The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) invites all elementary and high school students from public and private schools nationwide, aged 9 to 15 years old, to join the 54th Universal Postal Union (UPU) International Letter Writing Competition for Young People. The winning piece will be sent by PHLPost as the Philippines’ official entry in the worldwide letter-writing competition to be held in Berne, Switzerland.
The contest is a yearly event organized by PHLPost under the auspices of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which is composed of 192 countries around the world of which the Philippines is an active member.
The 2025 competition asks young people to write a letter focusing on the theme: “Imagine you are the ocean. Write a letter to someone explaining why and how they should take good care of you”. The theme allows participants to creatively articulate their thoughts on the significance of ocean conservation.
The theme invites young participants to reflect on current global issues and propose sustainable solutions aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development principles. It encourages participants to think critically about pressing issues such as climate change, poverty, inequality, education, and healthcare and to envision a future where these challenges are effectively addressed through collective action and innovation.
In addition, this initiative not only promotes creativity and literacy among youth but also raises awareness about crucial environmental issues, encouraging the next generation to engage and advocate for the health of the oceans.
The compositions must be recent and original handwritten letters in English according to the theme of the competition. It must not exceed the limit of 800 words in length. Entries must contain the elements of a letter, place, date, addressee’s address, opening and closing salutation, and signature. All entries must be the original work of the participant and must not be generated by any AI tools or systems. The contest committee reserves the right to verify the originality of the winning entry by testing the participant.
On a separate sheet of paper, the participant must indicate the following information: Number of words of the letter, complete name and address, Gender of Candidate, Age and /or Date of Birth, Colored 2×2 Photo, Name and Address of School/Grade or Year Level and Contact Numbers (Telephone/Cellphone).
The first prize winner will receive P25,000.00 cash; the second prize- P20,000.00 and the third prize- P15,000.00. All winners will also be awarded medals, plaques, and albums of Philippine stamps. E-certificates of participation will be sent through the registered e-mail of the participants.
The criteria for judging are relevance to the theme of the competition -30%; imagination and originality of the contents- 20%; demonstrating a good style of writing and communication -20%; demonstrating an extensive vocabulary-20% and youthfulness of tone-10%.
All entries must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM on 14 March 2025. All entries submitted after the deadline will not be accommodated. Entries sent through private couriers like LBC, DHL, 2Go, and JRS Express, among others shall be automatically DISQUALIFIED.
Entries must be placed in a brown envelope and may ONLY be submitted via Domestic Express Mail Service (DEMS) to: UPU 54th International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People 2025, Corporate Communications Division-Office of the Postmaster General Philippine Postal Corporation, Manila Central Post Office Building, Annex II Building, Magallanes Drive Liwasang Bonifacio, Barangay 659-A, Ermita, 1000, Manila Philippines.
Participants must register and attach a scanned copy of the original entry (PDF format) and a high-quality picture (PNG or jpeg format) at https://bit.ly/PHLPost2025LetterWriting before its mailing.
For more information, please visit the official PHLPost website at : www.phlpost.gov.ph and social media accounts at Facebook www.facebook.com/PHLPost. You may also contact Ms. Rianne Aybil U. Penaredondo, Acting Chief, from the Corporate Communications Office of the Postmaster General at their e-mail address: corcom@phlpost.gov.ph. The contest period is from 05 February 2025 to 09 March 2025. The final winner must be determined no later than 21 March 2025.
