The 2nd Youth Essay Contest Award was held on December 17 at the Secretary General office of the Secretariat. The Essay Contest was held aimed at the youths of member regions (aged 14-18) in order to promote exchange and cooperation among regional governments and to have them possess the ability to become mature citizens of the world by considering a wide range of areas such as politics, society, culture, economy, and cooperation in Northeast Asia. With the topics regarding Northeast Asia, a total of 46 essays, including six from China, four from Japan, nine from South Korea, five from Mongolia, and 22 from Russia, were submitted and the Grand Prize was awarded to Heo Seon-yong, who is in first grade at Pohang Women’s High School located in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Meanwhile, Excellence Awards were given to five students, including Park Soo-wan in Korea, Zhang Yuan in China, Mishima Aoi in Japan, and Battsetseg in Mongolia, Shyzha Alexandra in Russia. The works will be included in the NEAR News published every two months in six languages. The Awards Ceremony was participated by Heo Seon-yong, the Grand Prize winner and Park Soo-wan, the Excellence Prize winner along with a guidance teacher. Overseas winners will be given a certificate as well as prizes through member regions.