Words About Peace
  Yan Korolev (Age 17, Belarus <Living in Poland>)
• Embracing Disparities for a Peaceful Tomorrow
  Haseeb Iqbal (Age 22, Pakistan)

3rd Prize

Children's category (5 entrants)

• I'm only seven
  Sydor Yaroslav (Age 7, Ukraine)
• For a Peaceful World
  Haruka Someya (Age 13, Japan)
• What Is Justice?
  Soma Sagai (Age 14, Japan)
• Entrust in Peace: Simple Acts
  Tanishka Aglave (Age 14, U.S.A.)
• Changing Our Awareness for a Peaceful World
  Hayato Yuge (Age 15, Japan)

Youth category (5 entrants)

• The Importance of Taking Down Barriers: Why We Mustn’t Cling on to Labels
  Mizuki Hayakawa (Age 15, Japan)
• Redefining our Institutions Through Love: The Youth’s Path to Peace
  Ghena Kubba (Age 16, U.S.A.)
• birthday cake candles
  Mira (Age 18, Belarus)
• Cuius regio, eius religio?- From Blood-Stained Bridges to a Bright Future: Uniting Youth For Better Tomorrow
  Aiša Muhić (Age 20, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Find Peace in Compassion
  Folasade Bolarinwa (Age 21, Nigeria)

Honorable Mention

Children's category (25 entrants)

• Naqiyyah Afrah (Age 6, Brunei)
• Riyo Nokami (Age 10, Japan <Living in U.S.A.>)
• Qihang Chen (Age 11, China)
• Sinzogan Boris Prudent M. U. (Age 11, Benin)
• Cluoe Esthyrbelle G. Labrador (Age 12, Philippines)
• Crystal Kim (Age 12, South Korea)
• Kokoha Sato (Age 12, Japan)
• Rinka Hato (Age 12, Japan)
• Taiki Sasaki (Age 12, Japan)
• Tomoki Kamiya (Age 12, Japan)
• Hana Gollop (Age 13, Japan & U.K. <Living in China>)
• Hisa Yamada (Age 13, Japan)
• Kayleigh Claire Go So (Age 13, Philippines)
• Noa Murashita (Age 13, Japan)
• Yuuki Sue (Age 13, Japan)
• Chloe Kim (Age 14, U.S.A.)
• Claire Tang (Age 14, U.S.A.)
• Diana Oshan (Age 14, Kazakhstan)
• Lim Enn Kii (Age 14, Malaysia & Taiwan of China <Living in Japan>)
• Jessica Jubrail (Age 14, Jordan)
• Karin Daito (Age 14, Japan)
• Mao Kuroda (Age 14, Japan)
• Prashansa Shrestha (Age 14, Nepal)
• Tan Le En (Age 14, Malaysia)
• Thauan Sachet de Figueiredo (Age 14, Brazil)

Youth category (25 entrants)

• Chit Khone Cho Thar (Age 15, Myanmar)
• Hyunjin Vicky Lee (Age 15, South Korea)
• Lujain Swaiss (Age 15, Jordan)
• Myat Thiri Zaw (Age 15, Myanmar)
• Honoka Inui (Age 16, Japan)
• Nil Mızraklı (Age 16, Türkiye)
• Rin Yanagisawa (Age 16, Japan)
• Yotsuba Tanaka (Age 16, Japan)
• Zaki Hafizh Zen (Age 16, Indonesia)
• Cecilia Trisollini Barrientos (Age 17, Perú)
• Michael Levie M. Alilio (Age 17, Philippines)
• Sachiko Aoki (Age 17, Japan)
• Saki Honda (Age 17, Japan)
• Shiori Nishida (Age 17, Japan)
• Tatyana Markevich (Age 17, Belarus)
• Angelica Wayneth Bernardo (Age 18, Philippines)
• Lamees Anza Khan (Age 18, Pakistan)
• Anastasiia Radutna (Age 20, Ukraine)
• Metsongmalem M Chang (Age 20, India)
• Lopamudra Ghosh (age 21, India)
• Noy Ben-Sade (Age 21, Israel)
• Hudda Amjad (Age 22, Pakistan)
• Luís Gustavo Gonçalves Barreira (Age 22, Brazil)
• Rafia Ahmad (Age 23, Pakistan)
• Sesam Rana Magar (Age 23, Nepal)

Best School Award (3 schools)

• Koka Gakuen Junior and Senior High School for Girls, Tokyo (Japan)
• Setagaya Junior High School attached to Tokyo Gakugei University (Japan)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Oizumi Junior High School (Japan)

School Incentive Award (74 schools)

