2006 International Essay Contest for Young People

The United Nations has designated 2001-2010 as the "International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World." Not only should young people benefit from this global movement, but they should be empowered to play a leading role in the creation of a culture of peace. The theme of this year's International Essay Contest is "Learning to live together: promoting tolerance and diversity in globalized societies." Young people from around the world are invited to submit their creative ideas on this theme.

Theme: "Learning to live together: promoting tolerance and diversity in globalized societies" -- In our modern world, people of different nationality, race or religion often find themselves living and working side by side. How can peoples of diverse cultures and backgrounds live together peacefully? How can young people contribute to the creation of dynamic and harmonious multicultural societies? What kind of projects can you start to achieve this goal?

Guidelines:
1. Essay entries for Children's Category may be submitted by anyone up to 14 years old.
2. Essays must be 800 words or less, typed or printed in English, Spanish, German or French.
3. Essays must have a cover page indicating (1) category (Specify as Children's Category) (2) essay title (3) your name (4) present address (5) phone number (6) fax number (7) e-mail address (8) nationality (9) age as of June 30, 2006 (10) sex (11) school name and grade. Teachers and youth directors may submit a collection of essays from their class or group. Please enclose a list of participants' names and the name and contact information of the submitting teacher or director. (Entries missing any of the above information will not be considered.)
4. Entries may be submitted by postal mail or e-mail.
5. Essays must be original and unpublished.
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 sponsor.

Deadline: Entries must be received by June 30, 2006. Winners will be announced in November 2006 on the Goi Peace Foundation web site (http://www.goipeace.or.jp). Winners will also be notified.

Awards: 1st Prize: Certificate and prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$900) ... 1 entrant
2nd Prize: Certificate and prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$450) ... 2 entrants
3rd Prize: Certificate and gift ... 5 entrants
Honorable Mention: Certificate and gift ... 25 entrants
All entrants will receive a certificate. (Certificates, prizes and gifts will be mailed to the entrants by the end of the year.)
1st prize winners will be invited to the award ceremony and the International Youth Forum to be held in Tokyo, Japan in November 2006. (Travel expenses will be covered by the sponsor.) -

Please send your entries to: International Essay Contest c/o The Goi Peace Foundation 1-4-5 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093 Japan E-mail: essay@goipeace.or.jp

Japan