essay competitions 2023 singapore

• CIIM Research Essay Competition 2023

Competitions

Introduction

• About Contemporary Issues in Mediation (CIIM)
• CIIM Research Essay Competition 2021
• CIIM Research Essay Competition 2022
• CIIM Research Essay Competition 2024
• CIIM Research Essay Competition - FAQs
• CIIM Essay Prize Winners

Contemporary Issues In Mediation (CIIM) Research Essay Competition 2023

The Singapore International Mediation Institute’s (SIMI) Contemporary Issues In Mediation Research Essay Competition is an annual event aimed at developing and fostering an interest in mediation, a form of collaborative dispute resolution, amongst tertiary students.

• Top entry: Cash prize* valued at SGD300, and the winning essay will be published in the book series "Contemporary Issues in Mediation", Volume 9.
• Runner-up: Cash prize* valued at SGD200, and the winning essay will be published in the book series "Contemporary Issues in Mediation", Volume 9.
• All other short-listed entries: Essays will be published in the book series “Contemporary Issues in Mediation", Volume 9 and author(s) of the essay named as contributors accordingly. 

Key Information

Competition closes on 31 May 2023.

Who can apply?

The competition is open to participants from across the world.

All registered tertiary students across all disciplines of studies studying at universities, colleges or other educational institutions (including those pursuing postgraduate studies in masters or a doctorate degree) may apply.

How do I submit an entry?

• Read the CIIM Competition Terms and Conditions 2023 provided here .
• Write an essay of between 2,700 - 3,300 words. 
• Complete the CIIM Application Form here .
• Email your application form and essay to [email protected] no later than 2359 (GMT+8) hours on 31 May 2023.

Do I need to pay registration fees?

Participation in the competition is FREE.

What should I write about?

Any topic or issue related to mediation.

Participants are encouraged to be creative in their topics (e.g. write about the confluence of mediation and other disciplines, and its impact on mediation practice) and are free to decide how they wish to approach their chosen topic.

Topics of previous winning entries can be viewed via their respective pages: Volume 1 , Volume 2 , Volume 3 , Volume 4 , Volume 5 .

What do past participants have to say about the competition?

Mr Samuel Teo Top Prize Winner - CIIM Research Essay Competition 2021 Singapore

Ms Victoria Ang Runner Up - CIIM Research Essay Competition 2021 Singapore

Ms Lau Ai Xuan Published Contributor - CIIM Research Essay Competition 2021 Singapore

Still have questions?

Further information can be found in the CIIM Competition Terms and Conditions or check out the FAQs here .

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Quick Links to Documents

THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION

Since 1883, we have delivered The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, the world's oldest international schools' writing competition. Today, we work to expand its reach, providing life-changing opportunities for young people around the world.

ENTER THE QCEC 2024

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is now live!

Find out more about this year’s theme

'Our Common Wealth' and make sure to enter by 15 May 2024!

140 years of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools and has been proudly delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. 

ABOUT THE COMPETITION 

An opportunity for young Commonwealth citizens to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences on key global issues and have their hard work and achievement celebrated internationally.

Frequently Asked Questions for the Competition. Before contacting us please read these.

MEET THE WINNERS 

In 2023 we were delighted to receive a record-breaking 34,924 entries, with winners from India and Malaysia. Read their winning pieces as well as those from previous years.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Terms and Conditions for entrants to The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition. Please ensure you have thoroughly read them before submitting your entry.

Golden Point Award 2023

The Golden Point Award is Singapore’s premier creative writing competition in the nation’s four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Established by the National Arts Council in 1993, the national literary writing competition is a significant platform for discovering new writers whose works exhibit literary merit and encourage literary expression in Singapore.

English Poetry

Chinese poetry, malay poetry, tamil poetry, english short story, chinese short story, malay short story, tamil short story, translation: short story (english).

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The international

The Institute for Youth in Policy International Essay Contest was launched to empower students to critically think about the issues that matter to them. By providing a platform for students to express their ideas and opinions, we aim to spotlight valuable insights and ideas from young people around the world.Ultimately, the Institute for Youth in Policy International Essay Contest may be seen as an opportunity for the Institute to invest in the future by supporting and uplifting the voices of young people, and by fostering a sense of civic engagement and social responsibility in the next generation. At the moment, the International Essay Contest is inactive due to structural changes. Please stay tuned for more information on the next cycle.

Fall 2023 Winners

You've been elected leader of your country. What would you say during your inaugural address to inspire the citizens of your country, including those of every race, religion, political party, and creed?

Salma Amanda Latifa, Indonesia

Indonesia: diversity, natural wealth, and a leader’s commitment to an inclusive future.

This essay shined in particular because of its excellent integration of academic research, personal voice, and policy-oriented focus. Furthermore, as an organization that greatly values youth civic participation, the essay’s focus on the importance of youth in the modern world deeply resonated with our team. Fantastic work Read the essay here.

Sophia Rosin, United States

What are the greatest attributes of our democracy.

This essay highlights that the backbone of Democracy, specifically in the United States, is its ability to encourage deliberation and tolerance. We as a nonpartisan organization that encourages depolarization find the importance in shedding light on this particular subject in the increasingly divided global political climate.  This succinct and engaging description of democracy captured our attention. ‍ Read the essay here.

Clarence Tay Han Yang, Singapore

Looking forward.

This speech excelled in its powerful word choice and ability to efficiently incorporate and explain numerous challenging topics. Its smooth progression from the past to the present and future provided a well-researched image of Singapore that garnered our applause. ‍ Read the essay here.

Prompt: Spring 2023

Countless countries around the world suffer from a plethora of issues – economic hardship, social turmoil, political polarization, pandemic recovery, unreliable leadership, corrupt governance, warfare and conflict, the list goes on. If you were elected the leader of your country, what would you do to address the issues your country faces in order to build a more prosperous society?

Ethan Lee Yee Chien Singapore

"Singapore in the 21st Century: Addressing the Unique Challenges of my Homeland" Read the essay here.

Ototleng Molelekedi South Africa

"My South African Manifesto" Read the essay here.

Saarah Hussain Bangladesh

"Beyond the Paradox of Plenty: Battling Bangladesh’s Burdens" Read the essay here.

Insight: Does the essay provide unique or interesting insights, analysis or perspectives on its subject matter? Impact: Is the significance or impact of the issue(s) being discussed, idea(s) being brought up, or point-of-views being communicated sufficiently captured in the essay? Clarity and organization : Is the essay easy to understand, with a clear and logical flow? Style: Is the essay engaging and well-written, with appropriate yet compelling tone, language and syntax for the subject matter?

Who can participate?

Any student, in any country, who is enrolled in an accredited high school or college/university at the time of submitting their essay is eligible to participate in the Institute for Youth in Policy International Essay Contest and compete for the prizes. Students taking academic gap years or semesters are also eligible. No current employees of the Institute for Youth in Policy, however, will be permitted to enter the contest.

Submission Guidelines

Essays can take the form of anything from an analytical research paper to a personal narrative to allegorical fiction. This means essays can be written in any citation style or with no citations at all if it is not a research-heavy paper. Word Limit: 1250 words All essays should be submitted as a .docx or a PDF document and should include your name as well as a title for your essay. Cover pages are acceptable but not necessary. Essays should be written in an easily readable font size (11 or 12 pt.) with a professional font style (Times New Roman, Arial, etc.).  

A platform that honed my skills and perspectives.

Applications Closed Now

Applications for our second essay contest were due December 15, 2023.

Results generally get released within 45 days after the initial deadline.

The monetary ($250) and publication prizes will be sent via email to winners directly.

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Pick up invaluable writing tips while boosting your writing repertoire.

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Literature, an Exploration and Experience

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition Workshop 2023

Our critically acclaimed Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition writing workshop is back for the 2023 June holidays. It is a quintessential platform for writers, combining creativity, literary chops and prestige. Past alumni of the workshop have achieved more than 40 Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, in addition to two Gold Finalist awards. 

This year’s competition, themed "A Youth-Powered Commonwealth", invites young writers to explore the power that youths hold with the global community, and consider how this power can be harnessed to make a meaningful impact on the world. We’ll break this statement into a number of parts, from the various concepts of power, to a critical analysis of the global issues at hand, and a deeper understanding of what meaningful impact entails - before embarking on literary explorations and tangents. 

Our clients traditionally view the competition as a chance to build a sophisticated and diverse writing portfolio that includes short stories, essays and poems. Intangibly, it is also a chance to build soft writing skills, accrue cultural capital and embark on intellectual explorations. 

There are two categories for participation in the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition Workshop.

• Junior Category for participants born on or after 1 July 2009 (under 14 years)
• Senior Category for participants born between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2009  (14 to 18 years)

Workshop details

• Tue 30 May to Thu 1 June 2023
• Academia Privileges Apply

Academia Privileges

All existing Academia students are granted an exclusive 20% discount to the workshop fees, before GST. Friends of Academia students will also be granted this discount if they attend the workshop together. 

Register Now

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Essay Competition

 “the ideas of economists… both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood… indeed the world is ruled by little else” ,     j. m. keynes (general theory, 1936), essay competition 2023.

We received over 750 eligible submissions this year, with each one being hand-read and marked by our panellists at the University of Cambridge. Overall, we were thoroughly impressed by the quality of the responses to some of the most challenging questions in the competition’s history. We would like to thank every student that submitted an essay this year, and extend our warmest congratulations to the winners and shortlisted essays named below.

We are delighted to announce that the winner of the 2023 Marshall Society Essay Competition is David Lu of Raffles Institution, Singapore. David’s essay in response to Question 4 deftly balanced advanced economic theories with real-world data, clear explanations, and rhetorical flair, and was a pleasure to read. We look forward to publishing it in the forthcoming issue of The Dismal Scientist , the magazine of the Marshall Society, and awarding our top prize of £50.

In 2nd place is You Peng of Shenzhen College of International Education, China. Peng’s essay in response to Question 2 was theoretically advanced and well structured, and we would’ve liked to see even more real-world application. It will likewise be published and receive a finalist prize of £25.

