“The Untold Stories 2”

UNICEF Albania has the pleasure to launch the call of “The Untold Stories 2”, a national essay competition, following the success of its first edition in 2021, which is open for participation to all Albanians living in the country or abroad. The competition explores the level of awareness of the Albanian public on human trafficking, a phenomenon that touches the lives of many women and men in Albania, particularly of children, making them vulnerable and prone to trafficking exploitation that could lead to lifelong consequences that require years of special assistance and provision of services towards a complete reintegration and recovery.

Tell us how YOU perceive it, the survival and hope, the social, psychological and economic impact that human trafficking has on our society and the involved victims, and enter this competition to join forces with a solid programmatic intervention that addresses human trafficking in the country. Check out https://www.unicef.org/albania/ to learn more and get inspired, let’s do more together to contribute to raising awareness on this issue in Albania.

The participants can submit their entries by email at

essay.competition@mda.al

The extended deadline to submit the written essay is 30 June 2022, 23:59.

Who can participate?

1. This competition is open to Albanians living in the country or abroad;
2. This competition is open to non-professionals only.

How it works?

1. The essays should be sent via email to:

essay.competition@mda.al, no later than 23:59 on 12/06/2022;

2. The email should include the essay attached as a separate file named as such: name surname_title of the essay;
3. The participant should include their contact information, email and phone number in their application email;
4. The participant should confirm in writing via the application email that they the author and owns the essay copyrights;
5. Entering this competition does not limit the participant to enter other competitions launched by UNICEF Albania, provided that all competition guidelines are respected.

Specification of the essay

1. The essay should show the author’s vision, reasons, and what they would like to say to the reader;
2. The essay should be a minimum of 500 to a maximum of 600 words;
3. The essay can be written in English or Albanian only;
4. The essay must adhere to the competition guidelines;
5. The essay should address themes like: modern slavery, human trafficking, forms of exploitation including online threats, the impact of human trafficking on individual and family lives, survival stories, how human trafficking affects youth and children, etc.;
6. The story can be a complete fiction and not relate with any real-life situations.

Selection of the winners:

1. The selection jury is composed of competent, professional and impartial individuals, making sure all competition guidelines and procedures are implemented correctly during the assessment and awarding process;
2. Winners will be notified beforehand and announced publicly at the exhibition;
3. The jury members and their close family members are not eligible to apply for this competition.

Guidelines to choose the Winners:

1. The specifications of the essay are duly applied;
2. The idea, concept and originality of the essay are central to the evaluation process;
3. The main message: the essay should be powerful, inspirational and empowering and clearly associated to the suggested theme;
4. The essay should aim to have a significant impact on the general audience.

Copyright of the Selected Entries:

1. The author will sign a document to grant UNICEF Albania the copyright of their essay;
2. UNICEF Albania will publish the winning essays on different media outlets;
3. For awarded entries, the copyright holder/author grants UNICEF Albania unlimited exclusive use for activities in all media outlets, including social media and online and print media, in relation to the contest, the exhibition, the public archive, and all promotional and educational activities without any remuneration being due;
4. The conditions set out in the Entry Rules are binding, and UNICEF Albania reserves the right to refuse or exclude any entry, if considered as not abiding with the terms and conditions of this call.

The Prize(s)

1. Three winners will be selected. Each will win a Lenovo Tablet;
2. Each winner will be notified by phone and email. All participants must provide correct names, telephone numbers and email addresses;
3. If a winner cannot be notified within seven (7) days, or does not respond, the prize will be awarded to the following ranking participant assigned by the jury; 
4. There will be no substitutions or cash alternatives for the prize;
5. The awards will be delivered by a UNICEF Albania representative in a special ceremony following the winners’ selection.

The Booklet

1. The essay contest will feature a printed booklet with the best selected essays.