I am also enclosing with this letter a call for entries for a secondary school students’ competition announced by Turkey’s District 2420, based in Istanbul. Pupils and students aged 14 to 19 are invited to write a 500-word essay on the topic of maintaining peace—naturally in English.

The top three entries will receive cash prizes (USD 3,000, 2,000 and 1,000) and the winners will be invited to a peace conference organised by RC Istanbul in Antalya on 16-19 May 2026, where their certificates will be presented in a ceremony on 18 May 2026. All expenses will be covered by the organising RC Istanbul.

Nothing is required from you as clubs other than to pass this call on to the headteachers of the secondary schools within your reach. After that, everything will run on its own initiative by the participants.

Please note: the deadline is already 8 March 2026, so please do not delay.

Honza

Jan Bílek
DG 2025-26
District 2240 Czech Republic & Slovak Republic

As the world navigates periods of uncertainty, Rotary Clubs and Peace Centers
remain committed to fostering dialogue, resilience, and peaceful solutions. With the
second edition of the essay competition organized by the leading club in our 2420
District, the Istanbul Rotary Club, we aim to raise the awareness of the youth and
motivate them to develop ideas for maintaining peace and creating a culture of
peace. The framework of the competition is as follows (please see attached
document for details):

• Topic: A Gateway to Peace: An Education-Based Roadmap
Shaped by Youth

• Participants: 14-19 years old teenagers (High school students / Interactors)• Format: Essay in English with a maximum of 500 words
• Award: Top three participants will be invited to Türkiye in May 2025
(funded by the club) and will receive monetary award
• Submission: Essays will be sent directly from the essayists to the dedicated
e-mail address at Istanbul Rotary Club.
PeaceEssay@istanbulrotary.org
• Timeline: Announcement of competition details: December 2025
 Deadline for Essay submission: March 8th, 2026
Announcement of winners: April 22nd, 2026
Awards ceremony: May 18th, 2026
at the annual conference of Rotary District 2420 in Antalya, Türkiye

Without your kind support it would be impossible to administer this initiative,
therefore we would kindly request you to announce this competition in your District
and distribute the attached document to the local Rotary, Rotaract and Interact
Clubs. The goal would be to inform potential participants and encourage their
participation in the competition.
Upon your initial engagement with related clubs under your governance, with your
permission, we would be glad to initiate contact directly with engaged Rotary,
Rotaract and Interact Clubs in your district. Therefore, we would appreciate it if you
could provide us with their names and contact details after your initial contact. Feel
free to reach Rtn. Atilla Ayginin for any questions and details.

You can contact him
via the following e-mail: PeaceEssay@istanbulrotary.org
Best regards,
Prof. Dr. Uğur Haklar
President 2025-2026, Istanbul Rotary Club