{"id":1656,"date":"2021-11-07T20:04:22","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T20:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/symposium.org\/?page_id=1656"},"modified":"2026-03-02T14:39:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:39:14","slug":"global-essay-competition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/symposium.org\/initiatives\/global-essay-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Essay Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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55th St. Gallen Symposium 2026<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Global Essay Competition<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Compete in our Global Essay Competition and qualify for participation as a Leader of Tomorrow<\/mark><\/a> <\/mark>in the world’s premier opportunity for
cross-generational debates: The St. Gallen Symposium.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Sign up<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Meet 300 of society\u2019s 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.
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Topic Question <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Disruption in Tech + Politics + Demography:<\/span> What happens when they collide?
Pick a case where <\/span>at least two<\/span><\/strong> <\/span>of these forces meet, and propose a bold idea to maximize the benefits while minimizing the risks over the long term.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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Registration window for the Global Essay Competition to qualify for the 55th St. Gallen Symposium is open<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here to register for the 2026 Global Essay Competition<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/a><\/em> For any unanswered questions please contact us via e-mail at leadersoftomorrow@symposium.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prerequisites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Qualify with an excellent essay<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We expect a professional, creative, and thought-provoking essay. Be bold, unconventional, and distinctive in addressing the competition question. While the use of AI tools is permitted (when cited correctly), the judging will focus on originality and the strength of your own unique ideas. For this reason, heavy reliance on generic outputs from systems such as ChatGPT is strongly discouraged: <\/strong>We want to hear your <\/strong>authentic voice and perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For your contribution to be valid, the following criteria must be met<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Form<\/strong><\/td>Essay (max. 2,100 words, excl. abstract, bibliography, and footnotes)<\/td><\/tr>
Language<\/strong><\/td>English<\/td><\/tr>
Deadline<\/strong><\/td>1 February 2026, 11:59 p.m. last time zone (UTC-12)<\/td><\/tr>
Anonymity<\/strong><\/td>Your name, e-mail address, university, or any identifying details must not be mentioned anywhere in the contribution file.<\/td><\/tr>
Individuality<\/strong><\/td>Individual work expected, no group work allowed. The essay must be written exclusively for this contest. The idea must be the author’s own.<\/td><\/tr>
Citation<\/strong><\/td>All sources must be cited and referred to the respective part in the essay. All contributions will be tested for plagiarism<\/strong>.
Any auxiliary aids (AI, proofreading, translation service, layout\/graphics services, writing and translation programs, etc.) are to be listed in an auxiliary aids directory. All auxiliary aids and resources used must be fully and correctly cited. Failure to acknowledge or reference any aid\u2014whether digital, printed, or otherwise\u2014will result in disqualification<\/strong>. Transparency and academic integrity are mandatory.<\/td><\/tr>
Template<\/strong><\/td>Download Template for the Global Essay Competition<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Check your eligibility and prepare documents<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To be eligible, you must fulfill all of the following criteria:<\/h5>\n\n\n\n