Since 1971, the UPU has encouraged young writers aged 9-15 to write letters on a given theme to win exciting prizes. The competition is an excellent way of making young people aware of the important role postal services play in our societies. It develops their skills in composition and their ability to express thoughts clearly. It also fosters enjoyment of letter writing and helps strengthen the bonds of international friendship.
The UPU's secretariat, the International Bureau, chooses a theme annually and publicizes it each year. Participating countries then organize the competition at the national level through the Post, often with the support of the educational authorities and media.
Recognizing safety as a critical component of its mission and in support of the UN Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, the UPU, in partnership with the UN Road Safety Fund (UNRSF), will hold its 52nd International Letter-Writing Competition in 2023 under the theme:
"Imagine you are a super hero and your mission is to make all roads around the world safer for children. Write a letter to someone explaining which super powers you would need to achieve your mission."
Visual support material as well as promotional assets including posters in multiple languages, competition rules, social media cards, hashtags and sample messaging can be downloaded from this Trello board: https://bit.ly/ilwc2023 (continuously updated).
An international jury complied by the International Bureau judges the letters and selects the overall winners and candidates that merit a special mention.
 Moussibahou Mazou, President of the Forum for Research and Development of Postal Services in Africa (FRDPA) | Moussibahou Mazou, holds a doctorate in Development Economics. A former deputy director-general of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), he is currently the President of the Forum for Research and Development of Postal Services in Africa (FRDPA). Though of Beninese origin, he has made the Republic of Congo his adopted country . Moussibahou is also a novelist and the author of “Babingo, the Noble Rebel”, a pulsating advocacy for the mainstreaming of indigenous languages into the curriculum of African countries. |
| Brigitte Perrin, from Switzerland, is the Head of Communication at the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations’ trusted voice on weather, climate and water. With a journalist and political sciences background, she dedicated her career to opening mindsets to communication and driving change across several UN entities, the Swiss Television and the University of Geneva. She strongly believes that young people can inspire innovation as they are not stopped by any preconceptions. She is the mother of two teenagers who are also worried about climate change. |  Brigitte Perrin, Head of Communications at World Meteorological Organisation |
 Richard Nash, Coach, strategist, and serial entrepreneur in new and traditional media | Richard won the UPU’s International Letter-Writing Competition for young people when he was 15, having touched the jury members with his powerful letter to a refugee child. Since then, Richard has dedicated his career to publishing, media and education. As a coach, he works with creative professionals and entrepreneurs, helping them navigate personal and professional transitions He led partnerships and content at the culture discovery start-up Small Demons and the new media app Byliner and advised numerous start-ups in media, culture and education. Previously he ran independent publishers Soft Skull Press and Red Lemonade, for which he was awarded the Association of American Publishers' Award for Creativity in Independent Publishing in 2005. In 2010, the Utne Reader named Richard one of Fifty Visionaries Changing Your World and in 2013, the Frankfurt Book Fair picked him as one of the Five Most Inspiring People in the World in Digital Publishing. His long essay “On The Business of Literature” was the most-read story in the history of the Virginia Quarterly Review and has been reprinted in several books, and translated into Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese. He has been privileged to speak around the world on the history and future of books, writing and reading. |
There were also special mentions for the letters of these young people from:
- Belarus, Gleb Klimovich, 14 years-old
- Brazil, Luisa Tejo Salgado Catâo, 14 years-old
- Turkey, Adnan Yigit AIkan, 13 years-old
- Indonesia, Nur Eka Syahrina Ramadhani Basyar 11 years-old
- Libya, Elaf Abdel Hakim Al-Ajil