Children often imagine, in play or simply out of curiosity, what it might be like to be someone else. But what happens when more than a million children around the world imagine the same thing? Then we discover the wonderful richness of their expression and how, despite their many different backgrounds, they share the same worries, dreams and hopes.
This was once again clearly demonstrated in the 54th edition of the Universal Postal Union’s International Letter-Writing Competition (ILWC). The theme for the 2025 edition was: “Imagine you are the ocean. Write a letter to someone explaining why and how they should take good care of you.” This theme demonstrates the way in which the competition has matured over the years to address increasingly complex global issues.In the very first competition in 1971, the topic was simply “Write a letter to a friend”, leaving wide open what the children might wish to write about – whether a serious subject or simply sharing happy experiences with a friend. The 2025 theme is more demanding, but it also reflects greater confidence in children’s ability to grapple with complex ideas.
It requires children to process information they may have acquired at school, from the news, or from conversations, and to engage thoughtfully with the social, political and scientific dimensions of pressing and sometimes uncomfortable global environmental issues.
In 2025, more than 1.6 million children aged 9 to 15 from 65 UPU member countries took on this challenging task, marking a record number of participating countries. The competition takes place in two stages. Each country, through its national postal operator or ministry of education, organizes a national contest and submits its winning letter to the UPU. The UPU first checks that all entries meet the basic participation criteria before passing them on to the international jury, which then selects three global winners and five special mentions.
This year’s international jury included Jose Matheickal of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Vidar Helgesen of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO), representing the two co-organizing agencies, as well as Pascal Clivaz, former Deputy Director General of the UPU, and marine biologist and influencer Carissa Cabrera.
The four jurors unanimously selected the three winners: Gold for Reyyan Demiriz from Türkiye, Silver for Phạm Đoàn Minh Khuê from Viet Nam, and Bronze for Kanlanfe Ingrid Ouali from Burkina Faso.
Khuê lives in a coastal city and has already gained first-hand experience in ocean protection through school-led beach-clean-up activities, while both Reyyan and Kanlanfe come from inland regions far from the ocean. Nevertheless, the letters of all three demonstrate a deep understanding of the ocean’s interconnectedness with all ecosystems on Earth, and of the devastating effects that its degradation has on the world’s population. In all three letters, the ocean speaks with similar warnings and calls for action, yet delivers its message in a deeply individual way.
In Reyyan’s letter, the ocean reminds humanity that it is older than all life on the planet, and that without it, life would not exist today: “You speak of progress, of dominion over nature, as if you are superior. But there is no ‘you’ and ‘I’. There is only ‘we’. You must remember: when I grow sick, the rain forgets its rhythm, the rivers run hollow, and the wind begins to carry sorrow instead of seed. When you heal the ocean, you begin to heal yourself.”
Khuê chose a particularly creative approach. In her letter, the ocean addresses the famous film director James Cameron, urging him to use his influence to make a film that would discourage people from treating the ocean badly: “You have understood that my body is not only made up of water and salt, and that I am a living world. My heart, however, has almost stopped beating. I cannot save myself, James! I desperately need you! Please help me! Wake up humanity by making a new film!”
The ocean in Kanlanfe’s letter speaks to humanity in a hopeful yet admonishing tone, reminding people of the importance of its survival: “I am not simply a place for your holidays. I am a living being and a world of my own, but a world that needs you.”
While the winners of the ILWC are traditionally invited to a ceremony at UPU headquarters in Berne, Switzerland, the award ceremony for the 54th edition took place during the 28th Universal Postal Congress in Dubai, in front of delegates from the member countries. Gold medalist Reyyan Demiriz read her letter aloud, and the three winners joined UPU Deputy Director General Marjan Osvald for a short discussion on their experience with the competition and its meaning for their future paths.
Reflecting on his role, which he first assumed in 2022, Osvald said that the experience had grown particularly meaningful for him over time. “Every year, I am deeply moved by how young minds perceive the challenges of our world,” he said. “Their letters renew my confidence that the future is in caring and capable hands – and remind us of our duty to do everything possible to help them succeed.”
The UPU’s ILWC not only continues to raise awareness of pressing global issues, but also honours the timeless art of writing. With the 55th edition of the competition approaching in 2026, we can be sure that the next generation of young writers will once again inspire us with their reflections on why human connection matters in a digital world.
This article first appeared in Union Postale Autumn 2025.