Young China Watchers & Lau China Institute Essay Competition 2023
“China: Knowledge Superpower”
The Lau China Institute together with Young China Watchers welcomes submissions to our annual writing competition. This year’s theme is “China: Knowledge Superpower”. The competition aims to discover and showcase the newest young writing talent on China in the UK. We want to help foster the next generation of experts on China by providing a platform for young people to be heard.
We invite young China scholars from all backgrounds to apply. To be eligible, applicants must be 35 years or under and living in the UK (UK and non-UK residents with a registered UK bank account will be eligible).
Competition winners will be announced at this year’s China Week hosted by the Lau China Institute, King’s College London from 16 to 20 October.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS – Terms & Conditions
We invite authors to submit short essays or op-ed style pieces that explore China as a global leader in research and education.
We are interested in the following three sub-themes. Under these sub-themes, examples of issues that authors may like to examine include:
(1) Research and Development
● How China’s R&D is driving breakthroughs (e.g. in areas including artificial intelligence, robotics, 5G, high-speed rail, space exploration, medicine, energy, decarbonisation, manufacturing, IT, etc.)
● China’s investment in R&D and its implications globally and nationally
● The importance of research collaboration between China and the rest of the world
● The role of China in tackling global challenges through R&D
● The dynamics and impact of China’s R&D ecosystem
(2) Innovation
● Production of high-tech intellectual property
● Public-private collaboration between research institutions and firms
● Rise of China’s knowledge economy
(3) Education
● Education in China/China’s education policy
● Artificial intelligence in education
● The social and economic implications of education in China
Please note, the above list is not exhaustive. Submissions will be accepted on additional topics so long as they relate directly to the theme.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
● Word limit: Articles should be between 750-850 words (op-eds longer than 850 words will not be accepted)
● Acceptable formats: short essays or opinion-editorial style pieces written in a journalistic, accessible language (for a lay audience) with the author’s original analysis and views presented on the given topic
● Referencing: statistics, facts, publications, policies, and quotes mentioned within the article should include in-text hyperlinks to their primary sources. No bibliography or reference list is required.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
● Applicants must be aged 35 years or younger on the day of the deadline, living in the UK and have a UK bank account (proof will be required).
● Applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds are encouraged.
● Competition entries must demonstrate a clear relevance to the theme in order to be assessed by the judging panel (for the assessment criteria, see ‘Judging’) .
● Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Submissions must be written by the author listed as the submitter.
● Entrants who have submitted essays to prior competitions are welcome to re-enter, provided that they were not winners or runners-up.
KEY DATES
● The competition opens on Monday 26th June 2023.
● The deadline to submit your entry is 11:59pm BST on Monday 7th August 2023. All entries must be submitted as PDFs with your name and essay title in the subject line and sent to: Lauessay@youngchinawatchers.com
● Winners will be informed in September, and officially announced during the Lau China Institute’s ‘China Week’ from 16th- 20th October 2023. The winner must be available to attend in-person, if possible.
JUDGING
● The judging panel will include senior representatives from the global board of Young China Watchers and academic experts from King’s College London.
● Entries will be assessed on writing style, research, analysis and originality.
PRIZES
● First prize: The winner will receive £300. The winning entry will be published on the YCW website and blog, and the author will be invited to present their topic at the YCW annual conference in 2024.
● Runners-up: Two runners up will receive £150 each and their entries will be published on the YCW website.
Due to a high volume of submissions, we regret that we are unable to provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates. For any questions or queries, please contact:
Lauessay@youngchinawatchers.com
