Students write on heart health: 2026 essay competition results

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On Friday, 10 July 2026, the Rotary Club of Patan and Heart Club Nepal held an essay competition on Heart Health and Community Service for students of the 24 public schools supported through the club’s PEEF scholarship programme. It aimed to help young people think about healthy lifestyles, preventing heart disease and the value of community service.

How it worked

  • Each school was invited to nominate two students from grades 9–10, preferably one girl and one boy. 37 students took part.
  • Five themes were shared in advance: Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Heart; My Role in Preventing Heart Diseases; Junk Foods – Taste Good but Damage Your Health; Don’t Damage Your Heart with Vaping (E-cigarette); and Rotary Clubs and Community Services. Students drew their topic by lottery and had one hour to write.
  • Tri-Padma School, Pulchowk, Lalitpur hosted the competition. The club provided writing materials, refreshments and transport support.
  • Essays were marked anonymously by code number against a 100-mark rubric covering relevance, content, organisation, language and originality. Eight were shortlisted. Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam reviewed the shortlist and proposed the ranking, which a committee endorsed on 10 August 2026: Rtn. Mahendra S. Rawal, Rtn. Nirmal K. Pradhanang, Rtn. Lalita C. Thapa and Mr. Dev Bir Basnet of Heart Club Nepal.

Results

  1. First: Sushmita Syangtan, Shree Udayakharka Secondary School
  2. Second: Kyarol B.K., Shree Lubhu Secondary School
  3. Third: Chandra Sunar, Kitini Secondary School

Consolation awards: Prabin Tamang, Bishankhu Narayan Secondary School, and Prestroika Mahat, Lele Secondary School.

Student voices

These are students’ own essays, summarised here. They are student writing, not medical advice.

  • Sushmita Syangtan (first, in Nepali) wrote on Rotary clubs and their role in the community. The essay describes Rotary’s work in education, health, the environment and disaster relief, and how scholarship support helped the writer continue studying and aim higher.
  • Kyarol B.K. (second, in English) wrote “My Role in Preventing Heart Diseases”. The essay argues that heart disease is not only a problem of old age, warns young people about vaping, smoking, alcohol and junk food, and calls on families and communities to set healthy examples.
  • Chandra Sunar (third, in Nepali) wrote on junk food: tasty but harmful. The essay urges home-cooked food, limits on junk food in schools, and shared responsibility for healthy eating.

The three winning essays are reproduced in full in Lalitdhara Souvenir Vol. 41, pp. 70–73.

Thank you

Rtn. Mahendra S. Rawal coordinated with the participating and host schools. Rtn. Khadak S. Bisht, Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam, Rtn. Lalita C. Thapa, Rtn. Nirmal K. Pradhanang, Dr. Prakash R. Regmi and Rtn. Shiv Prakash Khemka also helped with planning, coordination, evaluation and programme support.

Read more about our heart-health work and our adopted schools.

Source: Essay Competition on Heart Health and Community Service, Lalitdhara Souvenir Vol. 41 (2026), pp. 70–73.