Do you love writing? Are you passionate about cultural heritage?

The 11th edition of the International Short Story Contest entitled A Sea of Words has been launched under the motto ‘Memory and Identity: Rethinking Cultural Heritage’ in the framework of the European Year of Cultural Heritage.

Led by the Anna Lindh Foundation and Spain’s European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), this pan-regional initiative seeks to provide young people with the opportunity to express their views on the matter.

Cultural heritage, whether tangible or intangible, is a fundamental part of people’s identity; it is a shared value and a sign of identity in villages and towns, natural landscapes and emblematic centuries-old constructions that bring us together in diversity.

One of the main goals of the competition is to create meeting spaces in order to foster debate between different young people in the Euro-Mediterranean region and promote knowledge of political, social, cultural and economic environments in the different Mediterranean countries and Europe.

This literary contest is open to young writers aged between 18 and 30 years old from any of the 43 Euro-Mediterranean states. Maltese candidates can submit entries in Maltese too.

 The authors of the 15 best stories will be invited to attend the awards ceremony to be held in Barcelona in September. They will also have the opportunity to take part in different cultural activities in the city and ultimately see their short stories published in an anthology.

Candidates should write a short story of 2,500 words maximum and submit entries to concurso@iemed.org by April 20.