Narayanganj schoolgirl Mehjabin Moushi wins gold in Queen's Commonwealth writing competition

Mehjabin Moushi, a Class 8 student at Reboti Mohan Pilot School and College in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, has won a Gold Award in the Queen's Commonwealth Writing Competition. The Royal Commonwealth Society informed her of the award by email.

Moushi won the award for an essay titled 'The Story of Roots'. The essay brings together Bangladeshi culture, hospitality and the beauty of nature, using a small and sudden incident to bring out deeper aspects of the country's tradition and culture.

The essay presents Bengali hospitality, the emotion of the national anthem and patriotism, the identity of tradition and culture, environmental awareness and the awakening of good sense, according to the report.

Moushi had previously won a Bronze Award in the same competition. This time her achievement is a gold medal.

Organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883, the Queen's Commonwealth Writing Competition is described as one of the world's oldest international writing competitions for school students.

On 22 October the Society announced the winners of the 2026 competition. According to the Royal Commonwealth Society, a total of 53,840 entries were submitted this year from 54 countries.

This year's winners include Itumeleng Mhlongo of South Africa, Aarav Roy of India, Emma Kai of Canada, Lydia Sicking of Cyprus and Kangwoo Moon of New Zealand.

For the first time this year, regional winners were selected separately from the Commonwealth's five regions — Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe and the Pacific.

Mehjabin Moushi is the daughter of journalist Meraj Shakil and recitation artist Sharmin Islam.

Alongside her studies, Moushi has taken part in recitation, presenting, acting, debate, writing, English language, research and digital content creation, and has earned several recognitions in those fields.