In 3rd place is Hanyun Qian of Suzhou Foreign Language School, China. Hanyun’s essay in response to Question 5 was extremely original, insightful, and entertaining to read, and we would’ve liked to see an even tighter focus on the question set. It will likewise be published and receive a finalist prize of £25.

Our shortlisted essays, in no particular order, were as follows:

To everyone that took part in the competition, thank you for the time and care spent in preparing your essay, and all the best for your future studies. We hope you’re looking forward to the 2024 edition of the essay competition.

A reminder of the essay questions set this year is as follows:

• In what ways could Artificial Intelligence reshape the labour market? Will it usher in Keynes’ ‘age of leisure’?
• ‘Policymakers can’t exploit the Phillips curve to reduce unemployment due to the Lucas critique.’ Evaluate this statement.
• The US Federal Child Tax Credit is scheduled to revert from $2,000 to $1,000 by 2025. Is this policy a mistake?
• Tensions between the US and China have been steadily increasing. Is it in the US’ interest to decouple from China economically?
• ‘There were no meaningful long-run changes in living standards until the Industrial Revolution.’ Discuss.
• Has Economics run out of big new ideas? If so, what are the implications? If not, justify with an example.

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Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition

Graduation Ceremony 2023

Live On Festival 2023

Achievements

Sustainable Singapore Gallery

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ITE Applied Learning Modules (ApLM)

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Li Jiayi Award

Tamil New Year 2023

Outram Chinese Alumni CNY and Birthday Party Celebration

Chinese New Year Celebration

Inspiring Teacher of English Award

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Live On Festival 2022

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Well done, Frisbee players!

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Tamil New Year Celebration and Competition Kim Seng CC

Congratulations Outram B Division Netballers!

Outram wins at the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2021

National Schools Literature Festival 2021

Tamil Budding Writers & Artists Competition 2021

Outram Dance Club and Concert Band Shine at SYF 2021

The Singapore Kindness Movement Competition 2021

ThankyouCheredusg

Malay Writing Competition 2020

Ardi Zulhilmi Attains one of his Highest Accolades!

Congratulations President's Award for Teachers winner Mr Francis Tang

SPF NPCC Badge 2020

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Visual Arts Club made their mark in NE mation!

B&E Student Entrepreneurship Challenge 2019

Outram Netball gave their best shot on court!

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National Kindness Movement 2019

Gold at National Schools Literature Festival 2019!

Singapore Youth Festival 2019 Concert Band

Singapore Youth Festival 2019 Guzheng Ensemble

Singapore Youth Festival 2019 Outram Dance Club

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National Schools Speed Climbing Championships 2019!

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National Schools Literature Festival 2018

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools, established in 1883. This year, it received a record-breaking 26,300 entries from different countries in the commonwealth.

The English department is proud to announce the results of our students’ participation in this year’s competition. A total of 21 student writers participated and we are proud to announce the school’s first Gold Award writer, Sherlyn Ang (Sec 3/2). In addition, we congratulate our Silver Award, Bronze Award and Certificate of Participation writers. Here is a list of our budding writers:

ABOUT LIVE ON FESTIVAL

Live On Festival (LOF) is an initiative started by National Organ Transplant Unit (NOTU), Ministry of Health (MOH). Launched in 2018 as the Live On Design Competition (LODC), the competition was renamed Live On Festival (LOF) in 2021 following the inclusion of creative essay writing. LOF has since expanded its reach to 111 participating schools in year 2023. LOF encourages participants, in particular youths, to express their thoughts on organ donation and transplantation through art and writing. Values of responsibility, compassion and empathy are incorporated in LOF by providing insights into the delicate and emotive nature of the topic of organ donation and transplantation. Top winners of the Festival will have their artworks or essays actualised as collaterals for NOTU’s publicity events held nationwide. Click here to download the full LOF information booklet

View past LOF winning artworks

View past LOF winning essays

Design Competition

Essay competition.

The themes for 2024’s Design Competition are ' Making a difference… '.

(1) ... starting with me invites participants to envision the diverse roles individuals can play in organ donation and transplantation. These roles extend far beyond the literal act of donating an organ. For instance, an individual can (i) take on the responsibility of advocating for organ donation within their social circle; and (ii) initiate ground-up efforts that engage the broader community, forming a strong and multi-faceted pillar of support for patients with organ failure.

(2) ...that endures across time invites participants to consider the short (several days/weeks), medium (several months) and long-term (several years) personal, familial and/or societal impact of organ donation.

• This competition is open to Singapore residents (Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, and residents with work permit / employment pass / student pass).
• Artworks can be done in traditional or digital media, in portrait or landscape format.
• Artwork should be designed for a tote bag in an aesthetically pleasing and attention-grabbing manner, while adhering to the selected theme.
• The artwork submitted must be original work. All artworks must not have been published or awarded by other organisations or other competitions. Artworks must not be plagiarised from other sources. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are permissible for conceptualisation purposes only and the final entry submitted should not be generated by AI. Artwork may be submitted to AI-detection tools for plagiarism check.
• There is no limit to the number of artwork submitted per participant, but each participant is only entitled to one prize.
• Participants may work on their artworks in groups, but each winning artwork will only receive one prize.
• To ensure that the entries submitted are received successfully, each artwork submitted online and all digital artworks should be named in the following format:

e.g: SWM_ABC Secondary School_XYZ.png

• ... starting with me - SWM
• ... that endures across time - EAT
• For traditional artwork, participant is required to label their full name and class at the back of the artwork
• Please refer to the guide for more details on the Festival

For school based submission (School Category):

• An application form is required for each artwork submitted. Teachers may download the application form or submit the application form through the online form .
• For traditional artworks, participants are encouraged to submit their entries to their teacher-in-charge (if applicable). The National Organ Transplant Unit (NOTU) will contact the teacher-in-charge to collect all the traditional artworks for the purpose of judging.
• For digital entries, submitted using the online form, the uploaded artwork must be either in a compressed zip folder (the maximum file size for uploading of files onto the online form is 7MB) or through a weblink (with the artwork uploaded onto a third party website such as WeTransfer or Google Drive – access would need to be granted to [email protected] ).
• The teacher-in-charge can arrange for group submission of artworks (both traditional and digital media) and application forms by contacting NOTU at [email protected] .

For individual submission (School / Open Category):

• All individual submissions are to be submitted through the online form .
• For traditional artworks submitted online, participants are to ensure that the scanned image (preferred) or photograph is clear and of high definition (at least 10MP), while retaining the original artwork in good condition. NOTU will contact participants with shortlisted artworks to arrange for collection / delivery of artworks to NOTU's office.
• For digital entries, the uploaded artwork must be either in a compressed zip folder (the maximum file size for uploading of files onto the online form is 7MB) or through a weblink (with the artwork uploaded onto a third party website such as WeTransfer or Google Drive – access would need to be granted to [email protected] ).

TRADITIONAL ARTWORKS

• Artworks must be between A4 and A3 size.
• Artworks must be flat and able to be scanned on a flatbed scanner.
• Submitted artworks will be retained by NOTU until completion of judging.
• All artworks need to be minimally 4,961 pixels on the shortest edge.
• For artwork designed using Adobe Illustrator , the minimum artboard / canvas size should be minimally A2 size with a minimum resolution of 300dpi. The vector .ai file should be submitted together with a rendered high-resolution image of the artwork.
• For artwork designed using Adobe Photoshop , the minimum artboard / canvas size should be minimally A4 size with a minimum resolution of 600dpi. The .psd file should be submitted together with a rendered high-resolution of the artwork.
• For artwork designed using Autodesk Sketchbook or equivalent , where the dpi cannot be set, the minimum artboard / canvas size should be A1 size.
• For artwork designed using Procreate or equivalent , the minimum artboard / canvas size should be A2 size with a minimum resolution of 300dpi.
• The artwork image should be submitted in .png file format together with the working file, with CMYK coloured scheme (preferred).
• Outlines must be created for all fonts.

Artworks will be evaluated based on the following:

• Adherence to theme (including designing the artwork for a tote bag)
• Aesthetics quality (including displaying sense of composition of artwork printed onto tote bags)
• Technical merit
• Inventiveness & creativity
• Personal response (or artist statement)

Submission of entry signifies your acceptance of the terms and conditions listed in this page.

SCHOOL & OPEN CATEGORY

Submission of entries signifies your acceptance of the terms and conditions listed in this page.

Terms and Conditions

1. The school category of this competition is open to full time students enrolled in MOE Secondary Schools, including schools offering Integrated Programme (year 1 – 4 only). The open category is open to all Singapore residents (Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, and residents with work permit / employment pass / student pass).

2. Artwork submitted must be related to either one of the themes prescribed above, in the aspect of organ donation and/or transplantation, that are suitable to printed onto tote bags (i.e. aesthetically pleasing and attention grabbing).

3. Artwork submitted shall be in good quality and must not contain any elements that are deemed indecent, blasphemous, libellous, offensive, pornographic, politically insensitive, racially insensitive, or otherwise unlawful or depict any inappropriate activity. The National Organ Transplant Unit (NOTU) reserves the rights to reject any entry that is deemed to be inappropriate.

4. Artwork submitted must be original work. All artworks must not have been published or awarded by other organisations or other competitions. Artworks must not be plagiarised from other sources. In the case of copyright infringement, the entry will be disqualified. As for winning entries, qualifications will be cancelled and the prize must be returned to the organiser. In the case of late discovery of copyright infringement and that the winning entry has been published, the participant shall pay organisers any damages, monetary or otherwise, which may be incurred as a result.

5. The organiser, NOTU, retains the non-exclusive, perpetual, world-wide, royalty-free license, with right to sublicense, to keep and use submitted entries for any purpose consistent with the mission of NOTU, including educational, archival and research purposes. By participating in this competition, the participant hereby consents to the organising committee, NOTU, to produce collaterals, and to perform marketing and awareness activities with the submitted artwork. The collaterals may be used by NOTU and/or NOTU’s appointed agents at, but not limited to, public roadshows, exhibitions or events.

