OREANDA-NEWS. October 22, 2015. Mr. Alonso Segura, Minister of Economy and Finance of Peru, Mr. Julio Velarde, President of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru, and Madame Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, recognized the winners of the Essay Contest for Peruvian university students and Photography Contest for Latin American youth at a special event held today in connection with the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the IMF in Lima.

The contests were part of the “Road to Lima” activities organized by the IMF and the Peruvian government in the run-up to the Annual Meetings.

The winners are:

• Essay competition: First place: Mr. Mauricio Tong of the University of the Pacific; Second place: Ms. Silvia Espinal of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

• Photography competition: Mr. Ram?n Mart?nez, M?xico (Professional category); and Mr. Juan Pablo Troncos, Peru (Snapshot category).

“I congratulate the winners of the Peruvian essay contest and the Latin American photography competition. Through their words and their art, these young people express confidence in the future—for Peru, for Latin America, and for the world,” said IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

Essay Competition

A total of 369 essays were submitted in the competition, which was organized jointly with the Peruvian government. Undergraduate and graduate students of Peruvian universities from all disciplines were invited to submit essays on the topic “Shaping Peru’s National Agenda: A Youth Perspective.” Candidates were to structure their essays around one or more of the following six priority areas for Peru: macroeconomic stability and sustainability, productivity and innovation, education, gender, environment, and infrastructure. The jury, which included representatives of the government of Peru, the IMF, and the Economic and Social Research Consortium (CIES) selected the finalists based on the pertinence and applicability of the essay as well as its rigor, structure, and coherence.

Further information on the contest can be found at www.imf.org/Ensayos2015.

Photography Contest

The IMF organized a photography contest for young Latin American and Caribbean persons ages 18 to 30 on the theme, “Latin America and the Caribbean: Through the Eyes of the Youth.” A total of 547 photographs from 21 countries were submitted in the contest. Participants were asked to submit images depicting the socioeconomic and challenges facing their countries, as well as their ideas for building a better future for the region. In the first round, the top 20 images were selected through public online voting. A jury composed of IMF specialists, professional photographers, and regional partners then selected the five finalist entries based on originality, technical excellence, and artistic merit.

Further information on the contest can be found at http://www.imf.org/IMFlatamyouth.