Charlie Isari from St Charles Lwanga Secondary School in Port Moresby city didn’t expect that an essay he started just a day before the deadline would win him the 2025 National Grade 11 Essay and Poetry Competition.
Representing the Southern Region, the 18-year-old is of mixed parentage of Kanuni Village in Tufi, Oro Province, and Ihu, Kavava West Kerema. Charlie is currently studying Biochemistry in Grade 11 at St Charles Lwanga.
His essay, Independence: A Symbol of Unity, won first place in the essay category during the 41st anniversary celebrations of Papua New Guinea’s Parliament House on Thursday, August 7. The competition also marked the nation’s 50th Independence Anniversary and brought together 24 student finalists from across the country.
In person, Charlie is softly spoken and a little shy, but when it comes to talking about his work, he is fluent and precise.
“I started on Wednesday afternoon, worked through Thursday, and submitted on Friday,” he recalled with a smile. “Actually, I first submitted it on Thursday, but they found a few mistakes, so I had to edit it again. My mum helped me replace repeated words with better ones, and that made it stronger.”
The competition asked students to explore what independence means to them and how they envision Papua New Guinea in 50 years. For Charlie, inspiration came from both the nation’s history and his own childhood memories.
“My favourite part was the second paragraph,” he said. “I described how, as a kid, independence meant the dancers, the traditional attires, and the songs. The words just came naturally.”
Although the clock was against him, Charlie says he wouldn’t have entered without the encouragement of his best friend, Jerusha Wama.
“She kept pushing me to try, even though it was late,” he said. “I didn’t think I would win — for me, it was just a try. But then my teacher told me I was selected, and the whole class started screaming.”
On the day of the event, held at the Parliament State Function Room, Charlie’s highlight wasn’t just winning the prize — it was meeting some of the pioneering leaders of PNG.
“We learned about Sir John Momis in school and meeting him in person was unbelievable. My friends couldn’t believe it, so I had to take pictures,” he laughed.
For his win, Charlie received K5,000, and his essay will be preserved in a historic time capsule to be opened in 2075, alongside photographs and memorabilia from this year’s celebrations.
From a rushed Wednesday afternoon idea to standing in Parliament as a national winner, Charlie’s story is a reminder that sometimes the greatest successes come when you least expect them — and when you have the right people cheering you on.
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