2016 letter-writing contest launched

IF YOU CAN send your future self a message, what will it be?

This is the challenge posed by the Philippine Postal Corp. (PhlPost) to students, 15 years and below, as it launched a nationwide letter-writing contest.

Deadline for submission of entries is March 11.

The winning entry will be the country’s official entry in the 45th Universal Postal Union (UPU) International Letter Writing Competition for Young People.

Alvin Fidelson, PhlPost corporate communications division chief, said this year’s contest theme was “Write a Letter to Your 45-year-old Self.”

Winners in the national competition will receive P20,000 in cash (first), P15,000 (second) and P10,000 (third). They will also be awarded medals, plaques and albums of Philippine stamps.

The schools of the top three winners will receive cash prizes and plaques from PhlPost.

The top winner in the international competition will receive a gold medal and a certificate, as well as a trip to the UPU headquarters in Berne, Switzerland, to accept the award personally.

The letter-writing competition is open to all elementary and high school students 15 years old and below.

Entries for the national contest must be original letters in English and should not exceed 1,000 words. They must contain the elements of a letter: place and date, addressee’s address, opening and closing salutation and signature.

Participants must list the following information on a separate sheet: Number of words of the letter; complete name and address of the letter writer; candidate’s gender, age and date of birth; colored 2×2 photograph; name and address of his/her school and contact numbers; and candidate’s grade or year level.

Entries must be mailed at any post office nationwide via Domestic Express Mail Service or Registered Mail. They should be addressed to UPU 45TH International Letter Writing Competition for Young People (2016), Post Shop, Philately and Museum Division, Philippine Postal Corp., 3/F, Central Post Office Building 1000 Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila.

Call Arlene Tiquia Labao, PhlPost Philately and Museum Division’s Post Shop project officer, at tel. 5270108 or 5270132.

Contest mechanics can be found online via www.phlpost.gov.ph, Facebook (PHLpost), Twitter (@Ppostofficial) and Instagram (@phlpostofficial).