Writing Competition
for Kids
2024
- CLOSED -

The writing competition 2024 is CLOSED now!

Our next Kids World Travel Guide competition for young writers for 2025 will be announced in February 2025.

Thank You for all your lovely entries! This year's winners will be announced on 1 November 2024.

What was the 2024 Competition Theme?

Kids World Travel Guide's 9th annual essay competition

2024 Theme: 'My Culture - Who I am'

Competition Entry Form

This year we want to learn more about each other. And what better way than sharing our passions, favourite rituals and the traditions we celebrate? Tell us who you are. What drives you? What are your favourite places, favourite festivals and popular rituals in your family or community? How can we understand you better and learn from each other?

The world is changing constantly. People move from place to place, some because they have to as they have been displaced from their home countries due to war, hunger or natural disasters, others because they want to find jobs or follow family members in other parts of the world or simply want to travel, learn and experience how other people live.

More than ever before, struggles and unrest even in our local communities create challenges, wherever we live.

Learning about our own upbringing and cultural background as well as researching other countries and people will help us understand diverse belief systems, diverse religious and cultural practises and value different perceptions.

Researching our own favourite traditions, rituals and practises as well as those of minorities living in our own country will also make us understand what drives our cultural identity.

Welcoming newcomers to our communities also shows us the similarities between people of different backgrounds and this understanding will help create a more peaceful and better world for us all.

Diversity is key for living in a peaceful world where we all practise respect, tolerance and kindness. Remember, we all are one!

Writing Competition 2024
Theme: 'My Culture - Who I am'

Enter the Competition here

Learning about our own traditions and culture as well as other people's belief systems, religions and cultural practises is a great way to look deeper into ourselves and realise what shapes our identity but it also helps to see not only differences but also similarities with others.

We must know ourselves and our culture before we can meaningfully connect and interact with others. Willingness to understand and learn as well as acting with respect and kindness are what is needed more in our world.

If we learn to live with others peacefully and respectfully, our world will become a better place!

Now over to you, share your fascinating stories with us and our young readers once again.

Join our annual writing competition on Kids-World-Travel-Guide.com! Write about your experiences, insights and favourite traditions and rituals or share inspirational stories about peace makers in your midst and let all know what gives you hope and makes you happy thinking about our human environment!

Be creative and above all keep it positive! Tell us about all the wonderful things you already experienced or hope to experience in future, share your ideas on living peacefully with newcomers to your community.

You can also research about other countries' people and cultures or tell us fascinating community initiatives and inspiring ideas and people in your communities but don’t forget to add in your essay at least some paragraphs about yourself or your personal dreams for the future of our world.

Junior Category: 8 - 11 years

Essay length: minimum 300 words - maximum 500 words - AI composed essays will not be accepted!

The essay may include the following topics:

My favourite holiday (Tell us about a special holiday in your country, province or region and how this day is celebrated in your community)
My favourite tradition (Research a celebration or religion tradition and tell us about it and why you choose this special tradition and how it influences your daily activities)
My favourite traditional food (Research the background of this dish and share when it's eaten, how its enjoyed and maybe share a family recipe)
My favourite festival (Tell us about your favourite cultural festival and experiences that shaped u. Do you have special heritage celebrations in your country?)
A special cultural activity (Which activity or tradition is practised in your family or community and why? Do you have special rituals in your family that structure your day/ week/ year?)
My favourite book about culture and tradition (What is the book about, what makes this book so outstanding and why do you like it so much?)
My favourite hero (Research a community leader and tell us about the achievements of this person and what it can teach us.)
If I were a leader...My dream of being a community leader (What do you hope to experience when you lead your community?)

The essay has to be submitted in English, but may include words or phrases in a foreign language.

Senior Category: 12 - 15 years

Essay length: minimum 500 words - maximum 700 words - AI composed essays will not be accepted!

The essay may include the following topics:

Rituals and traditional practises in my community that shape my cultural identity
Religions and cultural traditions in my country
Presentation of an endangered ethnic group or language
Inspiring traditions and customs of local communities, tribes, ethnic groups
Biography of a community leader, philantrosoph, pacifist or peacemaker
Who I am - What shapes my identity
Tell us about fascinating spiritual places and inspirational traditional places; describe your favourite mosque, church, temple, synagogue, gurdwara, mandir or community meeting place
Role of tourism in promoting cultural understanding
Create your own tribe or community and share your most important practises, laws and ideals

The essay has to be submitted in English, but may include words or phrases in a foreign language (with comments and translations, please).

Competition 2024
Poster

Please spread the news about our new essay competition for buddying writers and young travellers. Looking forward to receiving all the wonderful essays from your students and children!

Here is also our Competition Poster for your school.

