St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition 2020

Published: 05 Oct 2019 1,478 views

Eligible undergraduate and postgraduate students are hereby invited to participate in the St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition 2020 for a chance to win the St. Gallen's Wings Of Excellence Awards, and qualify for participation as a Leader of Tomorrow in the world's premier opportunity for intergenerational debates.

 

The essay competition question reads:

"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 a 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 a 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?"

 

The participants are required to choose one of the following positions as they develop their essay:

1. 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.

2. 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.

University of Saint Gallen Graduates

Application Deadline	February 1, 2020
Funding Type	Fully Funded
Country to study	Switzerland
School to study	University of St. Gallen
Type	Graduate Programme
Sponsor	University of Saint Gallen
Gender	Men and Women

Benefits of University of Saint Gallen Graduates

Successful applicants will:

1. Meet 300 of the world’s brightest young minds
2. Present and debate your ideas with 600 senior leaders
3. Be inspired by some of the world’s most impressive speakers
4. Gain a unique and new perspective on this year’s topic
5. Become a member of a unique global community
6. Celebrate the 50th anniversary with St. Gallen
7. Win prize money of CHF 20,000 split amongst winners

Requirements for University of Saint Gallen Graduates

1. Open to students enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university;
2. Born in 1990 or later.

Selection Process

Selection Criteria

The following criteria must be met:

1. Form: Essay (max. 2,100 words, excl. bibliography & footnotes)
2. Language: English
3. Anonymity: Your name must not be mentioned anywhere in the contribution file.
4. Individuality: Individual work expected, no group work allowed. The essay must be written exclusively for this contest. The idea must be the author’s own.
5. Citation: All sources must be cited and referred to the respective part in the essay. All contributions will be tested for plagiarism.

Application Documents

Make sure you can provide the following documents:

1. Copy of passport or other identification (in English for non-Roman languages)
2. Confirmation of matriculation/enrolment from your university which proves your enrollment in a graduate/postgraduate level programme as of 1 February 2020 (download sample document here)
3. Your contribution file with no indication of your name in the file name, the file metadata or the file itself

Application Deadline

February 1, 2020

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to University of Saint Gallen on www.symposium.org to apply