Applications are open for the UNESCO Regional Youth Contest for Human Rights in Eastern Africa, an initiative inviting young people aged 18–35 to creatively champion human rights as Everyday Essentials under the 2025 Human Rights Day campaign. Youth from Eastern Africa are encouraged to express how human rights shape daily life through essays or poems, videos or animations, and visual or creative art, using innovative, ethical, and context-relevant approaches, including digital tools and artificial intelligence.

The contest focuses on promoting UNESCO’s five core areas of human rights education: freedom of expression, access to information and protection of privacy, the right to benefit from scientific advancement, participation in cultural life, and access to water and sanitation. Participants are invited to reflect these themes through compelling storytelling and creative expression that speaks to lived realities across the region.

Exceptional submissions will receive recognition and awards. The top entry in each category will earn a fully funded round-trip from the participant’s home country to attend a UNESCO-organized or partner conference in 2026 or 2027, including accommodation. Winners will receive a UNESCO Certificate, be given the opportunity to present their essay or poem during a dedicated session, and have their work published on the UNESCO website. Second- and third-place entries will receive cash prizes of USD 1,000 and USD 500 respectively, a UNESCO Certificate of participation, an invitation to contribute to an online UNESCO event, and publication of their work on the UNESCO website. Submissions ranked from fourth to thirtieth will also receive a UNESCO Certificate of participation and online publication.

Eligibility is open to youth aged 18–35 who are nationals of any of the 13 Member States served by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa: Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda. Essays and poems must be submitted in English or French, while videos may be submitted in English, French, or Swahili; Swahili submissions should include English captions.

All entries must be original, creative, and unpublished. Any form of plagiarism or prior publication will lead to disqualification. Where quotations are used, references should be clearly indicated at the end of the submission and will not be counted toward the word limit.

Scroll down for more details and click on the official link attached below to apply for this opportunity