6. Artworks submitted in physical or digital media are welcomed, in either landscape or portrait format. Please refer to the important submission information for the artwork size and resolution required for traditional and digital media respectively.

7. There is no limit to the number of artwork submitted, but each participant is only entitled to one prize.

8. School participants are encouraged to submit their entries to their teacher-in-charge, or through the online form . Open participants are to submit their entries through the online form .

9. All entries must be received by 2359 hours on 26 May 2023 (Friday) . All entries submitted will be acknowledged accordingly. An acknowledgement screen will be shown for all successful FormSG submissions. Please keep a screenshot of the reference number if required. For email submissions, please contact NOTU at 63213649 / 63265878 or [email protected] if you do not receive an acknowledgement within 3 working days . NOTU will not accept any responsibility for non-receipt of artwork for submissions which are not acknowledged.

10. All traditional artwork will be scanned, and judging will be performed via an online platform. Please avoid use of materials which may cause prejudice to the artworks (e.g. reflective surfaces, artworks which are not suitable for scanning on flatbed scanners).

11. Winning artwork will be selected at the judges’ sole discretion. The judges’ decision is final.

12. Winners will be contacted as per contact details listed in the application form. Winners who are uncontactable will have been deemed to have made an incomplete submission, and the prize awarded will be withdrawn.

13. Winners are required to attend an awards ceremony to be on 16 August 2024 (Sat) (tentative) , subject to the COVID-19 situation. Winners are required to nominate a proxy to attend the ceremony if they are unable to attend the ceremony.

14. A photograph of the winner may be requested for release on NOTU’s webpage, published collaterals, roadshows and exhibitions nationwide.

15. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable for cash. NOTU accepts no responsibility for any tax or other liability that may arise from the prize winnings. Prizes are subject to availability and NOTU reserves the right to substitute the prizes with another item of a similar value without prior notice.

16. Submission of entries signify your acceptance of the terms and conditions listed herein.

Participants must select an essay topic from the relevant category.

SCHOOL JUNIOR (Sec 1 -2)

Topic 1: Imagine you are a teenager in need of a life-saving organ transplant. Describe your journey, emotions and the impact of receiving a donated organ on your life and future.

Topic 2: After reading from the news that your Math teacher selflessly donated her kidney to an unknown stranger, you are motivated to organise a celebration for her after her one-month leave. Write a letter to your form teacher explaining:

• how has the news impacted you
• a suitable class celebration proposal for your Math teacher
• why it is important to have this celebration

You may add any other details you think will be helpful. Write your letter in clear, accurate English. Your tone should be positive and enthusiastic to convince your form teacher of your proposal. You should use your own words as much as possible.

SCHOOL SENIOR (Sec 3 -5)

Topic 1: Discuss the view that organ donation and transplantation is of little interest to people as it is too complex

• the significance of the jar to your aunt
• your proposal for the VIA project and the execution plan
• how the student population will benefit from your project
• why you think honouring deceased organ donors is important

You may add any other details you think will be helpful. Write your letter in clear, accurate English. Your tone should be polite and enthusiastic, showing genuine passion for your proposal. You should use your own words as much as possible.

Topic 1: Encouraging living donations may be the key to improving organ donation rates. Do you agree?

Topic 2: “A spark is a little thing, yet it may kindle the world” (Martin Farquhar Tupper). Discuss how an individual selfless act of organ donation can make a positive impact to the different levels of society.

• All essays should be typewritten and submitted in word document with the following formatting: Arial font type, font size of 12 with 1.5 spacing with clear paragraphing.
• The maximum word count (excluding title, references and footnotes) for the essays are as follows:
• The essay submitted must be original work. All essays must not have been published or awarded by other organisations or other competitions. Essays must not be plagiarised from other sources. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are permissible for conceptualisation purposes only and the final entry submitted should not be generated by AI. Essays may be submitted to Turnitin and other AI-detection tools for plagiarism check.
• There is no limit to the number of essays submitted, but each participant is only entitled to one prize.
• Participants may work on their essay in groups, but each winning essay will only receive one prize.

e.g: Junior_1_ABC Secondary School_XYZ.png

• Please refer to the guide for more details on the Festival.

For school based submission (Junior / Senior / Open Category):

• An application form is required for each artwork submitted. Teachers may download the application form or submit the application form through the online form . Teachers may also opt for group submission of the application details through the consolidated application form (excel).
• The teacher-in-charge can arrange for group submission of essays and application form(s) by contacting NOTU at [email protected] . The essays can be submitted through a compressed zip folder or uploaded through a weblink (such as WeTransfer or Google Drive – access would need to be granted to [email protected] ).

For individual submission (Junior / Senior / Open Category):

• All individual submissions are to be submitted through the online form in a word document format.

Essays will be evaluated based on the following:

SCHOOLS & OPEN CATEGORY

1. The school category of this competition is open to full time students enrolled in MOE Secondary Schools, including schools offering Integrated Programme (year 1 – 4 only). The open category is open to all Singapore residents age 13 and above (Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, and residents with work permit/employment pass/student pass). Participants must select an essay topic from the relevant category.

2. The essay submitted must be in relation to the chosen topic within the relevant category, in the aspect of organ donation and transplantation. The essay should be written in English.

3. Essays submitted shall be in good quality and must not contain any elements that are deemed indecent, blasphemous, libellous, offensive, pornographic, politically insensitive, racially insensitive, or otherwise unlawful or depict any inappropriate activity. The National Organ Transplant Unit (NOTU) reserves the rights to reject any entry that is deemed to be inappropriate.

4. The essay submitted must be original work. All essays must not have been published or awarded by other organisations or other competitions. Essays must not be plagiarised from other sources. Essays may be submitted to Turnitin for plagiarism check. In the case of copyright infringement and/ or plagiarism, the entry will be disqualified. For school participants, NOTU may inform the school of such disqualification. As for the winning entries, qualifications will be cancelled and the prize must be returned to the organiser. In the case of late discovery of copyright infringement and/ or plagiarism and that the winning entry has been published, the participant shall pay organisers any damages, monetary or otherwise, which may be incurred as a result.

5. The essay submitted must be the participant’s own work, and cannot be excessively corrected or improved by another person. This does not rule out inputs or assistance by others.

6. For School (Junior | Sec 1 - 2) category, the maximum word count is 500 (Situational writing) and 750 (Continuous writing). For School (Senior | Sec 3 - 5) category, the maximum word count is 1000 (Situational writing) and 1500 (Continuous writing). For Open category, the maximum word count is 1500. These word limits apply to all topics and all formats. Exceeding the word count will result in automatic disqualification. Title, references and footnotes are not included in the word count.

7. The organiser, NOTU, retains the non-exclusive, perpetual, world-wide, royalty-free license, with right to sublicense, to keep and use submitted entries for any purpose consistent with the mission of NOTU, including educational, archival and research purposes. The organiser reserves the right to rewrite, publish, copy and distribute the winning entries or parts of the contents of the winning entries at any time and in any places, without additional consent from or paying a fee to the author. By participating in this competition, the participant hereby consents to the organising committee, NOTU to produce collaterals, and to perform marketing and awareness activities with the submitted essay. The collaterals may be used by NOTU at, but not limited to, public roadshows or events.

8. Essay contents shall conform to Singapore’s laws and regulations, abiding by social morality and good orders. The contents shall not allude to attacking or disparaging the reputation of others.

9. There is no limit to the number of essays submitted, but each participant is only entitled to one prize.

10. School participants are encouraged to submit their entries to their teacher-in-charge, or through the online form . Open participants are to submit their entries through the online form.

11. All entries must be received by 2359 hours on 26 May 2023 (Friday) . All entries submitted will be acknowledged accordingly. An acknowledgement screen will be shown for all successful FormSG submissions. Please keep a screenshot of the reference number if required. For email submissions, please contact NOTU at 63213649 / 63265878 or [email protected] if you do not receive an acknowledgement within 3 working days . NOTU will not accept any responsibility for non-receipt of entries for submissions which are not acknowledged

12. Winning essays are selected at the judges’ sole discretion. The judges’ decision is final.

13. Winners will be contacted as per contact details listed in the application form. Winners who are uncontactable will have been deemed to have made an incomplete submission, and the prizes will be withdrawn.

14. Winners are required to attend an awards ceremony to be on 17 August 2024 (Sat) (tentative) , subject to the COVID-19 situation. Winners are required to nominate a proxy to attend the ceremony if they are unable to attend the ceremony.

15. A photograph of the winner may be requested for release on NOTU’s webpage, published collaterals, roadshows and exhibitions nationwide.

16. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable for cash. NOTU accepts no responsibility for any tax or other liability that may arise from the prize winnings. Prizes are subject to availability and NOTU reserves the right to substitute the prizes with another item of a similar value without prior notice.

17. Submission of entries signify your acceptance of the terms and conditions listed herein.

The Live On Festival 2023 encourages participants to express their feelings through art or writing with regards to organ donation and transplantation. Each year, LOF has grown to become more than just a competition, but a holistic growth accelerator for budding artists and writers as they ponder about organ donation or transplant. The theme for LOF 2023 revolved around Connection. Connection builds the foundation of promoting trust and confidence within the community. LOF 2023 saw a total of 111 participating schools, with 3,041 artworks and 2,136 essays received across the school and open categories.

Design: For the Design Competition, themed “My Organ, My Companion”, artists envisioned sharing a friendship with an organ and for “Our Transformative Journey” artists pictured the changes brought about by an individual or community about organ donation. Artworks were evaluated based on the artists’ ability to adhere to their chosen theme with the artists’ touch of creativity. Each artwork was also judged based on the aesthetic quality and technical merit.

Essay: The Essay Competition aimed to challenge lower secondary students to empathise with a loved one who received a heart transplant or a classmate who is on dialysis due to kidney failure. Upper secondary writers were tasked to explain how social media can bring a positive impact on organ donation, or how a collective school effort can raise awareness on organ donation and transplantation. Writers from the Open category shared their views on the difficulties and resolutions to generate a positive mindset change on organ donation or, how the altruism of organ donors may be negated by medical advancements in the future. Essays were evaluated by the relevance to the chosen topic, creativity of the writer and their use of the English language.

