2018 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The Agreement, ratified in both Ireland and Northern Ireland in May 1998, has played a very significant role in creating peace on the island of Ireland since that time.
This year the Embassy of Ireland in Nigeria undertook the #Road2Peace programme in collaboration with Likeminds. This involved travelling to six institutions of higher learning to speak about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and discuss current challenges in Nigeria. We listened to many young Nigerians who shared their thoughts, ideas and hopes for sustainable peace and dialogue and asked what they could do.
On this journey, we heard many young voice but we want to hear more. This is why to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Embassy has launched the #PeaceWriteNow Writing Contest.
Interested candidates should write an essay on the broad theme “Fostering Sustainable Peace and Dialogue in Nigeria”. Entrants are invited to focus on the role that they can play to foster sustainable peace. Areas of interest could be youth empowerment and discussion of the Good Friday Agreement. More information about the Good Friday Agreement can be found here.
Prizes
The top five selected essays will receive prizes as follows:
1st Prize: €500 cash grant for books.
2nd Prize: €250 Cash grant for books.
3rd Prize: €100 cash grant for books.
4th Prize: A book on peace building signed by the Ambassador and a certificate of appreciation.
5th Prize: A Certificate of Appreciation.
The Embassy will host an event in early May where selected participants will be invited to read from their essays.
A selection of essays may also be published in a short book. Any author of an essay selected for publication will be contacted in advance and will receive a copy of the publication.
Eligibility Criteria
➢ Must be between the ages of 18 – 30 years old.
➢ Must be a citizen of Nigerian and residing in Nigeria.
Rules and Regulations
➢ Essay must be submitted in English.
➢ Submission should not exceed 1000 words.
➢ Submitted article must be an original publication, that has not been already published or
under consideration elsewhere. Plagiarism will lead to disqualification.
➢ Entries must include the author’s first and last name and submitted electronically as an
attachment in PDF or Word formats to: peacewritenow@dfa.ie. Emails should include the
subject – “PeaceWriteNow – Essay Submission”.
➢ Attach a scanned copy of an acceptable proof of age such as passport bio-data page or birth
certificate.
➢ There is no application fee.
If you require additional information about this writing contest, please contact the Embassy of Ireland
in Nigeria on 09 462 0611 or peacewritenow@dfa.ie.