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Peace Poster & Essay Competitions
Lions International Peace Poster and Peace Essay Competitions
2022-2023 contest theme: ‘Lead with Compassion’
Contact details
Contact: | Lions Clubs International British Isles (MD105) head office |
Telephone: | 0121 441 4544 [Office hours are 9:00am to 5.00pm between Monday to Friday] |
Email: | mdhq@lionsclubs.co.uk |
Key information
The theme of this year’s Lions International Peace Poster provides young people (aged 11-13) with the opportunity to express their visions of peace through being connected with one another.
Students ages 11, 12, or 13 as of November 15 are eligible to participate in the International Peace Poster and Peace Essay Contests.
Peace essay contest
Created to give an opportunity for visually impaired young people to express their feelings of peace, the International Essay Contest is a staple of Lions clubs around the world. Lions work with local schools and area families to identify young people who are interested in participating and who could benefit from this program. One grand prize winner will receive an award and US$5,000.
Each essay must be submitted with a completed entry form. Essays must be no longer than 500 words in length, submitted in English, typed in black ink and double-spaced.
Peace poster contest
For over three decades, Lions clubs around the globe have been sponsoring a very special art contest in schools and youth groups. More than four million young people from 100 countries worldwide have taken part in the contest.
Creating peace posters gives children everywhere the chance to express their visions of peace and inspire the world through art and creativity. The young artists are free to use a variety of art mediums. They are encouraged to portray their life-experiences and culture in responding to the theme.
Every Lions Club is encouraged to engage with young people in their community to sponsor a Peace Poster contest entry.
Purchasing a Peace Poster pack
Lions clubs need to order a Peace Poster pack to enter the contest. Peace poster kits may be purchased from the MD105 head office (available from 15 January to 1 October). The Peace Poster kit and Essay Poster kit each cost £14.00 plus £1.95 for postage.
Each kit contains:
- Official club contest guide and rules
- Official school or youth group contest guide and rules
- Participant flyer to duplicate and give to participating students to take home
- Sticker to place on the back of the winning poster
- Certificates for the contest winner and school or youth group
Peace Poster judging
Each poster is judged on originality, artistic merit, and expression of the theme. Entries advance through several judging levels: local, district, multiple district, and international.
All district winners need to be received at Lions Clubs International (MD105) British Isles office by 1 December. An overall multiple district winner is then selected, and submitted for the international judging stage.
At the international level, judges from the art, peace, youth, education, and media communities select one grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners.
Winners of 2021-2022 theme ‘We are all connected’
Thank you to all the entrants of this year’s Peace Poster and Peace Essay Competition.
Peace Poster Winner Martha Gilson
Martha said “peace to me is the understanding of everyone in harmony”
Global Winner 2019-2020
The winner of the Peace Poster Competition is Martha Gibson (aged 12)
sponsored by Ross on Wye Lions Club in District CW
Peace Essay Winner George Dukas
The winner of the Peace Essay Competition is George Dukas (aged 13) sponsored by Hemel Hempstead Lions Club in District A
Whoever we are we share a connection with others. We were all born into a family whose branches have spread over the years, some more than others. We connect with our thoughts and beliefs with other groups of individuals yet we are unique and no two people, even identical twins are exactly the same. Life gives us many experiences and challenges that affect our being and those around us. We move areas, we see things our families don’t and we react in different ways. As we age the world grows smaller by visiting places outside of our circle. We gain new and different skills which enhance the person we are. We learn some lessons and modify our actions yet sometimes we can’t accept the change All of this is dependant on communications that keep us connected. Speech is the most effective tool as a voice to share. Telephone, social media in its many modes, television and the internet mean connections can be instant and over long distances. The world has become smaller even with space flight. But it is the connection of people together, close and familiar that mean the most. Spoken work is good but a look, a smile, a touch that shows someone understands and cares about another can bring such calm and peace. Empathy with another, an act of kindness towards the needy, putting yourself in their shoes goes a long way to showing the world at its best. The feeling of belonging, of not being alone is the unsurpassed. If we look towards peace in the world, doesn’t all of this mean one thing. Whoever we are and whatever we are we are not alone, we are definitely connected in some way. A huge family of humans who are different but not and who have the ability to communicate with each other, to have empathy and to make their living a better ideal. Lets join together and succeed regardless of colour, religion or language and by or connections work thorough our differences.
The global winner of the Lions International Peace Essay 2019-2020 was Joseph Critchlow, sponsored by the City of Liverpool Lions Club
The Spring 2020 LION Magazine features Joseph Critchlow (page 25):
Global winners
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Current and previous winners of the global Peace Essay contest: https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/peace-essay
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Current Peace Poster winners from around the world: https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/peace-poster-winners
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Grand Prize Peace Poster winners since 1988: https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/start-our-approach/youth/peace-poster/grand-prize-winners