The day candles brought peace to global OOH screens

September 22, 2025 - This past September 21, on the International Day of Peace, millions of people worldwide joined "Essays for Peace." This global artistic initiative invited people to replace the content on their screens, from Auckland to Hawaii, with the simple and powerful image of a lit candle. With no logos, words, or flags, the candle became a universal symbol of solidarity and the search for peace.

People meditating for peace in front of Piccadilly Circus screen.
Image: Marcela Heiss (Essays for Peace)

In its 2025 edition, the initiative achieved unprecedented participation, with the candle shining on over 120,000 advertising screens in 250 cities. This year's motto was: "If peace vibrates in one, it resonates in all who surround them," a message that was strongly felt across the globe.

Epicenters of Peace

While it was still Saturday in the Western countries, the candles lit up screens in several cities in New Zealand and then moved across the Asian continent, with stops in Australia, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, India, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

When the candle reached Southern Europe, Barcelona stood out as a beacon of light. At noon, the region's largest outdoor screen, located at Port Vell, turned on, and a dozen of people gathered in silence, under the rain, to meditate. The candle also illuminated screens in many parking lots and on the 11 large-format screens of a digital art Gallery in Poblenou, demonstrating the city's commitment to the cause.

The undisputed highlight of Sunday's event took place an hour later in London. As the Big Ben bells chimed noon, 20 people gathered in silent meditation for peace in front of the iconic screen Piccadilly lights in the famous London square. There, at the Greenwich Meridian, the "center of the world," the candle shone for 10 minutes, creating a space for silent meditation and showing how a simple action can unite people at the heart of one of the planet's busiest cities.

A global movement, support without borders

A candle burning for peace in Korean skyscrapers.
Image: PODO (Essays for Peace)

The second edition of "Essays for Peace" received support from various international NGOs, including International Cities of Peace and Mil Milenios de Paz.

Guillermo Caro, a publicist part of the team, specializing in social campaigns, highlighted the support from the advertising industry: "We are grateful for the support from organizations and associations like the World Out of Home Organization (WOO), Latam (ALOOH), the USA (OAAA), South Africa (OHMSA), India (IOAA), Brazil (ABOOH), and others, which allowed us to reach 120,000 screens in 250 cities around the world."

Matilde Llambí Campbell, the artist in charge of promoting the project in museums and art institutions, noted that "this year, the Essays for Peace we candles to many significant screens in cultural spaces, with notable events like music concerts."

Martín Bonadeo is the Argentine artist who originated this project back in 2004 in San Francisco, USA, with the projection of a single candle. In 2021, for the first time in his native Buenos Aires, he managed to forge an agreement between two opposing political governments and 17 companies to replace the content on the 19 screens surrounding the Buenos Aires Obelisk with a lit candle for Peace.

Following a suggestion from Martina Dighero, Project Manager of the first global edition in 2024, Essays for Peace transformed into a network of people who, under Bonadeo's guidance, work to secure donated screen space from hundreds of companies and private individuals around the world. This global movement that started in 2024 and grew exponentially in 2025´s second global edition.

With this resounding success, the team is preparing for the 2026 edition, with the goal of continuing to add support and making the light of peace shine even brighter around the world.