For more details on the ceremony and the winners, click here .

Sharing session: Students from Juying Secondary School participating actively in the discussion.

Ms Gan Siow Huang congratulating all winners on their outstanding entries.

Awards Ceremony: Ms Gan Siow Huang with LOF 2022’s awards winners and their families.

Awards Ceremony: Showcase of top three winning artworks from the school and open category that were printed onto tote bags.

Awards Ceremony: Exhibition gallery of winning essay entries and artworks

Sharing session: CHIJ Secondary students during their English lesson.

Sharing session: Bukit Batok Secondary School Art students learning how to fold origami stars for the Stars of Love project. Stars folded by students will be presented to donor families, symbolising a token of appreciation from the community.

Online Sharing Session: Students from Chung Cheng High (Main) engaging with an interactive online quiz through Kahoot!

Following positive testimonials from previous participating schools, the interest of other schools grew, with 52 participating schools in year 2020. The themes for LODC 2020 are "A New Beginning" and "From Fears to Dreams" . "A New Beginning" refers to organ donors opening up a new chapter in their life for organ failure patients, granting them a second chance in life, igniting a new beginning for the patients and their families. The second theme "From Fears to Dreams" refers to the fear organ failure patients face - the uncertainties of what tomorrow may bring, and how organ transplantation allows these patients to rise through their fears, marching on to a hopeful future with their loved ones. The judging panel for LODC 2020 consisted of: Ms Sally Kong (Assistant Director, Operations, NOTU), Ms Sabrina Long (Dean, School of Art and Design, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts) and Mr Lee Wei Lieh (Senior Art Director, Wild Advertising & Marketing). In view of COVID-19 situation, the physical Awards Ceremony and Art Exhibition has been moved online.

Sharing session: Art Council students from Pei Hwa Secondary School came together during the CCA session to learn more about organ donation. Students from the Taekwondo CCA also joined in for the Stars of Love project where students folded stars which will be presented to donor families to express their heartfelt appreciation [Photo taken before MOE suspended CCA due to COVID-19.]

Assembly session: Manjusri Secondary School [Photo taken before MOE suspended large group and communal activities such as assembly due to COVID-19.]

Sharing session: Secondary 2 students from Ping Yi Secondary School during Science lesson. [Photo taken before Circuit Breaker measures due to COVID-19.]

Guest of Honour Speech: Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Education and Manpower, recognising the efforts of all LODC 2020 participants.

School Category Winners: Top 3 artworks from the Live On Design Competition 2020 which were printed on tote bags

Open Category Winners: Top 3 artworks from the Live On Design Competition 2020 which were printed on tote bags

Following the successful pilot initiative in 2018, LODC 2019 was extended to all secondary schools and schools offering Integrated Programmes, and a total of 12 schools participated. The theme - "More than Me - Beyond this Life" signifies an act of reaching out to others and leaving a legacy, just like how organ donors continue to live on by offering the gift of life to the recipients. The judging panel for LODC 2019 consisted of: Ms Sally Kong (Assistant Director, Operations, NOTU), Ms Sabrina Long (Dean, School of Art and Design, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts) and Mr Jetch Lim (Graphic Designer, Unusual Print Media Ptd Ltd). A total of 262 entries were received from both the Schools and Open category. Top 3 artworks from each category were printed on tote bags, and distributed at various events. Winners of the top 38 artworks were also invited to the Awards Ceremony and Exhibition on 20 July 2019. The Awards Ceremony was graced by Dr Lam Pin Min (Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Health) as the Guest-of-Honour who encouraged all the winners to share with their families and peers their artworks and what they have learnt through this competition.

Sharing Session: Students from Methodist Girls' School IDEAS club were presented with true stories and medical information for them to understand the challenges that patients face while waiting for an organ transplant. The interactive sessions were designed for students to reflect and ask questions.

Sharing Session: Students from the Changkat Changi Secondary School gathered for the sharing session, where questions were raised enthusiastically as they stepped into the world of organ donors, organ failure patients and transplant recipients.

Awards Ceremony: Dr Lam Pin Min viewing the winning artworks exhibition.

Awards Ceremony: Dr Lam penning his thoughts on organ donation at the 'Share Your Thoughts' board. Attendees took turns to write and share their views on the topic.

Awards Ceremony: Parents happily became their child's photographers.

Awards Ceremony: Dr Lam with awards winners of LODC 2019.

Awards Ceremony: Top 3 winners from the Open Category: Ms Nurul Farahin, Ms Theresa Roselinne Tanaka and Ms Choo Jia Hui (L-R) together with Dr Lam.

Awards Ceremony: Top 3 winners from Schools Category: Ms Justina Low (Punggol Secondary School), Ms Tricia Tan (National Junior College) and Ms Hannah Law (Ngee Ann Secondary School) (L-R) together with Dr Lam.

Post-Awards Ceremony: Winning artworks were displayed at various hospitals, where visitors had the opportunity to view the messages of organ donation and transplantation through the eyes of our artists.

Starting out as a pilot initiative, NOTU collaborated with schools offering Art Elective Programmes (AEP) and Enhanced Art Programmes (EAP). LODC was designed with the objective of providing a unique and tailored learning experience for partner schools, and serving as a platform for students to articulate their opinion on organ transplantation through art. The theme for LODC 2018 was "Your Thoughts on Organ Donation" enabling participants to explore freely on ideation, allowing for varying interpretations of their personal thoughts on this emotive topic. The judging panel for LODC 2018 consisted of: Ms Sally Kong (Assistant Director, Operations, NOTU), Ms Sabrina Long (Dean, School of Art and Design, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts) and Mr Francis Tan (Creative Director, Germs Digital). Close to 200 artworks were received from schools and members of the public. Top 30 winners and their family members were invited to the awards ceremony held on 14 July 2018. Top 3 artworks were printed onto EZ link cards and distributed at NOTU's events. Just as EZ link cards enable people to travel from place to place, it is hoped that the knowledge of organ donation and transplantation travels widely.

Assembly session: Conducted at CHIJ Secondary to give students a foundation on the topic before students started work on their ideas.

Sharing session: Art Club students from Orchid Park Secondary School participating in "Stars of Love Project", where they fold paper stars as a form of heartfelt encouragement to our donor families.

Awards Ceremony: Top 3 winners with our judges: Mr Francis Tan, Ms Joyce Hoon (Ngee Ann Secondary School), Proxy of Mr Froderick Blanco, Ms Sheila Jan Blanco, Ms Sabrina Long, Ms Sally Kong (L-R).

Awards Ceremony: Award winners of LODC 2018 with our judges.

Awards Ceremony: Chloe Lim from CHIJ Secondary and her family.

Awards Ceremony: Nur Herdiawati Bte Mohamad Hermi from CHIJ Katong Convent with her parents and teacher, Mdm Zakiah.

Awards Ceremony: Award winners and their families viewing the winning artwork exhibition.

Awards Ceremony: Award winners took a moment to pen down their thoughts on organ donation.

10 Break-Out Sessions

• Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

India is undergoing its economic, technological and demographic transition simultaneously. An old country is becoming youthful and adventurous with the passage of time. Young Indians like OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal are quietly taking charge of Indian ethos by becoming icons of audacious aspirations and tangible proofs of its potential, spawning startups that are becoming most valuable and famous than many legacy companies. How can young revolutionaries find ways to carry the older generation of investors, regulators, workers and consumers with them and what can other economies and founders learn from India’s momentous transition?

For over 50 years teams of student have volunteered to organise the St. Gallen Symposium. They have written countless invitations, met thousands of partners, and welcomed some of the most important personalities of their time on stage. Together with former members of the ISC we will reflect on the St. Gallen Symposium experience of cross-generational dialogue and collaboration, the lessons they have learned for their lives and on how the symposium has evolved. This session is organised together with ISC Alumni.

As the need for innovation is growing, the routinisation of well-structured creative processes within organizations is key for concurrent value creation. Prof. Susan Goldsworthy of IMD, this year's St. Gallen Symposium artist Javiera Estrada and Light Artist Gerry Hofstetter will discuss the role of collaboration in the creative process. Together, and in conversation with the audience, they’ll explore the way collaboration can drive creativity in various organisational contexts, and, on the other hand, the role of introversion and lone contemplation in creating something new.

Many employee volunteering and giving programs are presented as an employee perk, similar to casual Fridays or a team-building event. But treating workplace giving and volunteering this way fails to fully capitalise on the great potential of such programs: to foster employee personal growth, and address key societal challenges. The panel will particularly explore the potential of skills-based volunteering, its benefits, and the unique challenges that arise when moving from merely transactional volunteering to something far more transformative.

The investment landscape over the next twenty years will be radically different from previous generations. While there appears to be greater access to capital, there also appears to be much more volatility and debt with no clear dominant financing mechanism. Entrepreneurs, VC, Private Equity, and banks will have to find new ways to work together to create growth and stimulate innovation. How can investors and entrepreneurs better collaborate and find mutually beneficial agreements that balance risk and return?

The fashion industry accounts for 10% of humanity’s annual carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. For long, the fashion and luxury watchmaking industry drove, together with the fashion media industry, unsustainable dynamics in the sector: generating more and more demand through an artificial cycle of new collections and seasonal trends. Businesses’ marketing, media as well as influencers thereby create a constant longing and demand for their products. How can designers, fashion houses and publishers exit this vicious cycle and, collaboratively, drive the transition towards more sustainable and ethical fashion and luxury watchmaking?

Media diversity, freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Europe are currently under threat. Journalists and independent media companies are increasingly joining forces across borders to respond to such challenges as well as to be able to continue to offer independent quality journalism in the future. This session will identify learnings from new media partnerships such as the Leading European Newspaper Alliance (LENA) and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) to identify how media can most effectively work together.

Technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship are key drivers of the modern economy and social mobility. Given their importance, we should strive to improve accessibility to tech, education and entrepreneurship across all backgrounds. Creating open and inclusive communities, especially with tech is important to accomplishing this goal, but it is easier said that done. Simultaneously, a third iteration of the internet – Web3 – has the potential to radically transform the internet of things and reduce barriers to access. How can these forces be effectively harnessed and directed for the benefit of all people and move the world forward?

Over the past decades, the tech sector, especially the internet of things, has become a central component of modern economies. Trying to catch up with the exponential pace of technological development, the US, China, and Europe are crafting rules of the game on digital markets. What are the emerging characteristic differences between regulatory regimes of digital markets, in the US, Europe and beyond, and how do they balance innovation and regulation? In light of strategic competition over tech dominance between the US and China, what are the opportunities and challenges for Europe in particular?

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world of work forever. The fast and widespread adoption of remote work and an ever-increasing concern of employees with purpose and meaning on their job have intensified the war for talents. Reaching out to and concurrently engaging employees is key for businesses across sectors and regions. What learnings can be drawn from the pandemic as regards our approach to work? Has the world of work changed for the better? And what role does leadership culture and a new approach to hiring play going forward?

• A Demographic Revolution: Young India Takes Charge (with All India Management Association) 9:00 am - 10:00 am
• Collaborative Advantage Across Generations: Reflecting on the SGS Experience (ISC Alumni) 9:00 am - 10:00 am
• Collective Genius? Cultivating Creativity in the Arts and Beyond 9:00 am - 10:00 am
• Connecting Business with Purpose: The Potential of Skills-Based Volunteering 9:00 am - 10:00 am
• Financing the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs 10:00 am - 11:00 am
• Hacking the Fashion & Luxury Watchmaking Industry towards more Sustainability (with Condé Nast College) 10:00 am - 11:00 am
• M100 Sanssouci Colloquium@St. Gallen: Media’s New Power: More Impact Through Collaborative Journalism 10:00 am - 11:00 am
• Democratizing Access to the next Generation of Technology and Innovation: Communities and Radical Transformation 10:00 am - 11:00 am
• Varieties of Tech Capitalism: Europe's Approach to Innovation and Regulation in a Global Context 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
• Changed for Good? Engaging with the New World of Work 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

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Global Essay Competition

Compete in our Global Essay Competition and qualify for participation as a Leader of Tomorrow in the world’s premier opportunity for cross-generational debates: The St. Gallen Symposium.

Meet 300 of society’s brightest young minds. Present and debate your ideas with 600 senior leaders. Be inspired by some of the world’s most impressive speakers. Gain a unique and new perspective on this year’s topic. Become a member of a unique global community. Participate in the symposium with us. Win prize money of CHF 20,000 split amongst the three winners.

Topic Question

Striving for more or thriving with less – what pressing scarcity do you see, and how do you suggest to tackle it.

Scarcity generally refers to a situation where human needs exceed available resources . This year’s Global Essay Competition invites young leaders worldwide to focus on a specific contemporary or future challenge related to scarcity and propose an innovative way to address it.

Be creative in thinking about proposed solutions: do we need to strive for more and find ways to boost the availability of the resource in question? Or does it focus on ways to thrive with less and thus rethink our needs and demand?

Be free in choosing which scarce resource you focus on: examples include – but are NOT limited to – human labour, capital, natural resources, or intangibles like time, creativity, or care. Be bold and precise in describing a contemporary or future challenge of scarcity and the specific kind of resources you focus on, and offer a concrete and actionable idea of how we should confront it.

Registration window for the GEC for the 53rd St. Gallen Symposium is closed.

If problems occur during registration, please clear your cached images and files in your browsing history or consider using the browser Google Chrome. If you still cannot apply, use the following  link. For any unanswered questions please contact us via e-mail at  [email protected]

Prerequisites

Qualify with an excellent essay.

We expect a professional, creative and thought-provoking essay. Be bold, unconventional, and distinctive on the competition question.

For your contribution to be valid, the following criteria must be met

Check your eligibility and prepare documents, to be eligible, you must fulfill all of the following criteria:.

• Enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university
• Born in 1994 or later

Make sure you can provide the following documents:

• Copy of passport or other identification (in English for non-Roman languages)
• Confirmation of matriculation/enrolment from your university which proves your enrollment in a graduate/postgraduate level programme as of 1 February 2024 (download sample document  here )
• Your contribution file with no indication of your name in the file name, the file metadata or the file itself

Meet us and ask your questions!

Meet our student representatives to learn how you can qualify for a participation in the 53 rd St. Gallen Symposium. We will have physical presentations at your university again as well as regular webinars to answer your questions!

Accompanying a Leader of Tomorrow

General questions, who can compete for a participation as a leader of tomorrow at the st. gallen symposium.

Students enrolled at a regular university, who are matriculated in a graduate or postgraduate programme.

What is the St. Gallen Global Essay Competition?

The St. Gallen Global Essay Competition is a global student essay competition, offering students who study at graduate or postgraduate level around the world the opportunity to apply for participation at the St. Gallen Symposium.

What is the Knowledge Pool?

The Knowledge Pool is a group of Leaders of Tomorrow with a strong affiliation to topics of relevance to the St. Gallen Symposium. They show outstanding track records in the particular fields they work or study. They are hand-selected by the International Students’ Committee. It is not possible to apply for membership in the Knowledge Pool.

How much does it cost to participate? 

The participation in the symposium is free for all Leaders of Tomorrow. Moreover, expenses for travel, board and lodging are covered by the ISC. However, we recommend bringing a small amount of pocket money for your convenience.

Essay Competition

Who is eligible for the 54 th  st. gallen symposium.

Students enrolled at a regular university, who are matriculated in a graduate or postgraduate programme as of 1 February 2025, from any field of study, born in 1995 or later.

What is a “regular university”?

In the context of the Global Essay Competition, a regular university is defined as an institution of higher education that also conducts research and offers at least one PhD programme. Exceptions are possible and are granted on a case-by-case basis.

Can Bachelor students participate?

Unfortunately, students on bachelor level do not fulfil the eligibility criteria and therefore cannot enter the competition. There is no other way to apply for participation and we, therefore, encourage all students to join the competition once they pursue with their studies at a graduate level. You may, however, be eligible if the level of study in your current year is equivalent to international graduate level which must be confirmed in writing by your university.

Can teams participate?

Only individual submissions are allowed as we can only grant participation to one contender per contribution.

How long should the contribution be? 

The maximum amount of words is 2,100 (excluding bibliography or graph descriptions and the like). There is no minimum word count. Please make sure to state the exact word count in your document. Also keep in mind that you must not state your name in the contribution.

Do I have to quote my sources?

All sources must be quoted and all essays are scanned for plagiarism. You must refer each source to the respective text passage. Please note that plagiarism is a serious offense and that we reserve the right to take further steps in case of deliberate fraud. Self-plagiarism will also result in disqualification, as the work has to be written exclusively for the Global Essay Competition of the St. Gallen Symposium.

Can I have a look at previous Winner Essays?

Yes, you can find winner essays as well as other publications from the Global Essay Competition here .

What file formats are accepted?

Please make sure to hand in your essay in either a doc, docx or pdf format. The document must allow to copy the text easily (no document protections).

What documents do I need to submit?

In addition to your contribution, make sure to upload

• a copy of your passport (or any other official government ID but no driver’s license) to verify your age
• a confirmation of matriculation from your university confirming your graduate or postgraduate student status as of February 2023
• a short abstract (200–300 words) which can be entered in the registration form directly

in the applicable field of the registration form.

What happens after I submitted my application?

The ISC will verify your eligibility and check all submitted documents for completeness and readability. Due to the large amount of essays we receive, our response may take some time, so thank you for your patience. If the jury selects your essay in the top 100 , you qualify as a Leader of Tomorrow for an expenses-paid participation in the 52 nd St. Gallen Symposium (4-5 May 2023). The results will be announced via e-mail by mid-March 2023. The jury selects the three awardees based on the quality of the idea on paper. The award is endowed with a total prize money of CHF 20,000. In addition, there will be a chance for the very best competitors (including the awardees) to present their ideas on the big stage at the symposium. For this, the students will be asked to pitch their idea on video beforehand.

Who’s in the jury?

The Award Jury consists of leading executives, journalists and professors from all around the world. The Academic Jury is composed of young top academics from the University of St. Gallen and the ETH Zurich.

When will the results be announced?

The jury’s decision will be announced by mid-March at the latest.

Participation

How do the travel arrangements work.

The organizing committee will get in touch with you prior to the symposium to discuss your itinerary and to book your travel.

Can the organising committee help me get a visa?

All Leaders of Tomorrow are self-responsible to get a visa. However, we will inform the applicable Swiss embassy about the invitation and will provide you with the necessary documents. Should a problem arise anyway, we are happy to help. Expenses for visa application are borne by the Leaders of Tomorrow themselves.

Where am I accommodated during the symposium?

All Leaders of Tomorrow are accommodated at private student flats across the city. Please give us an early notice should you have any special requirements (e.g. female flatmates only).

What transport is provided?

We book flights or train tickets and provide shuttle service from and to the airport. Furthermore, all Leaders of Tomorrow receive a free ticket for the public transport in St. Gallen during the week of the symposium.

How much money do I need? 

We recommend bringing some pocket money (CHF 100–200) for your convenience. Please note that depending on your time of arrival and departure, some meals might not be covered.

Can disabled people participate as well? 

Yes, of course. Most of the symposium sites are wheelchair-accessible and we are more than happy to help where we can. Although our ability to provide personal assistance is very limited, we do our best to provide the necessary services.

Is there any touristic programme and do I have time for sightseeing?

During the symposium there will be no time for sightseeing. However, we may offer selected touristic programmes a day before or after the symposium. These days can, of course, also be used for individual sightseeing. Nearby sites include the old town of St. Gallen, the lake Constance and the mountain Säntis.

Can I extend my stay in Switzerland?

Yes, upon request we can move your return flight to a date of your choice. If the new flight is more expensive, we may ask you to cover the price difference. Please note that we are unable to provide any services such as accommodation or transportation after the end of the symposium week.

