Call for Submissions: Peace Poetry Contest for Youth In Malawi

Hello! Are you a budding poet, aged between 16 and 25? The United Nations, in partnership with the Poetry Association of Malawi (PAM), is running a Peace Poetry Contest for you.

The contest seeks to inspire youth to imagine a more peaceful Malawi and write poems on the central role of peace in realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Malawi by 2030 as well as the country’s development vision by 2063. Through this contest the UN hopes to promote an understanding and value for peace through poetry.

The theme of the poetry contest is Peace Matters for All People and Sustainable Development in Malawi!

To participate, send one original, unpublished English poem of no more than 40 lines to rcs-malawi@un.org as Word or PDF document by Friday, 15th October, 2021.

• All emailed entries should include the entrant’s name, age and contacts. Entrants’ names will be redacted for the judging panel. A national ID will be required for shortlisted entrants at a later stage.
• Entries will be considered on the basis of originality, relevance, persuasiveness, and quality.
• Top three winners will be invited to a public event.
• Winning poems will be published on UN Malawi website and in newspapers.

Prizes:

• First Prize:         Laptop, External Hard Drive, and Internet MiFi gadget
• Second Prize:    Laptop and Internet MiFi gadget
• Third Prize:       Mobile Phone and Internet MiFi gadget

Background

Peace is at the heart of sustainable development. A peaceful environment is important for development. When there is no peace, business and development operations are disrupted while social problems such as poverty, hunger and inequality are worsened.

Peace is not just the absence of war. True and lasting peace goes together with justice, equality, dignity, inclusiveness, human rights, and freedoms for all people. Treatment of all humans as equals regardless of race, gender, beliefs, age, geography, or any other status is a key foundation of peace.