SMART Talks on Climate Change
Writing Competition 2023

1) Submit your essay: September 1 - October 15, 2023

2) Judging period: October 16 - 31, 2023

3) Winners annoucement: Early November, 2023

1) Each participant can submit only one essay, which must be an original piece created specifically for this competition.

2) Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances.

3) The decisions of the judging panel are final.

4) Participants retain the copyright of their submitted essays. However, by participating in this competition, participants grant Caixin Global the right to edit, publish, and use the essays on any media platform, including print and online.

The competition will be evaluated based on the following 5 dimensions:

· Conceptual Content (20%)
· Expressive Capability (20%)
· Organizational Ability (20%)
· Language and Grammar (20%)
· Creativity (20%)

*The judging panel will consist of senior editors from Caixin Global and professors from Yale University.

We have set up the following awards:

· First Prize (3 winners): Highest overall scores ranked first to third.
· Second Prize (5 winners): Overall scores ranked fourth to eighth.
· Third Prize (10 winners): Overall scores ranked ninth to eighteenth.
· Most Creative Award (3 winners): Outstanding performance in the creative aspect, and it won't overlap with the First, Second, or Third Prizes.

The works of the First Prize winners will be featured in the column of Caixin Global.

All winners will receive award certificates from Caixin Global and have the opportunity to have their essays included in the competition's collection of works.

The competition is open to young individuals aged 30 and below. Participants from all Asian regions are welcome to apply, with no nationality restrictions.

Participating in the SMART Talks on Climate Change Writing Competition is free of charge. We want to encourage a diverse range of perspectives and voices to contribute to global conversation on addressing climate change.

Your work will be judged by a jury panel, including senior editors from Caixin Global and top professors from Yale University.

The jury's decision will be announced on this website in early November.

All essays must be 500-800 words, written in English. The word count excludes all bibliography, footnotes, and graph descriptions. Please make sure to state the exact word count in your document.

All sources must be quoted. 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 SMART Talks on Climate Change Writing Competition

Sure, please scroll up to the "Past Winners" section, or click here.

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).

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.

The juding panel will verify your eligibility and check all submitted essays 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. The results will be announced on this website in early November 2023. The awardees will also receive notification emails.