Can I bring a spouse?

Unfortunately, we cannot provide any services such as travel, room, board or symposium access to any additional person.

Past Winners & Essay Reviews

Out of approx. 1,000 annual contributions submitted by graduate and post-graduate students from all around the globe, the jury selects three winner essays every year. Meet our competition’s past winners and read their contributions.

2023 – A New Generational Contract

Elliot gunn, gaurav kamath, megan murphy, essay question:.

The best or worst legacy from previous generations: How to preserve or replace it?

A great deal of our lives is influenced by when we were born. As those currently alive, we have inherited the world which previous and older generations have built. We owe a great deal to the efforts of our forebears, but we also inherit problematic legacies.

2022 – Collaborative Advantage

Sophie lara neuber, anton meier, bryan kwang shing tan.

Collaborative Advantage: what should be written into a new intergenerational contract?

 The idea of a “generational contract” embodies the principles that younger and older generations rely on each other to provide mutual support across different stages of their lives. Inclusive education systems, sustainable welfare states and meaningful environmental action are some of many challenges requiring a cross-generational collaborative effort. Yet, with the climate crisis, rapid technological change and societal aging in many countries, the generational contract and notions of intergenerational fairness have been challenged. Members of the younger generation are raising their voices as they reflect on how their futures are being compromised by current decision-makers.

 What’s your specific and actionable idea that should be written into a new generational contract? Choose an area where you see evidence that intergenerational fairness is – or, going forward, will be – challenged and where the generational contract needs to be rewritten. Potential areas include, but are not limited to, business strategy and the economy, inclusive governance and education, the welfare state and health care, environmental sustainability, or the world of work. Describe your problem and offer concrete and practical proposals how inter-generational fairness can be restored or reinvented. Explain your idea’s impact for the future.

2021 – Trust Matters

Janz irvin chiang.

1st place – Peking University

Joan  Nyangena

2nd place – York University

Karl Michael Braun

3rd place – Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

A Matter of Trust: How Can Trust be Repaired When It’s Lost?

In recent years, we have seen many reports about “trust crises” in the realms of politics, health, business, technology, science, and media. Political and corporate scandals, mass protests, and deteriorating trust indicators in global perception surveys support this diagnosis. As a result, senior leaders in many of these sectors publicly aspire to “rebuild trust” in their decisions, products, or institutions. What would be your advice to them?

Choose an area in one of the above-mentioned sectors where you see evidence that citizens’, consumers’, regulators’, employees’ or other stakeholders’ trust has been lost. Describe your example of an apparent loss of trust; offer concrete and practical proposals on repairing damaged trust. Describe your idea’s impact for the future.

2020 – Freedom Revisited

Symposium  postponed.

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the final review and communication of the results of the contributions to the Global Essay Competition was stopped prematurely.

Freedom Revisited: Which aspects of freedom need to be defended, or recalibrated, to meet the challenges of our time?

Domestically and on the international stage, values of individual, economic, and political freedom are subject to critical inquiry or outright attack. Diverse phenomena such as populism, global power shifts, climate change, the digital revolution, and global migration call for a reflection on the value of freedom for the way we live, do business, and organize politically in the years ahead. While some call for a defence of established freedoms, others call for recalibration of our concept of freedom, or the balance we strike between freedom and other values, such as equality, sustainability, and security. Where do you stand in this debate? Choose one of the following positions as you develop your essay:

In defence of freedom: Choose an area in the realm of business, economics, politics, or civil society where current concepts of freedom are under pressure and where they need to be defended. Describe the problem and offer a concrete and practical proposition of how established concepts of freedom should – and can be – defended. Describe its impact for the future.

In defence of recalibrating freedom: Choose an area in the realms of business, economics, politics or civil society where current concepts of freedom are unsuitable for the challenges we face and where they need to be recalibrated. Describe the problem and offer a concrete and practical proposition of how established concepts of freedom should and can be recalibrated. Describe its impact for the future.

2019 – Capital for Purpose

Reuben muhindi wambui (ke).

1st place – The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Natalie Hei Tung Lau (HK)

2nd place – University of Pennsylvania

Toan Do (VN)

3rd place – Yale University

Is it as good as it gets? – What approach would you suggest to change the current purpose of capital?

Political volatility, environmental issues, precarious labour markets, technological monopolies, managerial and investment short-termism are only a few challenges we face. The time has come to counter excessive short-termism and start doing business as unusual. Think about the status quo and its implications. What would be an idea to change it? Develop projects or actions you would trust in to bring new and expanded purposes to capital and aim for a long-term positive impact. In your essay you should consider how the use of capital (financial, human, social,…) can solve complex challenges and address substantial changes, be it by individuals, civil society, businesses or governments. Your idea must inspire leaders worldwide to take on responsibility and put it into practice. Be bold and develop a truly impactful concept to win our prestigious award.

2009 – 2018

2018  – beyond the end of work, nat ware (au).

1st place – University of Oxford

Janis Goldschmidt (DE)

João abreu (br).

3rd place – Harvard University

Robots are coming for your job. How do you augment yourself to stay economically relevant?

Author Yuval Noah Harari claims that the rapid progress of artificial intelligence technology will render the human species economically useless within decades. Imagine a world in which humans fight back, harnessing AI and other technologies to stay economically indispensable – and, ultimately, competitive against the computers. Describe the job you aspire to in the future, how it will potentially be influenced by AI, and how you would augment yourself technologically if necessary to prevail in your chosen career.

2017  – The dilemma of disruption

1st Place – University of Oxford

Benjamin Hofmann (DE)

2nd Place – University of St. Gallen

Sigin Ojulu (SS)

3rd Place – University of Southern California

Breaking the status quo – What’s YOUR disruptive idea?

The notion of disruption captures today’s innovation zeitgeist. Nowadays, it seems everyone claims to be a disruptor – particularly young people with an entrepreneurial mindset. Let’s think beyond disruptive innovation in management and look at disruption more generally as something that breaks the status quo – be it in business, politics, science, or society. Pick the one of these four fields you are most passionate about, identify a problem of greater magnitude and come up with a disruptive idea to solve it. Your idea must aspire to inspire top-notch leaders worldwide. Do not free ride on the buzzword “disruption” but rather be bold and develop a truly novel and radical concept to win our prestigious award.

2016  – Growth – the good, the bad, and the ugly

Schima labitsch (at).

1st place – Fordham University

Alexandra Ettlin (CH)

2nd place – University of St.Gallen

Colin Miller (US)

3rd place – New York University

What are alternatives to economic growth?

2015  – Proudly Small

Laya maheshwari (in).

1st place – London School of Economic

Leon Schreiber (ZA)

2nd place – Freie Universität Berlin

Katharina Schramm (DE)

3rd place – University of St.Gallen

Essay Questions:

• What is the next small BIG thing?

Think about unconventional ideas, undiscovered trends or peripheral signals that may turn into ground-breaking changes for societies. Present one idea which is not on the radar of current leaders yet but will change the game in business, politics or civil society – the best ones will be put to the test by the global audience of the St. Gallen Symposium.

• Collaborative Small State Initiative

Although small states lead the global rankings in international benchmark studies on competitiveness, innovation and wealth, they are often politically marginalised. Explore a common agenda for small and prosperous countries and identify one joint project that would increase the relevance of small states on the global stage. Go beyond politics and diplomacy by also including economic and civil players.

• Elites: small but superior groups rule the world – at what price?

Human history shows that the world has been ruled by tiny but superior groups of people. It is the elites who have been controlling societies and the allocation of resources. Given the rise of inequality, a devastating level of famine that still exists, ubiquitous corrupt systems of government, limited access to education for the underprivileged, to name just a few of the world’s greatest problems, elites are challenged to redefine their roles and agenda settings. Share your thoughts on how elites are supposed to emerge and transform in the 21st century.

2014  – The Clash of Generations

Ashwinikumar singh (in).

1st place – University of Mumbai

Martin Seneviratne (AU)

2nd place – University of Sydney

Set Ying Ting (MY)

3rd place – National University of Singapore

• Balancing Generational Claims

The presumption of an altruistic relation between generations and its positive effect on the economic well-being of societies is illusionary. Welfare states have widened fiscal gaps to an irreparable extent for the next generations. When aspiring to a sustainable welfare system, how should intergenerational claims balance without having to rely on selflessness?

• A Double-Edged Legacy

Let’s be frank: The generational contract has failed everywhere – but for different reasons. Exuberant public debts, zooming healthcare costs, unequal distribution of wealth, loss of ethical and moral anchors, loss of trust in existing institutions: each state is facing a unique set of problems. Briefly describe the situation in your country and propose a generational contract defining mutual responsibilities on an economic and social level.

• A Prospect for the Young

Highly educated and ambitious, yet unemployed. A whole generation of young is entering the labour market with little prospect of success. The implications go way beyond individual tragedies as economies with lasting high levels of youth unemployment risk social instability. Present new solutions on how we can overcome this crisis.

• Business between Generations

Slogans like “rent is the new own” or Botsmann and Rogers’s “what’s mine is yours” (HarperBusiness, 2010) mark the trend of shared economy. Although not a new economic phenomenon per se, particularly the Millennials are embracing this attitude towards doing business where they value access over ownership. The trend is gaining global mainstream acceptance which is resulting in a lasting impact on economic performance. Discuss the future of shared economy, its overall implications and the dynamics between supply and demand.

2013 – Rewarding Courage

Kilian semmelmann (de).

1st place – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Dragov Radoslav (BG)

2nd place – Rotterdam School of Management

Bree Romuld (AU)

3rd place – University of St.Gallen (HSG)

The competitors must choose from one of four competition questions, which refer to the four topic clusters “Putting incentives right”, “Coping with institutions”, “Against the current – courageous people” and “Management of excellence”

• Putting incentives right

How come that both in the corporate world and in politics, responsible courage (e.g. whistleblowing, courage to disagree with current paradigms, etc.) is hardly ever rewarded? Where the big decisions for the future are taken, anxiety, conformity and despondence prevail. How can this be changed?

