Writing Stories About Tolerance
A world wide student contest
initiated by
The Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief

In connection with the global meeting of experts in September 2004, the result of the youth and student contest on "Writing Stories about Tolerance" was announced. The writing contest inspired many young writers from different parts of the world and national contests were held in Nigeria and Indonesia. In the international competition, a panel of experts evaluated more than one hundred and fifty stories. In the final round, three winning stories were selected: “The Reconciliation” (by Mfornobong Udo Nsehe, from Nigeria), “Our Gods are so great” (by Samihah Sifat Zaman, from Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates) and “The Lost Fairy” (by Linda Ikwuagwu, from the United Kingdom).

The first prize was coming to Oslo and taking part in the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies. We were happy to receive the winner, Mfornobong Udo Nsehe and his mother, in Oslo in December.

The three winning stories can be accessed here.

Together with these three, another 15 stories have also been printed in a booklet entitled Stories on Tolerance (ed. Ingvill Thorson Plesner, The Oslo Coalition, September 2004). The booklet has also been published in Indonesian, with the title MenyulamRagam Merajut Harmoni (translated by Zakiyuddin Baidhawy). Sukoharjo-Solo: Jaringan Intelektual Muda Muhammadiyah.

The underlying call for stories about tolerance:

The Oslo Coalition hereby announces a

World Wide Contest for Children and Youth (age 12 - 25)

on writing stories about tolerance!

Some of the stories will be selected for publishing, and the writers of the best stories will be rewarded.

A group of experts in the field of literature, education, human rights and interfaith dialogue has been established, and will advice the Oslo Coalition about the selection of stories.

• Your institution is hereby encouraged to organize a stories contest within your membership/network, in your region or institution.
• We also ask you to send the best, most original and/or most inspiring stories, fictional and non-fictional, written by the youngsters to the Oslo Coalition secretariat, so that we can include them in the final selection of stories to be published, and make a choice of which writers that will receive rewards for their work.

We particularly welcome stories adressing tolerance in relation with religion or belief.
The stories should be between 500 - 2000 words and can be written in English, French, German, Spanish or Arabic and must be sent to the Oslo Coalition marked Stories on Tolerance within April 1st. 2004.