Gozitan boy wins award in international competition

Jonathan Richard Young, 13, from the Sacred Heart Minor Seminary of Victoria, Gozo, recently won the merit award in the Lions International Peace Poster Contest.

This is the second time Young has won this award in as many years.

The theme of this year’s competition was ‘Vision of Peace’. His poster was chosen for originality and artistic merit.

He is one of 23 merit award winners chosen from more than 350,000 entries drawn by children aged 11 to 13 from 65 countries. Raj Phairembam, an 11-year-old boy from Moirang, Manipur, India, created the winning poster.

As a merit award winner, Young will be presented with a cash award of €360 and a certificate of achievement by the President of the Lions Club Sliema, the sponsor of the national contest.

“Our club is very excited to have sponsored a merit award winner in this international contest,” said club president Alfred Micallef Attard. “We are proud to support local young people and encourage peace and understanding in our community.”

Lions Clubs international president Sid L. Scruggs said, “I commend these young people for sharing their personal visions of peace with the world around them. They are truly beacons of hope for us all.”

The finalists’ peace posters will be exhibited at children’s museums and various locations throughout the US. They will also be featured prominently at the 94th annual Lions Clubs International Convention in Seattle, Washington, US.

Visit the Lions Clubs International website, www.lionsclubs.org, to view Peace Posters, learn more about the contest and send Peace Poster e-cards.