Last month, we hosted the "CGTN Belt and Road: Share your story" essay contest. Today, we announce the winners.

Entering this contest was an opportunity for our participants to share their stories on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). We received over 100 entries from 42 countries – from Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.

With such a wide-ranging selection to choose from, the judges selected 18 essays from 16 countries as the winners.

Congratulations to all the winners! You should be proud. And we'd like to express our appreciation and gratitude to all who took part in the contest, for your contribution!

Our deep gratitude also goes to the seven judges for their tireless efforts. Without their help, this contest would not have been possible.

And the judges are happy to share their impressions about the contest and the articles submitted to the jury. Here are their comments.

"This activity was very well designed and organized. It created an opportunity for CGTN's international audience, especially young international students, to contribute their own views on the BRI. Their observations, reflections and recognition of the BRI could be clearly identified in these essays. Some of the essays were very impressive and touching, actually. I can see that the BRI has been largely welcomed by these participants, who not only expressed their interest and confidence in the BRI but also shared their expectations." – Zhang Yanqiu, professor and director of the African Media Research Center at Communication University of China.

"The BRI is a project on an enormous scale, both in terms of ambition and sheer size. As reporting focuses on political declarations being signed or the billions of dollars being invested, it can be easy to forget that ordinary people around the world are at the center of the BRI. That is why this essay competition is so important – real people telling real, personal stories about their homes and hopes for the future. The BRI is all about change and development, and we can't tell that story without firsthand accounts – thank you to all entrants for sharing your stories!" – Nicholas Moore, international editor, CGTN Digital.

"The 100 plus participants are from 42 countries. Their BRI perspectives and stories are as different as their origins, but their conclusions are similar. Despite some doubts and suspicions, the BRI has proven – by personal stories and factual numbers – to be a feasible solution to the most urgent problems for developing countries: acute shortage of funding vs. poor infrastructures, and yearning for a better life vs. lack of employment, to name but a few. Many participants agree that when we face new challenges, we need to work out 'upgraded' plans by drawing wisdom from past success while adapting to new conditions instead of resorting to old-fashioned zero-sum mentality." – Xia Jixuan, former deputy director of China Radio International.

"We had essays submitted from around the world: from Guyana, Russia, the Maldives, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Botswana or Ethiopia. I especially enjoyed the personal stories by writers for whom the Belt and Road Initiative is not just a series of figures and statistics, but has had an impact on their lives and the lives of those around them. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors!" – Sim Sim Wissgott, international editor, CGTN Digital.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is a glorious contribution from China to bring stability and prosperity to people all over the world. It has inspired multitudes from a host of countries and all walks of life and given them hope for a brighter future. In these essays, we hear the voices of those whose lives have been energized and given direction, deeper meaning and passion by this historic plan and we thereby gain an even greater confidence that the BRI will provide all of the necessary types of connectivity, especially the people to people relationships, required to create win-win outcomes and build a community with a shared future of mankind." – Andy Mok, a non-resident fellow with Center for China and Globalization.

The complete list of winners and their winning essays:

All winning essays will be published on CGTN.com starting Monday, April 15.

*Please note that all essays are the property of CGTN and may not be published elsewhere without written permission from CGTN. The articles reflect the authors' opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.