Six entries stood out at the 2016 Young Humanitarian Writers Competition (YHWC) among over 150 other entries in both English and Bahasa Malaysia. Themed “The Power of Humanity”, the competition was organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and The National Press Club Malaysia (NPC) with the cooperation of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS).

The competition was launched on the 8th of May, which celebrates the World Red Cross Red Crescent Day. Participants were between 16 and 30 years old. The content of the entries highlighted individual and collective efforts to relieve suffering, uphold human dignity and create a more humane society.

The competition aimed to stimulate discussion and generate greater awareness about today’s most pressing humanitarian challenges and foster a broader understanding of the issues related to armed conflict and other violence.

A panel of judges including academics, practitioners and experts in communications, international humanitarian law and humanitarian affairs selected six participants who demonstrated an excellent basic understanding of humanitarian issues and challenges. They underlined good writing skills, originality and humanitarian reporting as the winning traits of the young humanitarian writers. ‘It is heartening to see young writers with such a high level of creativity when discussing today’s most pressing humanitarian issues’, said one of the judges, Prof. Madya Dr. Mahmud Zuhdi Mohd Nor, from National University of Malaysia.

NPC President, Datuk Mokhtar Hussain, said he was impressed with the thought that went into the entries and the depth of the submissions. ‘I hope young writers will continue to generate awareness on humanitarian issues through their writing, further spreading the power of humanity’.

Following is the list of winners:

Non-journalist (Malay-language) category:
First prize: Ahmad Fahmi Bin Mohd Samsudin from Terengganu
Second prize: Sareeka A/P Balakrishnan from Penang

Non-journalist (English-language) category:
First prize: Angel Goh Wei Ling from Penang
Second prize: Nalina A/P Santhiran from Perak

Journalist category:
First prize: Tengku Faizah Binti Tengku Yusop, Bernama
Second prize: Nurhafizah Binti Tan, Bernama