Ministry of Defence announces winners of 2023 MOD Creative Writing Competition

This is the 19th time the Ministry of Defence has given secondary school and college students the chance to unleash and give expression to their literary talent through the 2023 MOD Creative Writing Competition. This is one of the MOD's important engagements with secondaries and colleges on its programme of events and activities for the public whose aim is to encourage the students' interest in the defence of our homeland.

This year's theme – The Defence of our Country is a Duty and a Matter of Honour (Article 25 (1) of the SVK Constitution) – was tackled by the young aspiring writers in their essays and short stories. 101 out of 118 students who entered the competition, which is traditionally opened by the Defence Minister and the editorial staff of Defence Magazine (the official monthly publication of the SVK MOD), met the competition criteria.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges, comprised of service personnel from the Armed Forces, civilian staff from the Defence Minister's Office, and military journalists from the Defence Magazine Editorial Office, who came together to pick the three best pieces of writing out of 84 secondary school and 17 college entries. All entries were logged and numbered as they came in, so that they could be judged anonymously.