Every year, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) organizes the International Letter Writing Competition for Children, aiming to contribute to the development of children's writing skills and the richness of their creative thinking.
Furthermore, the competition aims to help students access and understand social and contemporary issues, and express their thoughts on these issues; fostering and nurturing the feelings and responsibilities of the younger generation towards society, the country, and the world. In addition, the competition helps students better understand the role of the postal service in life and social development.
In 2026, the theme of the UPU International Letter Writing Competition will be: “Write a letter to a friend explaining why human connection is essential in the digital world.”
According to the organizers, this is a relatable topic in everyday life. As the digital world becomes increasingly familiar and human activities become more digitized, human connection becomes even more important.
It is a direct connection between people through conversation, exchange, letters, cooperation, help, and sharing; shared goals, ideals, and beliefs; creativity and struggle for what is good.
The digital world also facilitates cross-border connectivity, not only with individuals but with the world as a whole.
Poet Tran Dang Khoa, Vice President of the Vietnam Writers Association, assessed the theme for the 2026 letter writing contest as "the best UPU theme ever, because it addresses a topical issue and is also the most crucial issue facing humanity today."
The poet shared that our era is the digital age, the digital age, but we are losing connection, even losing each other when we are together. When people are connected, they can understand, love, and empathize with each other, and there will be no more "war, bloodshed, and human tragedy."
Regarding the competition rules, the participants must be students aged 9 to 15 (as of the time of entry). The submitted letter must be the student's own creative work, written in prose, not previously published in newspapers or books, and no longer than 800 words.
Students should submit their letters by sealing them in envelopes, affixing postage stamps, clearly writing their addresses, and sending them to the Youth Pioneer and Children's Newspaper via the postal system of the Vietnam Post Corporation. The deadline for receiving letters is from December 19, 2025 to March 5, 2026 (based on the postmark). Letters written in foreign languages must include a Vietnamese translation. The judging panel will evaluate based on the Vietnamese translation.
Last year, the competition theme was "Imagine you are the ocean. Write a letter to someone, explaining why and how they should take good care of and protect you." Pham Doan Minh Khue, a student from Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted (Da Nang), beat over 1.6 million entries to win second prize internationally with her letter to director James Cameron.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chu-de-cuoc-thi-viet-thu-upu-lan-thu-55-nam-2026-la-gi-2482191.html
Comment (0)