Essay Contest

Due January 15, 2027 to essaycontest@harvardmun.org.

Every year, HMUN invites delegates to partake in the optional essay contest to have a chance to be recognized at the closing ceremony and to receive special recognition. This contest is designed to help delegates improve their writing and argumentation skills. The details of this year’s contest are as follows:

Respond to one of the prompts below in 1,000 words or fewer:

  1. Choose an ordinary object in your everyday life. Trace its journey across borders, from sourcing its materials and manufacturing to your use of it and its eventual disposal. What does its journey reveal about global interconnectedness? Consider who benefits from this object and who bears the costs of its creation and/or transport. 

  2. Who is one past Secretary-General of the United Nations that you look up to and why? How do you hope to embody their values, principles, and leadership in the future? Alternatively, who is one past Secretary-General of the United Nations that you feel made missteps during their tenure? If you were them, what would you have done differently?

  3. Pick a photo, piece of artwork, or political cartoon from any time period that relates to international relations. Discuss why you chose it, what it reflected about that issue and time period, and what lessons can be learned from it today. Please also include a copy of the chosen photo, piece of artwork, or political cartoon in the same file that you submit your essay in.

Essay guidelines and submission instructions:

  • 1,000 words or fewer

  • This essay should be an argumentative essay with a clear original thesis. Please do not write stories or dialogues.

  • No outside sources are necessary; however, if you do use them, please cite your sources.

  • Essays should be engaging and be sure to share your voice!

  • Essays should be written in size 12 Times New Roman font, double-spaced in PDF format. No other formats of the essay will be accepted.

  • Essay heading should include your name, delegation name, faculty advisor name, and the number of the prompt that you are writing the essay for. We do not accept any submissions from delegates whose delegation is not attending this year’s HMUN.

  • All essays should be your original work — we will not accept any essays that are suspected of being written in full or partly by another person or artificial intelligence (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini). If your essay is suspected of containing AI, then you are subject to disqualification for awards during HMUN 2027.

Please submit to essaycontest@harvardmun.org by January 15, 2027, at 11:59 PM EST