A poignant letter written by a violin proved music to the international jury’s ears, earning 13-year-old Nataša Miloševic, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the gold medal in the Universal Postal Union’s 43rd International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People.
It is the first time that Bosnia and Herzegovina wins the international competition since becoming a UPU member in 1993. The silver medal is awarded to 10-year-old Zou Canyan from Bai Shan (Ji Lin Province), People’s Republic of China, while 11-year-old Ashley Nicole Abalos, from Manila, Philippines, takes bronze.
The 2014 annual contest asked budding writers to explain how music can influence lives. And Miloševic, from Mostar, showed great story-telling ability with a riveting tale about an abandoned violin that finds its way to a talented young boy and inspires him to become an accomplished musician.
From the very beginning, Miloševic’s composition grabs the reader’s attention. “Even though my strings are ragged and out of tune, my hearing still serves me, just my voice has betrayed me, and how would it not when I have been laying here motionless for years in this abandoned and dusty shack by the river?” she writes.
Miloševic says she was very motivated by the competition’s purpose. “I was inspired by the very idea that young people are encouraged to write because we are living in a world of technology,” says the gold-medal winner, who sings in a choir and paints in her spare time. “It would be nice to return to some former values, like writing letters,” she adds.
The jury had this to say about the young writer’s composition: “Beautifully-written, this letter full of colour and very moving images shows great sensitivity. The story easily captivates both the reader’s mind and heart, and the theme is illustrated in a creative and personal way.”
Warmly congratulating this year’s winners, UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein said: “The art of expressing oneself clearly and forcefully through writing remains an important skill today; it elicits vivid images and emotions that can never be conveyed by electronic messages. Let’s face it: letters, the post are the original social media.”
An estimated 1.5 million young people up to 15 years of age from 52 UPU member countries participated in this 43nd letter-writing contest. It aims to raise awareness of the role postal services play in our societies, help young people develop their skills in composition and the ability to express their thoughts.
Second and third prizes
Silver-medalist Zou Canyan from Bai Shan, China, wrote a letter to Chinese pianist Lang Lang. She tells the world renowned musician a story about offering a harmonica to a beggar playing on the streets. “Mr Lang Lang, surely, the old man’s simple music could not be compared with your great symphony. Yet to me, both of them possessed the strength of touching souls,” she writes.
The jury liked the authenticity of Canyan’s composition, saying: “A genuine and touching story conveying not only the value of music, but also the value found in all humans through the power of music. The writer expresses well the real connection between music and people.”
The Philippines’ Ashley Nicole Abalos takes bronze with her letter to a blind musician she heard at a public concert. “Music is not music until it is shared,” she writes. “Through your music, you are able to open the eyes of many even if you yourself cannot see.”
The jury said her letter captures the magic of music. “Written with great sincerity, this composition full of emotions and genuine reflections captures the magic of music to connect people.”
The jury finally awarded special mentions to young writers from the following countries, in this order:<0} Pham Phuong Thao, 13, from Viet Nam; Lucia Tejedor Muñoz, 14, from Spain; Alina Upadhyaya, 14, from Nepal; and Gabriella Reyna Ardisa Gunawan, 13, from Indonesia.
The international jury was composed of Jesse Boere, a young singer-songwriter from the Netherlands and member of the International Music Council; Matt Clark, programme manager with Jeunesses Musicales International, the world’s largest youth music non-governmental organization; Emily Randall, outreach assistant at Playing for Change, a U.S.-based organization that creates and supports music schools around the world; Adrian Kreda, professor and dean of piano at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève; and Damiano Giuranna, music and artistic director of the World Youth Orchestra, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
Winners will normally receive their prizes on 9 October, World Post Day.
The 2015 edition of the international competition will ask young people to write a letter describing the world they want to grow up in, as the United Nations gets ready to adopt new sustainable development goals to further the work accomplished through the 2000-2015 Millennium Development Goals.