Call for Entries for the 47th "Overseas Children's Literature Competition" - Expressing Cross-Cultural Experiences in Japanese
The Japan Overseas Educational Services is calling for entries for the 47th "Overseas Children's Literature Competition." The competition targets elementary and junior high school students living abroad, providing a venue to express their cross-cultural experiences in Japanese.
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- 📰 Published: May 14, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 14, 2026 at 14:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 14, 2026 at 15:44 (1h 12m after Collected)
Since its inception in 1979, this competition has received many entries from all over the world each year, serving as a platform for elementary and junior high school students living abroad to express their experiences and discoveries within different cultures in Japanese.
Children living abroad accumulate diverse experiences daily in environments different from Japan, such as in language and lifestyle. This competition is held with the aim of encouraging them to express these experiences and thoughts in Japanese, thereby increasing their interest in the language, fostering their Japanese proficiency, and promoting self-understanding and character formation.
The sensitivity and frank perspectives embedded in the works hold a unique value, and "the thoughts of that moment" are highly praised from the viewpoints of diversity and international understanding education.
Many entries are received from students studying at Japanese schools, supplementary schools, and local schools around the world. In the previous competition (the 46th), about 30,000 works were submitted, and numerous winning entries were selected in the four categories of essay, poem, tanka, and haiku. These works are published in the collection "Learning from the Earth" (Chikyu ni Manabu), used as teaching materials in school education, and widely disseminated, including being introduced on NHK radio.
## 47th Overseas Children's Literature Competition [Application Overview]
- **Application Period**: May 1, 2026 - July 15, 2026 (must be received by)
- **Eligibility**: Japanese students equivalent to 1st grade of elementary school through 3rd grade of junior high school studying abroad.
- **Theme**: Life abroad (Open theme)
- **Categories**: (Excellent works in each category will be awarded prizes including the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award)
- Essay
- Poem
- Tanka
- Haiku
- **Organizer**: Japan Overseas Educational Services (JOES)
Click here for details and application method
Children living abroad accumulate diverse experiences daily in environments different from Japan, such as in language and lifestyle. This competition is held with the aim of encouraging them to express these experiences and thoughts in Japanese, thereby increasing their interest in the language, fostering their Japanese proficiency, and promoting self-understanding and character formation.
The sensitivity and frank perspectives embedded in the works hold a unique value, and "the thoughts of that moment" are highly praised from the viewpoints of diversity and international understanding education.
Many entries are received from students studying at Japanese schools, supplementary schools, and local schools around the world. In the previous competition (the 46th), about 30,000 works were submitted, and numerous winning entries were selected in the four categories of essay, poem, tanka, and haiku. These works are published in the collection "Learning from the Earth" (Chikyu ni Manabu), used as teaching materials in school education, and widely disseminated, including being introduced on NHK radio.
## 47th Overseas Children's Literature Competition [Application Overview]
- **Application Period**: May 1, 2026 - July 15, 2026 (must be received by)
- **Eligibility**: Japanese students equivalent to 1st grade of elementary school through 3rd grade of junior high school studying abroad.
- **Theme**: Life abroad (Open theme)
- **Categories**: (Excellent works in each category will be awarded prizes including the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award)
- Essay
- Poem
- Tanka
- Haiku
- **Organizer**: Japan Overseas Educational Services (JOES)
Click here for details and application method