The Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia presented awards to the four students who won the traditional Commonwealth essay competition organised by the Government.

There are 1.5 billion people aged between 15 and 29 who live in Commonwealth countries, indeed more than 60% of the population of the Commonwealth are under the age of 30.

The Government has been keen to create awareness of the Commonwealth among young people in Gibraltar, and has sent delegates to the Commonwealth Youth Parliament and the Commonwealth Youth Forum.

The title of the latest essay competition was “Why is the Commonwealth important to Gibraltar?” and participants were asked to make a 500 word contribution. The essays touched on areas like trade, finance, sport (Commonwealth Games) and common values, traditions and history. They also mentioned the impact of Brexit and the principle of self-determination.

The winners in each category were:

• Noah Trinidad – Lower Primary – Notre Dame School

• Luca Trinidad – Upper Primary – St Anne’s School

• Krishaa Lakhiani – Secondary – Bayside School

• Karim Acolina – University – University of Gibraltar

The Deputy Chief Minister, who is the Minister with responsibility for relations with the Commonwealth, met with all the winners and discussed their essays with them.

The essays were judged by the young people of the Commonwealth Youth Association and the Government says it is very grateful to them and to all those who took part.