Filipino Student Wins 1st Prize in Int’l Essay Contest

Twenty-two-year old Filipino student Kent Harry Perez Cumpio won first prize, category Youth, in the 2018 annual Essay Contest for Young People organized by the Goi Peace Foundation. The theme of the competition was “The Change I Want to Make”.

21,705 inspiring essay entries from 162 countries meant a lot of work for the jury, but Kent Harry convinced them with his passionate appeal to fellow students to stay in the Philippines after graduating and help their country.

“The change he wanted to make” was inventing a small biodigester to convert food waste into gas for heating and cooking. According to Ken, it does not take complicated concepts to make a difference to people’s lives.

Kent Harry was awarded a cash prize of 900 dollars and was flown to Tokyo to read his essay to the audience of the annual Goi Peace Forum at Nikkei Hall in Tokyo.

Japan’s Minister of Education presented him with his winners’ certificate. A number of diplomats listened to Kent’s speech as well as Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco. The Princess was in Tokyo to accept the Goi Peace Award for her outstanding contributions towards environmental education and sustainable tourism in her country.

After the forum, Kent was treated to a few days of sightseeing in Tokyo and also got to meet some young Japanese people in order to exchange ideas with them. (Goi Peace Foundation)