Click on the image to get the poster in original size

Last but not least here are some questions to start with when reflecting on the essay topic 'My Culture':

What means 'culture'? Which traditional and spiritual practises do you know? Which of these shape your own identity?
What are endangered practises, ethnic groups or languages? Why is the survival of some languages or groups endangered?
Do you have a favourite book or author that share info about culture, traditions and identity.
Do you know about a famous peace maker or can you name influential and inspiring people who work with different groups in your community? Special work, goals and achievements?
What kind of tourism promotes cultural understanding?
What impact does tourism have on cultures, ethnic groups or languages?
Which countries are famous and known for cultural sites or inspirational places or worship?
Do you know more about some places of worship and can share your insights about inspirational religious traditions with others?
Which community initiative bring you hope?
How can we build a better world for us all? How can we share our communities with newcomers and people who move from other countries?
Are you part of a refugee initiative? Please share your interest with us and tell us about your activities in regards to integrating newcomers to your community.
Which humanitarian efforts inspire you? Are there any heroes or heroines that you admire?
Do you have a favourite book about religion, tradition, rituals and ethnic groups that you would recommend? Is there a story people should read to be inspired? Provide a short summary and tell us the reason why the book could be of good use to others.
Which quote or proverb does motivate and inspire you? Please also research the author of the quote and give us an overview about the person and the saying, the reason for the quote and what it means to you personally. Here are some famous proverbs which might also provide you with some ideas for your essay entry:

“A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”
Mahatma Gandhi

“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race.”
Kofi Anan

"A person is a person through other persons."
Desmond Tutu

Quote 1: "A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people" by Mahatma Gandhi.

Quote 2: "We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race" by Kofi Annan.

Quote 3: The Spirit of Ubuntu: 'A person is a person through other persons'." by Desmond Tutu

Now it’s up to you: Be a writer, journalist, poet or artist, let us know what culture means to you and share your inspirational story! Tell us who you are!

The topic is quite broad this year again, so we trust you will be motivated to share your story! Maybe some of you want to write more than one essay now or write the essay with a partner or group? Please let us know if this is the case...

Now we wish you all a wonderful time planning and writing your essay!

And remember: The deadline is strictly

1 October 2024 (10:00 pm/ 22:00 UTC)

Important info about this writing competition

Writing Competition Entry Fee: None. Entries are open from anybody in the specified age groups and from anywhere in the world. However, only online entries on the specified entry form are accepted. Entries open until 1 October 2024. See form below or click here.

Writing Competition Prizes: Each of the category winners (8-11 years/ 12-15 years) will receive a voucher of USD $50. The runner-up in each category will win a prize valued at USD $25 (or equivalent).

No participation certificates will be provided if not agreed and confirmed by Kids World Travel Guide. Please note: See point 4. of Conditions and Terms below. Schools that request certificates please have a liaison teacher send in a list of your participants' names as described.

The best essays in each category of the writing competition will be published on Kids-World-Travel-Guide.com and thus will be seen by thousands of visitors! The winning essays are also great publicity for your school, so let your teacher or headmaster know about this valuable and free opportunity to spread the word.

Good luck and enjoy the journey!

Writing Competition Terms and Conditions

1. The 'My Culture' competition is open to pupils in schools worldwide as well as to homeschooling students. Learners taking part in the competition must fall into one of the two categories, ages 8 - 11 years and 12 -15 years. Parents and teachers can submit the children's essays online and can contact us with further queries via our contact form. Pupils also can apply but must be in possession of parental consent.

2. All information detailing how to enter the competition forms part of these terms and conditions. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the competitor agrees to abide by these rules. Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions. Any special considerations are at the full discretion of this site's editor. Also make sure to be familiar with our privacy policy.

Read our Privacy Policy here.

3. To participate in this competition, entrants must write a feature article on the topics as described above in approximately 500 words, see further details above. Entries must be the work of the individual submitting them and must not have been published elsewhere or have won a prize in any other competition. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that no element of their entry infringes the copyright of any third party or any laws. Entries will be judged on which are the most original, interesting and entertaining.

4. Entries should be submitted via the online entry form and must include the entrant’s (preferably the participant's school as well) full address and an email contact. Or your can send the entry within an email to info @ kids-world-travel-guide.com. Email attachments will NOT be accepted!

5. Entries for this writing competition must have been received by 1 October 2024 (10:00 pm/ 22:00 UTC) to be considered for the competition and possible publication on Kids World Travel Guide.

6. The judging panel will be the editor and team of Kids-World-Travel-Guide.com. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into.

7. Copyright in all submissions to the competition remains with the respective entrants. However, each entrant grants a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual licence to KidsWorldTravels to feature any or all of the submissions in any of its publications, its websites and/or in any promotional material connected to this competition.

8. Illegible, incomplete or defaced entries will not be accepted. No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries and proof of sending will not be accepted as proof of receipt.

9. Two entries from all winning entries in the 2024 writing competition, one for each category, will be chosen for participation in a special blog article which will be published on the website on 1 November 2024.

10. The winning entrants of the 2024 annual competition will receive prizes. Prizes must be claimed within 60 days of the winner and runner-up being notified. Notification of winners by 1 November 2024. No correspondence or negotiation will be entered into after this period.

11. The prizes in this writing competition as described are available on the date of publication and are subject to availability. Kids-World-Travel-Guide.com is responsible for the publication, adjudication of this competition and the provision of the prizes.

12. Events may occur that render the competition itself or the awarding of the prizes impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the organiser and accordingly the organiser may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to the promoter as a result thereof.

Image credits on writing competition page: Shutterstock.com, Canva and own images

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