Twenty-three year-old Larkin Zahra last night won the Facebook contest to form part of an official EU delegation attending the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. He was one of 5,397 young Europeans who participated in the EU’s Nobel Peace Prize contest and competed gainst 15 other contestants after his entry was shortlisted for a Facebook vote by the public.

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!”

An overjoyed Larkin said: “I’d like to thank all the Maltese who helped make this happen. Having the opportunity to receive this prestigious prize on behalf of more than 500 million Europeans will be a truly unique experience!”

The vote closed on Sunday at midnight and it turned out to be a very close competition between Larkin and the Italian contestant, Alberto, who won a mere 128 fewer votes (Larkin got 8,094 votes compared to Alberto’s 7,966).

He will join the three other winners for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo on 10 December and together with the nine runners-up, he will also be invited to Strasbourg for a special event around the Nobel Prize on 12 December, as well as the Nobel Peace Prize concert on 11 December.

The Nobel Prize Committee awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union for having 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.

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