The Japanese Goi Peace Foundation organizes the International Essay Contest for Young People to utilize the world’s youth’s strength, creativity, and initiative to foster a culture of peace and sustainable development. Moreover, the contest aims to inspire the world’s citizens to learn from the young talents and explore how every one of us can make a difference in the world.

Theme: My Experience of Overcoming Conflicts 

The contest content should answer the following questions:

• Have you ever encountered and successfully resolved a conflict you were part of? If so, what insights did you gain from that experience?
• What lessons have you derived from overcoming a conflict?
• How do you plan to apply these insights, both personally and for the benefit of society?

Details of the Contest

Submission Deadline: 15 June 2024 (23:59)

Organized By: Goi Peace Foundation

Number of Awards: 34

Result Announcement: 31 October 2024

Certificate Mailing Date:  January 2025

Prizes of the International Essay Contest

Goi Peace Foundation will award the following prizes in the Children and Youth categories, respectively:

• 1st Prize: Certificate, an award of 100,000 Yen (approx. USD 660), and gift to 1 entrant;
• 2nd Prize: Certificate, an award of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$ 330) and gift to 3 entrants;
• 3rd Prize: Certificate and gift to 5 entrants
• Honorable Mention: Certificate and gift to 25 entrants

In addition, first to third-prize winners will receive an invitation to the Winners Gathering that will occur online. The foundation will award additional awards, including the Best School Award, and the School Incentive Award will be available.

Who Can Participate in the International Essay Contest?

Applicants should meet the following criteria:

• All young people aged up to 25 years old as of 15 June 2024
• Submit an essay in one of the following age categories:

1. Children (ages up to 14) 
2. Youth (ages 15 – 25)

Essay Preparation and Submission Rules

All applicants should consider the following points into consideration:

• The essays should be at least 700 words in English or French. Also, it must be at least 1600 characters or less in Japanese.
• Submitters must type their essays and write their names and topics at the top of the first page.
• No specific rules regarding formatting (font style, size, line space, etc.) apply. However, essays must be in MS Word (DOC/DOCX) or PDF format.
• Teachers and youth managers may submit essays from their class or team by making an ‘account for school or organization entrant’ on the online registration page.
• Essays must be original and not published before and should not contain plagiarism.
• AI-generated essays are not acceptable.
• Submission must be the writing of only one person, but it should not be co-authored essays.
• The organizer will reserve the copyright of the essays entered in the competition.

Note:  Each person may only submit one entry. The author’s name and essay title do not count for the word count limit.

How do you submit an essay for the International Essay Contest?

Entrants should submit their essays via the online submission portal by entering the link below. Please enter the online registration page and follow the essential steps. Submitted entries by postal mail or e-mail are not acceptable.

Submit Essay

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For more details about the International Essay Contest for Young People, please visit the Goi Peace Foundation’s website or read the FAQs section.