Every young person has a story worth telling.
This International Youth Day, UNFPA Bangladesh invites young writers from across Bangladesh to share their stories, ideas and aspirations. Whether you choose to write an article, poem or a tiny story, this is your opportunity to make your voice heard and become part of a national platform celebrating youth perspectives. Through your writing, we invite you to reflect on what the youth need to live a meaningful life and to contribute to society for shaping a more inclusive and sustainable Bangladesh.
Your submission should also align with the values and mandate of UNFPA, including youth empowerment, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, bodily autonomy, inclusion, human rights, dignity and leaving no one behind.
Categories
• Essay (maximum 400 words)
• Tiny Story (150–200 words)
• Poetry
Submissions may be written in Bangla or English.
Who can participate?
• Bangladeshi citizens and those residing in Bangladesh
• Aged 15–24 years
• Individual submissions only
Awards
• The Top 10 submissions will be featured in the UNFPA Bangladesh Youth Zine and be featured on UNFPA social media channels and website
• Three winning writers will receive prizes.
• All eligible participants will receive a digital certificate of participation.
Submission deadline: COB 5 August 2026
Terms and Conditions:
1.The submission must align with the International Youth Day 2026 global theme, "Different Contexts, Common Aspirations. "
2.The submission must be the participant's original work.
3.The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to generate or substantially write the submission is strictly prohibited.
4.The submission must not have been previously published, submitted to another competition or currently under consideration elsewhere.
5.The participant retains authorship of the work. By submitting, participants grant UNFPA Bangladesh a non-exclusive right to publish, edit, translate and promote the selected submissions in the Youth Zine, on UNFPA Bangladesh's digital platforms and in future non-commercial advocacy and communication materials with appropriate credit to the author.
6.UNFPA Bangladesh reserves the right to edit selected submissions for grammar, clarity, formatting and publication consistency while preserving the author's intended meaning.
7.Any submission containing plagiarism, hate speech, discriminatory and defamatory language, misinformation or content inconsistent with UN values will be disqualified.
8.UNFPA Bangladesh reserves the right to verify the originality of submissions and request clarification from participants if required.
9.The decision of the judging panel will be final and binding.
10.UNFPA Bangladesh reserves the right to modify, postpone or cancel the competition if circumstances require.
Judging Criteria
Entries will be evaluated by an independent review panel using the following criteria:
Relevance to the International Youth Day theme and UNFPA mandate - 25% Mark
Originality and creativity - 30% Mark
Quality of writing and storytelling- 20% Mark
Clarity of message and impact- 15% Mark
Structure, language and overall presentation - 10% Mark
For any queries contact:
snahar@unfpa.org
