"Mar de paraules" (A Sea of Words) is an international literary contest of stories and tales launched by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Anna Lindh Foundation which wants to contribute to the dialogue between peoples and the exchange of knowledge and experiences. Organized every year since 2008, this contest is aimed at young people between the ages of 18 and 30 from the 43 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region. Winning stories are published annually in anthologies.

The theme of the 2018 edition was held as part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage and was entitled "Memory and Identity: Rethinking Cultural Heritage". Whether tangible or intangible, cultural heritage is a fundamental part of our identity and a shared value that unites us in diversity. As for literary production, it is a fundamental means for expressing, describing and transmitting facts, ideas and emotions. The objective of this edition was to give the floor to young people so that they could explain their experiences related to this subject.

Among 250 stories from 33 countries, three women won the first three prizes of this year. The third prize was won by Dana Ozolina (1992 - Latvia) with "Red. White. Red. ". The second prize was won by Ilham Zenid (Morocco - 1989) with "Dancing with the Past". Assia Elkadhi (Gafsa, 1991 - Tunisia) won first prize with "The Last Exile", a first-person story that follows a girl through the memories of her deceased mother. The main subject of the story is the empowerment of women, and it also deals with gender-based violence among other things. This is a tribute to the author’s mother.

More information in the link below. To read the winning story, click on the attached file!