ICU Global Youth Essay Competition (Up To 100,000 yen)

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Applications are open for ICU Global Youth Essay Competition. The International Christian University (ICU) and Japan ICU Foundation are inviting youths from around the world to share their views on the betterment of the society.

Each year, essay topics are selected in the areas of human rights and current events.

ICU Global Youth Essay Competition Prize Information

Top Prize ( 1 winner ): Two round-trip airline tickets to Tokyo in the summer of 2025 for the winner and a guardian. A visit to ICU will be incorporated into the trip. In lieu of the airline tickets, the top prize winner has the option of receiving 100,000 yen.
Second Prize ( 1 winner ): 50,000 yen gift card
Third Prize ( 10 winners ): A copy of the “Illustrated Universal Declaration of Human Rights in French, English, and Japanese” translated by ICU students.
Special Prize (1 winner) For those who have not been educated in English for more than 1 year: same as 3rd prize

ICU Global Youth Essay Competition Format

Language: Essays must be written in English.
Word Limit: No more than 650 words, excluding essay title and bibliography
Essay Title: Essays must have a title. Please create a title that best describes the essence of your essay. The title does not count towards the word limit.
Note: All essays will be checked for plagiarism as well as AI generators checker.

Ineligible Activities

An essay will be disqualified if:

It does not address the topic.
It does not include a title.
An applicant covers more than one topic.
It is not the applicant’s original work (including the use of AI).

Eligibility Criteria for ICU Global Youth Essay Competition

Applicants must be aged 14-18 as of October 9, 2024 (inclusive) and must currently reside outside of Japan.
University/college students as of October 9, 2024 are ineligible to apply.