Contestants from 32 Countries Won the 3rd Silk Road & Young Dreams Awards

Participants of the 3rd Awarding Ceremony of Silk Road & Young Dreams

The 3rd Awarding Ceremony of Silk Road & Young Dreams was held in Beijing on Saturday, 17th of October. The contests, held from February to August, attracted more than 700 young representatives from nearly 50 countries. The participants demonstrated their understanding and insights on the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) and global development through five contests: speech, music, photography, sand painting and sculpture, themed with health, youth, dream, silk road and peace separately.

At the awarding ceremony, 111 young people from 32 countries were praised for their talents and insight and won various awards. A total of 200 people attended the awarding event, including some distinguished guests, such as H.E. Mr. Archil Kalandia, Ambassador of Georgia to China, H.E. Mr. Simon Pierre Adovelande, Ambassador of Benin to China, Mr. Ahmed Farooq, Minister/Deputy Head of Mission of Embassy of Pakistan, Mr. Javier Fernando Sanchez Lopez, Consul of the Embassy of Ecuador in China, Mr. Naoto Ito, Counselor of the Embassy of Japan in China, Dr. Omayma Ghanem, Counselor of the Embassy of Egypt in China and some other guests and contestants.

Wu Weishan, Curator of National Art Museum of China introduced sculpture works to guests

The Georgian Ambassador to China Archil Kalandia said that against the background of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is of great significance to hold the "Silk Road & Young Dreams Contest" with the theme of "health". Through this activity, young people from many countries along the Silk Road can gather, communicate and grow together. This is extremely relevant as the younger generation represents the future and hope of each country. The organizers help new generations to better understand each other's culture, history and traditions through people-to-people connectivity. "I highly appreciate and support this. " Ambassador Kalandia also encouraged young people to continue to learn and grow every day during the pandemic in order to achieve greater success in this challenging period.

Li Xikui, vice-chairman of CPAFFC spoke on behalf of the Organizing Committee of the SRYD Contests

Addressing the ceremony, Mr. Li Xikui, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said that "These young people have shown enthusiastic support for the BRI, making us feel more confident about the prospect of global cooperation under the initiative." The aim of the contests is to provide a stage for the youth from different backgrounds and with different dreams to showcase their talents and potentials, and to feel the pulse of the era and share dreams, as well as to build a bridge between different societies, he added. At the award ceremony, the winners and famous artists presented a splendid audio-visual feast for the guests. Fourteen Silk Road youth representatives from different countries chanted the "Silk Road Youth Health Declaration" in Chinese and English, calling on contemporary young people to participate in global health governance, work together for our common destiny, and promote sustainable development together.

This year's events were co-organized by the Silk Road Cities Alliance, China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development, Beijing Belt & Road Cooperative Community and Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China. Special support from China Urban Sculptor Association, Su Dabao Sand Painting Art International Exchange Center.The prize winners accepted the award at the ceremony.

The prize winners accepted the award at the ceremony

The prize winners accepted the award at the ceremony

By Chen Mengnan, Elisa Gambino

The 3^rd SRYD Contest Winners List

The 3^rd SRYD Contest Excellence & Contribution Awards List