The UNESCO Regional Youth Contest 2026 for Human Rights in Eastern Africa (Fully Funded to a UNESCO conference (2026/27) + $1,000/$500 prize)

Application Deadline: 21 March 2026

Applications at the moment are open for the UNESCO Regional Youth Contest for Human Rights in Eastern Africa. The UNESCO Regional Youth Contest for Human Rights in Eastern Africa invites youth aged 18–35 from Eastern African to creatively advocate for human rights as “Everyday Essentials” beneath the 2025 Human Rights Day marketing campaign. Through essays or poems, movies or animations and artistic artwork, contributors are inspired to promote UNESCO’s 5 core human rights training; freedom of expression, data and privateness; scientific progress; cultural participation; and entry to water and sanitation utilizing progressive, moral, and context-relevant approaches, together with digital instruments and AI. 

Requirements

Eligibility:

• Be a youth aged between 18 – 35, and a nationwide from any of the 13 Member States coated by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa (Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda).

Language:

• English or French (for Essay/Poem); English, French or Swahili (for video).If you employ Swahili kindly add caption in English  

Novelty/Innovation:

• Essays/Poems should be unique, progressive and unpublished. Already revealed works in addition to plagiarized entries shall be disqualified. If you employ quotations, please embody the reference on the backside of the essay/poem (references will not be included in the phrase depend).

Awards: 

i)  Prizes for the very best Essay/Poem/Video/Animation: A spherical journey (for every class) from the home nation of the applicant to take part in a conference organized by UNESCO or a associate (in 2026 or 2027), together with lodging; a UNESCO Certificate; alternative to make a presentation of the Essay/Poem throughout a devoted session; publication of the Essay on the UNESCO Website.

ii)  Prizes for the 2nd and third greatest Essays/Poems/Videos/Animation:  Cash awards of respectively 1000 USD (2nd) and 500 USD (third); a UNESCO Certificate of participation; Opportunity to take part in and contribute to an on-line occasion organized by UNESCO; publication of the Essays/Poems/Videos on the UNESCO Website.

iii) From 4th to thirtieth chosen Essays/ Poems/Videos/Animation, a UNESCO Certificate of participation; publication of the Essays/Poems/Videos on the UNESCO Website.

Style and Format: 

– The Essay could also be in educational, literary, dissertation or artistic writing type, and should be typed and comprise a title. It ought to be submitted in PDF or MS Word. Font: Arial; Font Size: 12; Line and Paragraph spacing: 1.5, Word Count: 1500 – 2500 phrases most. 

– The Poem could also be in artistic writing type and should be typed and comprise a title. It ought to be submitted in PDF or MS Word. Font: Arial; Font Size: 12; Line and Paragraph spacing: 1.5, Word Count:

– Fully AI-generated contents for Essays and Poems shall be excluded. In case of use of AI, embody a separate notice clearly outlining which part(s) was(have been) AI-generated.

–  Braile and Signed English (signal language) submissions are equally inspired. 

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the UNESCO Regional Youth Contest for Human Rights in Eastern Africa