• Coping with institutions

Institutions of all kinds shape our behaviour – be it economic, political or social behaviour. How should institutions be designed in order to foster a sustainable economic and social development?

• Against the current – courageous people

Observers lament that younger generations, as individualistic as they are, tend to settle for a highly streamlined social and economic world that does not ask for big decisions or unconventional thinking. Please share your opinion on this observation and explain why you agree or disagree. Please use examples that support your arguments.

• Management of excellence

New insights can only flourish within a culture of dialogue in different opinions. No assumptions should be taken for granted nor should there be any unquestioned truth. However, most people (decision makers, managers, students, etc.) often fail to deal constructively with conflicting opinions. How can companies encourage their employees to build a healthy attitude towards unconventional thinking and acting?

2012 – Facing Risk

Rodrigues caren (in).

1st place – St. Joseph’s Institute of Management

Jennifer Miksch (DE)

2nd place – Geneva Graduate Institute

Jelena Petrovic (SR)

3rd place – King’s College London

Detecting Risks

• The methodological tools that allow early detection of what will shape future trends are pivotal. While risks are emerging faster, these tools still need fostered advancement. What is the role of scenario planning and forecasting methods and who is or should be responsible for these aspects in the organisation? How should the detection of risks be addressed in an increasingly complex and interconnected global landscape?

Risk Aversion

• In wealthy societies, most people tend to suppress risk taking. Given this increasing trend of risk aversion in saturated societies, what are the long term consequences for economy and society? What are the long term consequences of a high level of risk aversion?

Emerging Risks

• There are tremendous risks facing the global community and many people have not yet become aware of their potential consequences (e.g. public debt burden). What are the societal, economic and/or political risks your generation of decision makers will be facing in the future? How could you convert these risks into opportunities?

Managing Risk

• There is often a disconnect between taking risks and bearing the burden of the consequences of doing so (e.g. risk taking in investment banking). Who should bear the consequences of negligent risk taking and why? How can healthy risk taking be fostered in wealthy societies?

2011 – Just Power

Marcelo ber (ar).

1st place – New York University

Dhru Kanan Amal (IN)

2nd place – London School of Economics

Maria de los Angeles Lasa (AR)

3rd place – Università di Camerino

• Justice and Power
• Rethinking Leadership
• Public Goods and Values

We asked you to contribute visions and ideas to the theme “Just Power” – Power in the sense of its use in various areas of politics and economics. We expected a professional work which could be an essay, a scenario, a project report or proposal, a multi- media presentation or an entrepreneurial concept. It should be constructive, provocative or instructive, inspiring thoughts and actions as well as introucing new approaches and unconventional ideas. Within the framework of the theme you may choose between three subtopics for your contribution.

2010 – Entrepreneurs – Agents of Change

Ainur begim (kz).

1st place – University of Oslo

James Clear (USA)

Christoph birkholz (de).

• What makes an entrepreneur an “agent of change”?
• Changing of the guard: Who are the new entrepreneurs?
• Corporate entrepreneurship within large companies: a concept for the future or a mere pie in the sky?
• Entrepreneurship between environmental risks and opportunities: What does it take to succeed?

2009 – Revival of Political and Economic Boundaries

Shofwan al-banna choiruzzad (id), jason george (us), aris trantidis (gr), 1999 – 2008, 2008  – global capitalism – local values, guillaume darier (ch), jacobus cilliers (za), feerasta aniqa (nz), christoph matthias paret (de), 2007  – the power of natural resources, benjamin block (us), gustav borgefalk (se), kevin chua (ph), 2006  – inspiring europe, maximilian freier (de), chen yesh (sg), elidor mëhilli (al), william english (us), 2005  – liberty, trust and responsibility, christian h. harding (de), luana badiu (ro), norbert jungmichel (de), fabien curto millet (es /fr), 2004  – the challenges to growth and prosperity, ravi rauniyar (np), peter g. kirchschläger (at / ch), xin dong (cn), 2003 – seeking responses in times of uncertainty, stefanie klein (de), rosita shivacheva (bg), 2002 – pushing limits – questioning goals, constantine (dino) asproloupos (ca / gr), manita jitngarmkusol (th), 2001 – new balance of power, marion mühlberger (at), uwe seibel (de), moses ekra (ci / ca), gerald tan (my), 2000 – time, martin von brocke (de), pei-fu hsieh (tw), tzvetelina tzvetkova (bg), 1999 – new markets, new technologies, new skills, peter doralt (fr), valérie feldmann (de), rajen makhijani (in).

“Partaking in the competition was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only was I able to come to St. Gallen and meet incredible young entrepreneurs and leaders who I’m still in contact with, but it provided me the opportunity to develop and share ideas with key decision-makers. The main idea I submitted was for a new way to finance retraining and healthcare at no cost to individuals or governments. Given the COVID- 19 pandemic, this idea is needed now more than ever, so I’m currently implementing the idea through a new organization I’ve established called FORTE ( Financing Of Return To Employment ).” NAT WARE , Founder & CEO of FORTE, Leader of Tomorrow at the 47th and 48th St. Gallen Symposium

The Society re-launched on 14-Mar-2016

The Royal Commonwealth Society - Singapore  was re-launched on 14 Mar 2016.

The Society will be primarily involved in the advertising and selection process for the new Fellowships and Scholarships for Singaporeans in Innovation alongside the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC); encouraging study in the United Kingdom. 

Notable Commonwealth Scholars include Mr.  Abdullah Tarmugi, former Speaker of the Singapore Parliment and Professor Walter Woon, former Attorney-General of Singapore and Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, President of NUS; amongst several others.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest schools’ international writing competition, managed by The Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. Every year, it offers all Commonwealth youth aged 18 and under the opportunity to express their hopes for the future, opinions of the present and thoughts on the past, through the written word.

The closing date for the essay competition is 1 June 2020. Click More Info below to sign up and submit your entry.

Fellowships in Innovation

The Singapore Commonwealth Fellowships in Innovation were launched on 14 Mar 2016, together with the re-launch of the Society; for Innovation subjects in the United Kingdom.

The Fellowships are for short term placements, up to 3 months, for Singapore Professionals to have a study placement of their choice in academia or in industry in the United Kingdom.

The closing date for application is on 15 June 2020. For more details, email to [email protected] .​

Register your support

Do register your support for and interest in the Society and what we are doing.

We appreciate you sharing your contact details with us.

Registering your support for RCS-SG

Will keep you updated on our events

Outstanding Economics Teachers Award 2024

Ess-moe annual economics seminar 2024: “digital innovation and the future economy”ess-moe annual economics seminar 2024: “, how should competition and consumer protection rules evolve in the age of artificial intelligence (“ai”), ess panel discussion on post singapore budget 2024, mas-ess essay competition 2024: “the impact of global industrial policies on singapore’s economy, the economics of healthcare in singapore: funding high-priced therapies and driving value-based care, singapore economic policy forum 2023″determinants on the quality of life in singapore”, economic society of singapore (ess) annual dinner 2023, looking back and looking forward: an economic perspective on developments in climate change policy, outstanding economics teachers award (oeta) 2023, ess-moe economics seminar 2023: “challenges of a post-covid world”, cccs-ess economics round table 2023: competition and supplier network resilience.

ESS Secretariat Economic Society of Singapore c/o Department of Economics

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Tel: (65) 6773 2913

Fax: (65) 6775 2646

Email: [email protected]

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• 2024 Essay Competition on Artificial Intelligence

CCCS-ESS Essay Competition 2024

5 February 2024

(View Media Release in PDF)

1. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) and the Economic Society of Singapore (“ESS”) today launched the 6 th CCCS-ESS Essay Competition. The topic for this year is “How should Competition and Consumer Protection rules evolve in the age of Artificial Intelligence?” .

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries globally, automating processes, customising and enhancing customer experiences through chatbots and accelerating content creation. Businesses benefit from increased efficiency, while consumers experience personalised services. This advancement presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses and consumers, influencing how they interact with technology.

3. As AI integration becomes more prevalent and businesses begin to embrace the technology, questions arise about the role of competition and consumer protection in this landscape. The essay competition invites contestants to examine the role of competition and consumer protection laws and policies in supporting AI development in Singapore. Specifically, contestants may discuss, among others, how should rules and policies evolve to achieve a balance between fostering innovation and ensuring fair business practices to safeguard the interests of businesses and consumers. 

4. The essay competition has two categories:

a) “School” category : all post-secondary students (regardless of nationality) studying in Singapore in polytechnics, centralised institutes, international schools and junior colleges may apply. This includes students currently enrolled in the Integrated Programme (Year 5/6) or in the International Baccalaureate diploma programme. Current full-time national servicemen and/or students who have recently completed their education in the above-mentioned schools/programmes , and Singaporean students in such institutions/programmes (or equivalent) overseas may also participate.

b) “Open” category : all individuals living in Singapore as well as Singaporeans living overseas (excluding those who qualify under the “school” category).

5. The following awards will be given for the three best essays of each category:

6. The terms and conditions as well as entry forms for the CCCS-ESS Essay Competition are available on the CCCS website . The closing date for submission of entries is 31 May 2024 .

About the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore

CCCS is a statutory board of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. CCCS administers and enforces the Competition Act 2004 which empowers CCCS to investigate and adjudicate anti-competitive activities, issue directions to stop and/or prevent anti-competitive activities and impose financial penalties. CCCS also administers and enforces the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003, which protects consumers against unfair trade practices in Singapore. Our mission is to make markets work well to create opportunities and choices for businesses and consumers in Singapore. For more information, please visit  www.cccs.gov.sg .

About the Economic Society of Singapore

The Economic Society of Singapore (“ESS”) is a non-profit organisation of economists and other professionals interested in economics. ESS brings together members of the economics profession in academia, the government and business sectors and provides a platform for discussions on issues facing the Singapore economy and the region. The primary objective of the Society is to raise public awareness, and stimulate public interest and debate, in economic issues. It does this by organizing conferences, talks, workshops and public lectures and by conducting studies on issues, either on its own or in partnership with other organizations.

