05.08.2014 - Nataša Miloševic, a 13-year-old girl from Bosnia and Herzegovina, has won the gold medal in the Universal Postal Union’s 43rd International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People.
Nataša Miloševic lives in Mostar
Miloševic’s letter told a riveting tale about an abandoned violin that finds its way to a talented young boy and inspires him to become an accomplished musician.
Miloševic’s composition grabs the reader’s attention from the start. “Even though my strings are ragged and out of tune, my hearing still serves me, just my voice has betrayed me, and how would it not when I have been laying here motionless for years in this abandoned and dusty shack by the river?”
The gold-winner was very motivated to participate in the competition. “I was inspired by the very idea that young people are encouraged to write because we are living in a world of technology,” says the writer, who sings in a choir and paints in her spare time. “It would be nice to return to values, like writing letters,” she adds.
The jury had this to say about the young writer’s composition: “Beautifully-written, this letter full of colour and very moving images shows great sensitivity. The story easily captivates both the reader’s mind and heart, and the theme is illustrated in a creative and personal way.”
This marks the first time in the competition’s history that a young person from Bosnia and Herzegovina has won.
Warmly congratulating this year’s winners, UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein said: “The art of expressing oneself clearly through writing remains an important skill today. Only a letter evokes vivid images and elicits emotions that can never be conveyed by electronic messages.”
The 2014 annual contest asked budding writers to explain how music can influence lives. The silver medal was awarded to 10-year-old Zou Canyan from Bai Shan (Ji Lin Province), People’s Republic of China, while 11-year-old Ashley Nicole Abalos, from Manila, Philippines, took bronze.
An estimated 1.5 million young people up to 15 years of age participated in this letter-writing contest.
The annual competition aims to raise awareness of the role postal services play in our societies, helping young people develop their skills in composition and the ability to express their thoughts.
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