Young Czech writer wins letter-writing contest

Fifteen-year-old Daniel Korčak, from Ostrava, Czech Republic, recently won the Universal Postal Union's 42nd International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People.

His letter was written to the central European river the Oder. The 2013 contest asked budding writers to explain why water is a precious resource.

Daniel Korcak with his mother (left) and sister.

According to the United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe, the gold-medal winner, who captivated the international jury with his simple, creative and innovative prose, said,
"I thought that many students would write a letter to a person, so I decided to write my letter directly to water."

"In the river you create, we bathe, fish, children play with you when building stone dams, athletes on boats struggle against your power, and many seek peace and quiet in your whisper... near your river, there is your sister, healing water, which... waits to be carried to the nearby spa where it helps heal our ailments," wrote Daniel.

According to the UNRIC site, UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein said: "Communication is at the heart of the postal activity and, in a sea of digital messages, it remains critical for young people to understand the importance of the written word and the structured composition and recognize the emotions and call to action good writing can elicit. Postal services support literacy and communication, and we are delighted that our competition touches so many young people."

An estimated 1.5 million young people from 60 countries participated in this 42nd letter-writing contest, which aims to raise awareness of the role postal services play in our societies, help young people develop their skills in composition and the ability to express their thoughts.