The South Sudan General Students Union has launched a writing competition for writing news articles. Students at universities, media colleges and institutes in the country can compete.

Speaking on Thursday during the launch of the event at Aron Hotel, the president of the students union Emmanuel Lubari Joseph said that the competition will run from 2-20 February with the purpose of encouraging media to "contribute to peacebuilding and development."

“The young journalism students press clubs will be bringing together young and aspiring journalists and providing a platform for them to network, be trained and publish their stories in a professional and balanced manner, leveraging the use of interactive digital and print media,” he stated.

Lubari further explained that the award event is expected to be officiated by various dignitaries, and will also include a keynote presentation by a veteran journalist on the role of the media in nation-building.

The launch event today was held in partnership with UNESCO, the Union of Journalists in South Sudan, the Association for Media Development (AMDISS) and the Ministry of Information.