President commissions painting to illustrate Maltese entry to EU competition

Larkin Zahra, one of four young Europeans who will form part of an official EU delegation attending the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on Monday 10 December, today paid a courtesy visit to President George Abela at San Anton Palace.

 The 23-year-old Maltese won a public vote on Facebook in the EU's Nobel Peace Prize contest. He was one of 5,397 young Europeans who participated in the contest, and his entry was one of the 16 that were shortlisted for the Facebook vote. He won 8,094 votes, while Italian contestant Alberto came a close second, with 7,966 votes.

Larkin's entry reads: "My grandparents would have said 'a dream'. My parents would have said 'a process'. I say that it's my everyday reality!"

Congratulating Larkin, the President said he was struck by the entry, in which three generations are mentioned.

"It represents the development of the European Union, and this year happens to be the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations," Abela said.

The President also announced that his Office has commissioned artist John Martin Borg to create a work of art illustrating Larkin's winning entry.

The painting will be presented during the Nobel peace Prize event at Europe House and permanently displayed inside the building.

Together with President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, Abela will be discussing the meaning and relevance of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the EU during an event at Europe House next Monday 10.

The event will be hosted by the European Commission Representation in Malta and the European Parliament Information Office in Malta.

 It was last month that the Nobel Prize Committee awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union for its contribution to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe for more than six decades. The European Commission formally accepted the Nobel Prize money on behalf of the EU and indicated that it intends to allocate the prize money, about €930,000, to children affected by war and conflicts across the world.