Colombia's National Writing Contest 2026 Honors Peace Stories

The Colombian Ministry of Education recognized 40 winners of the 2026 National Writing Contest — Historias de Paz. The competition attracted 6,533 participants from all 32 departments and Bogotá, submitting 5,962 short stories and 571 essays that explore solidarity, reconciliation, and memory.

Three authors from Nariño were among the laureates: Carlos Giovanny Campiño Rojas (El Rosario) for the story “Cuando la montaña reveló sus muertos,” Karen Sofía Piscal Viteri (Pasto) for the essay “Sin memoria no hay paz. Sin paz no hay futuro,” and Braulio Estiven Oñate Yanascual (Cumba) for the essay “La paz que heredamos.” From Huila, Bayron Danilo López Ruano (La Plata) won in the adult short‑story category with “Los ojos que se prestan en Sanquianga,” and Karol Daniela Pichica Motta (Garzón) won the juvenile essay prize with “Vestigios de una ausencia.”

The awards ceremony took place at the Biblioteca Pública Virgilio Barco in Bogotá, attended by vice‑minister Maritza Molina, who stressed that writing helps build peace from classrooms, homes, and territories. The winning works will be compiled in the digital anthology “Historias de Paz 2026.”