• Aichi Prefectural Chigusa High School (Japan)
• Antique Vocational School- Special Program in Journalism (Philippines)
• Arsakeio Secondary Schools of Thessaloniki (Greece)
• Bal Bharati Public School, Delhi (India)
• Beaconhouse Sri Inai International School, Selangor (Malaysia)
• Bilingual Kopalinski School, Bielsko-Biala (Poland)
• Bukhara region Karavulbazar district School N1 (Uzbekistan)
• Buyukcekmece Doga Koleji, Istanbul (Türkiye)
• Chicago Futabakai Japanese School-Saturday School, Illinois (U.S.A.)
• Clark Memorial International High School, Aichi (Japan)
• Colégio Santa Maria, São Paulo (Brazil)
• Colégio Vital Brazil, São Paulo (Brazil)
• De La Salle Lipa, Inc. (Philippines)
• Destiny International College, Osogbo (Nigeria)
• Écoles Al Madina Site Polo, Casablanca (Morocco)
• Escuela Preparatoria No. 8 Universidad de Guadalajara (México)
• FPT University, Hanoi (Viet Nam)
• Fuji Sacred Heart School, Shizuoka (Japan)
• Fukushima Prefectural Aizu Gakuho Junior and Senior High School (Japan)
• Fukushima Prefectural Asakakaisei Senior High School (Japan)
• Ghiyasuddin International School, Male’ (Maldives)
• Gymnázium Šrobárova, Kosice (Slovakia)
• Hougang Secondary School (Singapore)
• Ikeda Junior High School attached to Osaka Kyoiku University (Japan)
• International School of Milan (Italy)
• Jamaluddin School, Male' (Maldives)
• Japaniche Schule in Zurich (Hoshuko) (Switzerland)
• Jonan Gakuen Junior High School, Senior High School, Osaka (Japan)
• Joso Gakuin Junior & Senior High School, Ibaraki (Japan)
• Kagoshima Gyokuryu Junior & Senior High School of Kagoshima City (Japan)
• Keimei Gakuen Elementary School, Tokyo (Japan)
• Kokugojuku KURU, Tokyo (Japan)
• Kyoto University of Advanced Science Junior & Senior High School (Japan)
• Labuan International School, Labuan (Malaysia)
• Liceul Mathias Hammer in Anina, Caras-Severin (Romania)
• Matsumoto Shuho Secondary School, Nagano (Japan)
• Midori Elementary School of Itabashi City, Tokyo (Japan)
• Miwada Gakuen Girls' Junior & Senior High School, Tokyo (Japan)
• Motherland Secondary School, Pokhara Lekhnath (Nepal)
• Nan Hua Primary School (Singapore)
• Nobeoka Technical High School, Miyazaki (Japan)
• Omori 6th Junior High School of Ota City, Tokyo (Japan)
• OOU Lazo Trpovski, Skopje (Japan)
• Ozel Cagdas Bilim Koleji, Muğla (Türkiye)
• PECHS Girls School, Karachi (Pakistan)
• Preparatoria Regional de Colotlán, Jalisco (México)
• Santo Tomas Elementary School-Annex, Laguna (Philippines)
• Satriwithaya School, Bangkok (Thailand)
• School 11, Cherkasy (Ukraine)
• ȘCOALA GIMNAZIALĂ „SPIRU HARET” BACĂU (Romania)
• Sekolah Kebangsaan Minden Height, Pinang (Malaysia)
• Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sri Nipah, Kelantan (Malaysia)
• Senior High School at Sakado, University of Tsukuba, Saitama (Japan)
• Showa Women's University Junior-Senior High School, Tokyo (Japan)
• Shinjuku Nishitoyama Junior High School of Shinjuku City, Tokyo (Japan)
• SJKC Kong Min Cawangan Kedua, Penang (Malaysia)
• Škola pre mimoriadne nadané deti a Gymnázium, Bratislava (Slovakia)
• SMJK Chio Min, Kedah (Malaysia)
• SMK Taman Pelangi Indah, Johor (Malaysia)
• SMP Islam Al Izhar Pondok Labu, South Jakarta (Indonesia)
• Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan of China)
• St. Agnes' Junior & Senior High School, Kyoto (Japan)
• Sydney Saturday School of Japanese, New South Wales (Australia)
• SESI ESCOLA, Mossoró (Brazil)
• St. Joseph Convent School Quetta (Pakistan)
• Suma Gakuen Junior High School, Hyogo (Japan)
• Teacher Su International School, Yangon (Myanmar)
• TED Mersin College (Türkiye)
• Toho Girls' Junior and Senior High School, Tokyo (Japan)
• Tokyo Bay International School (Japan)
• Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology, Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia)
• Yamanouchi Junior High School of Yamanouchi Town, Nagano (Japan)
• Yaroslavl College of Industry and Economy, Yaroslavl (Russia)
• Základná škola Bernolákova 16, Košice (Slovakia)

Essay Contest 2023 Flyer (PDF)

English
Japanese
French

Past Winning Essays