For more information, please visit www.ess.org.sg

Last Updated on 05 February 2024

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Lend your imagination, dreams and vision toward shaping a Singapore we’d always be proud to call Home.

Learn more about this year's theme., “we want to build a multi-racial nation where every community, majority and minority, can integrate fully, yet have maximum space to maintain their identities…”, deputy prime minister lawrence wong, unfamiliar with sg75, this annual competition shines a spotlight on the hopes and aspirations of singaporeans seeking to build a lasting legacy for future generations. , it invites everyone to share their ideas for a better singapore, to help steer the direction in which we build our nation., every year, this competition renews the vision and pioneering spirit of our founding fathers, led by the late mr. lee kuan yew – keeping it alive and thriving among a new generation of thinkers, doers and wavemakers., this year's theme, , many faces, many races, one singapore  , invites participants to share their vision of how we can weave our multi-cultural social fabric even tighter together – so as to support a stronger, more unified society., join this year’s sg75, important dates.

Static 1 Open - Individual

Increasing Our GST by Koh Rui Feng Ian

Static 2 Primary - Individual

One Singapore with many faces and many races by Evelyn Chai Yi Xuan

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UNITE-STRONG SINGAPORE by SQPS UNITE

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Swimming With a Merlion by Loricia Yap Yu Xin

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Colours of Unity by Group MERLION

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Please don't to judge a book by its' cover by Su Yuan Angel

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One Voice, One Nation by CHONG KAR ANN

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Rice to Meat You! by KopiUp!

Our Masterpiece by The Colours

200 Years of Nation Building

The singapore story in a chronological timeline, for all enquiries regarding the competition, please send your queries to: .

     [email protected]

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5 February 2024

(View  Media Release  in PDF)

1. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) and the Economic Society of Singapore (“ESS”) today launched the 6 th  CCCS-ESS Essay Competition. The topic for this year is  “How should Competition and Consumer Protection rules evolve in the age of Artificial Intelligence?” .

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries globally, automating processes, customising and enhancing customer experiences through chatbots and accelerating content creation. Businesses benefit from increased efficiency, while consumers experience personalised services. This advancement presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses and consumers, influencing how they interact with technology.

3. As AI integration becomes more prevalent and businesses begin to embrace the technology, questions arise about the role of competition and consumer protection in this landscape. The essay competition invites contestants to examine the role of competition and consumer protection laws and policies in supporting AI development in Singapore. Specifically, contestants may discuss, among others, how should rules and policies evolve to achieve a balance between fostering innovation and ensuring fair business practices to safeguard the interests of businesses and consumers. 

4. The essay competition has two categories:

a) “School” category: all post-secondary students (regardless of nationality) studying in Singapore in polytechnics, centralised institutes, international schools and junior colleges may apply. This includes students currently enrolled in the Integrated Programme (Year 5/6) or in the International Baccalaureate diploma programme. Current full-time national servicemen and/or students who have recently completed their education in the above-mentioned schools/programmes, and Singaporean students in such institutions/programmes (or equivalent) overseas may also participate.

b) “Open” category: all individuals living in Singapore as well as Singaporeans living overseas (excluding those who qualify under the “school” category).

5. The following awards will be given for the three best essays of each category:

6. The terms and conditions as well as entry forms for the CCCS-ESS Essay Competition are available on the  CCCS website . The closing date for submission of entries is 31 May 2024.

2024 ESSAY CONTEST

The Honorable Robert A. Katzmann Justice For All: Courts and the Community Initiative & the Appellate Courts Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association In Honor of Second Circuit Judge Rosemary S. Pooler

Contest Information and Prompt

Contest entry and rules.

In honor of Judge Rosemary S. Pooler and the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown , the theme for this year’s essay contest is “70 years of Brown v. Board of Education : The Promise of Equal Protection of the Laws.” Consistent with this theme, students are asked to consider how the federal courts have interpreted and applied Brown since that decision was rendered, and to think critically about how the principles motivating that decision and the decision itself have influenced and continue to influence individuals, communities, and American society.

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868 following the Civil War, includes the Equal Protection Clause, which provides that the state shall not “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

In Brown v. Board of Education , 347 U.S. 483 (1954), decided 70 years ago this year, the Supreme Court ruled that state laws that segregated students based on race violated the Equal Protection Clause. In so holding, the Supreme Court overruled an earlier decision in Plessy v. Ferguson , which held that if public facilities were equal, racial segregation did not violate the Equal Protection Clause.

In articulating its landmark decision in Brown , the Supreme Court explained that it “must consider public education in the light of its full development and its present place in American life throughout the Nation[,]” and could not view the problem before it by “turn[ing] the clock back to 1868 when the [Equal Protection Clause] was adopted, or even to 1869 when Plessy v. Ferguson was written.” According to the Court:

[E]ducation is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. Compulsory school attendance laws and the great expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to our democratic society. It is required in the performance of our most basic public responsibilities, even service in the armed forces. It is the very foundation of good citizenship. Today it is a principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.

The Court went on to explain that racial segregation is harmful in and of itself. Separating students “from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.” And this “feeling of inferiority” may affect certain children’s ability to learn and deprive them of the benefits they would otherwise receive from their education.

The Court concluded that,

in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed

Decisions informing Brown or that apply Brown:

• United States v. Carolene Prod. Co. , 304 U.S. 144 (1938): In Carolene Products Company , the Supreme Court recognized that “prejudice against discrete and insular minorities may be a special condition, which tends seriously to curtail the operation of those political processes ordinarily to be relied upon to protect minorities” thus requiring judicial intervention.
• San Antonio Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Rodriguez , 411 U.S. 1 (1973): In Rodriguez , the Supreme Court upheld Texas’s system of financing public schools through property tax assessments, which created a disparity in resources between wealthier and poorer tax districts, against a challenge under Brown and the Equal Protection Clause. In reaching this decision, the Court reasoned that “where wealth is involved, the Equal Protection Clause does not require absolute equality or precisely equal advantages.”
• Grutter v. Bollinger , 539 U.S. 306 (2003): In Grutter , the Supreme Court held that “student body diversity is a compelling state interest that can justify the use of race in university admissions” at least to a limited extent. The Court recognized that the benefits of diversity in an educational setting included enabling students to better understand persons of different backgrounds, and that a diverse student body helped make classroom discussion “livelier, more spirited, and simply more enlightening and interesting”.
• Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard Coll. , 600 U.S. 181 (2023): In Students for Fair Admissions , the Supreme Court held that Harvard College’s and the University of North Carolina’s admission policies, which gave preference to certain applicants solely based on their race, were unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause. The Court reasoned that the contested admission policies “further[ed] stereotypes that treat individuals as the product of their race, evaluating their thoughts and efforts—their very worth as citizens—according to a criterion barred to the Government by history and the Constitution”, thus contradicting the “core purpose” of Brown and the Equal Protection Clause.

You may want to consider one or more of the following prompts:

• Now, 70 years later, do you think that Brown’s promise of fully integrated public education has been achieved? If not, what else needs to be done?
• What does it mean to afford individuals “equal protection of the laws”?
• Brown concerned discrimination in school based on race. Do you think that students today face discrimination in school for reasons other than race? What can be done to change that?
• Are there circumstances under which the federal judiciary should not let popular views or positions influence its decision making? If so, what are they? If not, why not?
• When should the Supreme Court overrule prior cases, as it did when it overruled Plessy v. Ferguson in Brown?
• What types of diversity are meaningful in an educational setting?
• Are there other benefits like public education that we think are so important that they should be provided on an equal basis as a matter of right?
• In order to put their rulings into effect, judges often issue orders that require people or organizations to do certain things. Imagine you are a judge issuing an order to your school. What would you order to make your school a fairer place

Who May Enter : The contest will be open to high school students in New York. Students attending public, private, parochial, and charter schools, as well as home-schooled students of equivalent grade status, are all invited to participate. Note: Children of federal judges or federal judiciary employees are not eligible to participate.

Timeline for Submissions : Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on April 26, 2024.

Length and Format : Essays must be between 500 and 1000 words (2-4 double spaced pages). The essays must be double spaced and typed using size 12, easily readable font (e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond, etc.). Proper use of citations and bibliographies is not required, but will be credited during the judging. Citations and bibliographies are not included in the word count. Essays must be submitted electronically as a PDF to [email protected] . In the subject line of the email, please put your full name and “2024 Essay Contest Submission” (for example: Jane Smith 2024 Essay Contest Submission). Please submit the contest entry form, available here , as a separate PDF in your email. Please do not put your name on your essay.

Judging : Judging will be based on the following criteria:

• Understanding of Brown v. Board of Education and how the federal courts have interpreted and applied Brown since that decision was rendered
• Analysis of how the principles motivating the Brown decision and the Brown decision itself have influenced and continue to influence individuals, communities, and American society
• Clarity and effectiveness in expressing the theme
• Grammar, spelling, and composition
• First place: $1,000
• Second place: $400
• Third place: $100

Release Forms : Contest finalists will be required to submit a release form allowing the Second Circuit to publish their essays in print publications and on public court websites (student essays published on public websites or documents intended for circulation to the public will be identified only by students’ initials).

Disqualification : Providing false information, failure to adhere to contest rules, plagiarism, off-topic essays, and failure to meet the submission deadline are all grounds for disqualification.

Essay Contest Flyer

These are just a few suggested resources. Students are encouraged to utilize other resources they may find as well.

• Brown v. Board of Education
• United States v. Carolene Products
• San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez
• Grutter v. Bollinger
• Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College

https://www.annenbergclassroom.org/resource/conversation-constitution-brown-v-board-education

https://landmarkcases.c-span.org/Case/8/Brown-v.-Board-of-Education

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka

• Courthouse Visits
• Civic Education
• Student Contests
• Reenactments
• Civic Ceremonies
• Adult Education
• Learning Centers
• Courts of the Second Circuit
• Annual Reports

U.S. Court of Appeals Library Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse 40 Foley Square New York, NY 10007

[email protected]

(212) 857-8930

2024 Justice For All: Courts and the Community Initiative