Contest for opinion pieces and photos “Estonia AND Nordic countries—Estonia AS a Nordic country?”

The University of Tartu Centre for Ethics, together with the Ministry of Education and Research, the Nordic Council of Ministers, UT College of Foreign Languages and Cultures and the Office of the President of the Republic of Estonia invite people to put down their thoughts about Estonia and the Nordic countries for the contest of opinion pieces and photos “Estonia AND Nordic countries—Estonia AS a Nordic country?”. The main prize of the opinion pieces contest (adults) is awarded by Royal Norwegian Embassy – it is a unique trip to Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. The patron of the contest is President of the Republic of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

Head of UT Centre for Ethics Professor Margit Sutrop says that August 2016 marks the passing of 25 years from Estonia regaining independence. “Estonia has accomplished considerable things during this time. We are brought as an example for fresh thinking and quick reforms; we have trustworthy partnership relations in Europe and elsewhere in the world. But how much have our values changed? Have we become more like a Nordic country in 25 years or have we drifted further away from the Nordic values? What does Estonia have in common with the Nordic countries, what is different? What is similar to us in the Nordic culture and what is unique and precious to us that we want to preserve and share with others?” asks professor Sutrop. The contest for opinion pieces and photos is a chance to interpret these questions.

Organisers invite beginners as well as professional opinion piece writers and photographers to participate in the contest. The works are evaluated by the jury in two categories, the stories and photos of school students and adults are evaluated separately. Nordic values can be interpreted and discussed in a more abstract form as well as in the context of everyday life. The circle of topics is not limited.

The deadline for submitting opinion pieces is 10 June 2016. For more information and the terms visit http://www.eetika.ee/en/essaycontest2016
The deadline for submitting photos is 31 July 2016. For more information and the terms visit http://www.eetika.ee/en/photocontest2016

The main prize of the opinion pieces contest is a unique trip to Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. The prize is awarded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy.

Special prizes for the best writers and photographers have been put up by the Office of the President of the Republic of Estonia, Ministry of Education and Research, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Denmark, University of Tartu, UT College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, UT Centre for Ethics, publishing houses Ilmamaa, Varrak and EKSA, the University of Tartu Press and the daily paper Postimees.

The president’s writing contest takes place for the fourth time. In 2011 they collected pieces on “Estonia’s doors—in and out”, in 2009 it was essays on the topic “What can I do for Estonia?” and in 2007 on “What kind of Estonia I want to live in?”.

Additional information:
Mari-Liisa Parder, Project Manager of UT Centre for Ethics
59036319
mari-liisa.parder@ut.ee