Buenos Aires, Argentina - “For bridges and roads” and “The youth raise their hands…” by Irma Droz (Santa María de Punilla – Province of Córdoba) and Cecilia María Labanca (Martín Coronado – Province of Buenos Aires), respectively, shared the First Prize of the sixth International Poetry Contest organized by UPF-Argentina, which this year had as its motto: “Roads and Bridges for Peace.”
The contest, which supports the International Day of Peace 2014, this year had 343 participants from 25 countries, among them Algeria, Bolivia, France, El Salvador, the United States, Honduras, England, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Dominican Republic, and Sweden. The nations with the most participants after Argentina were Spain (27 participants), Mexico (19), Uruguay (13), Colombia (11), Chile (8), Venezuela (7), Brazil (6), Cuba (6), Peru (5) and Ecuador (2).
Argentina had 225 participants (65.60%) from 20 provinces, apart from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (47 participants). The province with the most entries was Buenos Aires (86), followed by Santa Fe (20), Córdoba (17), Entre Ríos (7), Corrientes (6), Misiones (6), Mendoza (4), Río Negro (4), Salta (4), San Juan (4), Tucumán (4), Chubut (3), San Luis (3), Catamarca (2), Chaco (2), y Neuquén (2). There was one entry each from Formosa, Jujuy, La Rioja, and Santa Cruz.
The awards will be presented on September 22, at 18:30 p.m. at the Club Español of the City of Buenos Aires (Bernardo de Irigoyen 172), as part of a celebration of the International Day of Peace, which has as this year's motto: “The Right of Peoples to Peace.” The program will start, as in past years, with invocations representing different spiritual traditions, emphasizing the significance of dialogue and interreligious cooperation for peace. The event will be closed with an artistic number.
(Local and global activities of the UPF from previous years related to this date: www.upf.org/united-nations/peace-day).
6th International Poetry Contest – UPF Argentina
“Roads and Bridges for Peace”
Supporting the International Day of Peace 2014
“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.” Preamble of UNESCO’s Constitution(1945)
FIRST PRIZE (shared)
“Por puentes y caminos”
Irma Droz, Santa María de Punilla – Province of Córdoba – Argentina
“Los jóvenes ya alzan sus brazos…”
Cecilia María Labanca, Martín Coronado – Province of Buenos Aires - Argentina
HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Propuesta”
Corina Beatriz Alegre Mustoni, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires – Argentina
“De la mano de Dios”
Raquel Graciela Fernández, Avellaneda - Province of Buenos Aires – Argentina
“... ¡Y tuve que llevarte a la palabra!”
Elena Nilda Pahl, Río Cuarto – Province of Córdoba – Argentina
“Misiva a la paz”
Verónica Stockmayer, Montecarlo - Misiones - Argentina
“Amar la paz”
Hilda Norma Vale, Ituzaingó - Province of Buenos Aires – Argentina
“Paz, Salam, Shalom”
Ángel Juan Votam Haedo – Province of Buenos Aires - Argentina
SPECIAL MENTIONS
“La paz es luz y un canto a la alegría”
Amparo Bonet Alcón, Valencia - Spain
“La paz en el corazón”
Esteban Conde Choya, Cerdanyola del Vallés – Barcelona – Spain
“Verbo y paz”
Esteban Fauret, Pehuajó – Province of Buenos Aires - Argentina
“Abrazo en la paz”
Leticia Liliana Marconi, Punta Alta – Province of Buenos Aires - Argentina
“El camino de la paz”
Teresa de Jesús Rodríguez Lara, San Cristóbal de La Laguna – Canary Islands - Spain
MENTIONS
“¿Por qué?”
Wilson González Alfonzo, Durazno – Uruguay
“Alborada…”
Hugo López Pénelas, Villa Ballester – Province of Buenos Aires - Argentina
“Tender puentes”
María Cristina Sorrentino, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires – Argentina
“Vivir para la paz”
Noé Zenón Suárez Casielles, Dolores – Province of Buenos Aires - Argentina
SELECTED POEMS
“Mereces la paz”
Milagros Alonso, Trelew – Province of Chubut – Argentina
“El lenguaje de la paz”
Alicia Bibiana Berini, Tigre – Province of Buenos Aires – Argentina
“La paz”
Adriana Gladys Burgos, Ezeiza – Province of Buenos Aires - Argentina
“Otro Jerusalén más verde”
Manuel González Álvarez, Madrid – Spain
“Palabra paz”
Raquel Piñeiro Mongiello, Funes – Province of Santa Fe – Argentina
“Paz en la guerra”
Carlos Daniel Mubarqui, Córdoba – Province of Córdoba - Argentina
“La palabra”
Elsa Teresa Pohl, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires – Argentina
“La memoria de la paz”
Mara de Riesco, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires – Argentina
“Hacer el intento”
Digna Sabaté, Pergamino – Province of Buenos Aires - Argentina
“La palabra paz”
María Soledad Salazar Valenzuela, Santiago de Chile – Chile
“Andamio de versos”
Teresa Díaz Sánchez, San Carlos - Maldonado Department - Uruguay
“La pregunta”
Juana Rosa Schuster, Villa Ballester – Province of Buenos Aires - Argentina
“Ciudad de concilios”
Honoria Zelaya de Nader, San Miguel de Tucumán – Province of Tucumán – Argentina
The jury consisted of Mrs. Bertha Bilbao Richter, literary critic, member of the ILCH (Hispanic Cultural and Literary Institute) and the Argentinian Society of Writers (SADE); Mrs. Liria Guedes, writer and Honorable Belt of the SADE, member of the American Poetry Association, and the ILCH; writer and plastic artist Mabel Fontau, Honorable Belt of the SADE, member of the ILCH and “Men of Letters”; the poet Donato Perrone, from the Argentinian Poetry Athenaeum “Alfonsina Storni”, coordinator of the Lyrical Corner of Tortoni Cafe, and representative of the Group of Poets Livres of Santa Catarina (Brazil); and Mr. Miguel Werner, Secretary General of UPF-Argentina.
The Godmothers of this year's contest were the writer and poet Juana Alcira Arancibia, founder and chairman of the ILCH and director-editor of the prestigious international literary magazine “Alba de América”; the Brazilian poet Marina Fagundes Coello, bilingual writer (Portuguese-Spanish), member of the ILCH, and member of different and prominent literary groups in America; and the writer and poet Nélida Pessagno, vice-president of the SADE and Councilor of the Foundation “El Libro” (The Book).
Year after year, the poetry contest transcends more frontiers. In the first year, 74 entries were received from 61 authors, coming from 10 countries and 8 Argentinean provinces. Its motto: “Hymn for reconciliation,” supporting the International Day of Reconciliation 2009 (ONU A/RES/61/17). Since then, each contest has been based on important paragraph of the UNESCO’s Preamble (1945): “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.” The purpose remains unchanging: to promote a “culture of encounter” through the word and the universal values.
Translation: Yamila Gómez