By Finn Hoogensen

Over €3,000 in cash prizes were awarded in the fourth annual Intercultural Writing Competition hosted by Metro Éireann and Duke University’s Kenan Institute for Ethics.

Young writers in Ireland from a variety of background between the ages of 14 to 21 were recognised for their talents in the yearly creative writing competition, which encourages writers to engage in themes of ethics and intercultural diversity through fiction and poetry.

Judith Ugwuja’s short story ‘The Train to Damascus’ won the Spirit of Intercultural Ethics award. This is an €800 award given to the person whose work best captures the spirit of interculturalism and ethics.

Ugwuja’s story, set on a train travelling through Syria, is about a character learning to overcoming prejudices to get past the differences in others.

When writing the story, Ugwuja drew inspiration from her observations of prejudice on public transportation in Ireland. “Prejudice doesn’t work outwardly. You’re not going to meet someone and they’re going to say ‘Hi, I’m prejudice.’ It’s just little things that you might notice,” Ugwuja said.

Matthew Price won first place in the ages 14-17 category for his short story ‘Cutting Season’, about the challenges that can occur when different cultures integrate. His message is that these challenges can be overcome through kindness and understanding.

“I’ve loved writing my whole life and I’ve become really passionate about culture, interculturalism and diversity and especially the stories of refugees coming to Ireland,” Price said.

Karen Mukasa Denise took second place in the same category for her work ‘A Letter to Luzuko’. Laura Carroll placed first in the ages 18-21 category for her work ‘Into the Fire’. Runner-up in this category was Rere Ukponu for her work ‘Reclamation’.

The winners of each category were awarded €800, with the runners-up receiving €400.

For the first time in the competition’s history, there was also an intercultural photography portion, won by Badreddine Benhamou and Eve Tiernan. This competition was organised with the help of the Gallery of Photography, a not-for-profit organisation based in Dublin.

The award ceremony was held at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin city centre, with the 12 finalists and their families among those invited. Before the awards were given out, special guest speakers spoke on the topic of interculturalism.

Dublin Lord Mayor Nial Ring opened the event with a congratulatory speech to the finalists. On the topic of the competition’s theme, Ring said that Irish people are learning about the importance of change and diversity. Ring believes progress is being made for interculturalism in Ireland.

Another guest speaker, Labour Party Senator Aodhan O’Riordain, spoke about the harm that a lack of openness to diversity can have on minority groups in Ireland.

O’Riordain, a former Minister of State for Equality and New Communities, said that cultural diversity is a reality in Ireland and should be championed.

“Advocates for diversity and multiculturalism are not promoting something that isn’t and should be. We are merely exposing what is. Sameness is the lie. Diversity is the truth. It is the only truth that has existed in the past. It is the only truth that exists now, and it is the only truth that exists in the future,” O’Riordain said.

Rebecca O’Connor, a poet, novelist and co-founder of The Moth magazine, discussed the important role that writers play in conveying reality’s truths. Regarding diversity, O’Connor said it is important to nurture different voices and praise what is new and different.

“The act of writing creatively is political in that it forces you to make your way into the heads of other people, and it also reveals something about yourself that your reader can find relatable. It breaks down barriers between people,” O’Connor said.