MRC Launches Writing Competition for Mekong Citizens ahead of Summit

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The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has launched a regional writing competition in which citizens and residents of all ages from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam can enter and stand a chance to win different prizes.

Entitled “What Does the Mekong Mean to You?”, the competition aims to celebrate the Mekong Day on 5 April and the 3rd MRC Summit of Mekong Prime Ministers, and seeks short entries that depict the connections between the Mekong River and its people, as well as how important these connections are to them.

“The competition is one of our many initiatives to promote Mekong cooperation and reflect the diversity of our river. It affords our contestants the opportunity to demonstrate the crucial role the Mekong River plays in their daily life, the challenges they face, and what we can do to address the issues,” said Mr. Anoulak Kittikhoun, Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer and Head of Communications at the MRC Secretariat.

To enter the contest, applicants must submit a completed application form that includes an entry of no more than 60 words long in English or respective native languages, to the contest’s email at writingcontest@mrcmekong.org. The contest will accept submissions up to 15 March 2018.

Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges once the contest closes, and winners are expected to be announced before the end of March.

Winners of the competition will receive awards from $50 to $300 in cash plus certificates and may be invited to the upcoming MRC International Conference in Cambodia’s Siem Reap on April 2-3. Winning entries may be displayed at this Conference and during the Mekong Day, presented to leaders of the Mekong countries at the 3rd MRC Summit, and featured in other products of the MRC.

This is the first regional writing competition the MRC has organized, following the first photo contest that was organized late last year and saw 165 entries from 42 amateur photographers participate.

Interested applicants may find full contest details at: https://goo.gl/cp834r.

About the MRC

The MRC is an intergovernmental organization for regional dialogue and cooperation in the lower Mekong river basin, established in 1995 based on the Mekong Agreement between Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. The organization serves as a regional platform for water diplomacy as well as a knowledge hub of water resources management for the sustainable development of the region.