In imperial China, essay contests could get you a cushy bureaucrat sinecure. (Confucius Temple, Beijing)
I get this question a lot from friends, even though I’m no expert on the subject - all I can write are sillystories about girls. It’s hard for me to find the right answer because generalizing about essay competitions isn’t terribly useful – they vary too much in their types and topics, and each has its own optimal approach. At the risk of overgeneralizing, I will limit my advice to a few principles that should be applicable to all kinds of essay contests on any topic under the sun. I draw mostly from my experiences writing for and judging.
It looks like I get to see the French-speaking side of Switzerland this time:
On behalf of Dr. Hans Blix, it is my great pleasure to thank you for participating in the Students for A Nuclear Weapons-Free World competition. The expert Panel of Judges, chaired by The Hon. Douglas Roche, was composed of people from all regions of the world. They assessed your contribution to be outstanding and to merit one of the 15 prizes. Please accept our wholehearted congratulations!
These days I have come to accept that disappointment is a part of life and I should get used to rejection. You win some, you lose some. But it really sucks to have lost the important one.
Microfinance is kind of like initiating a kiss. You take a risk on a long shot… and hopefully it pays off
(Actually I just wanted an excuse to post my favorite scene up)
In July 2007, the South Korean ministry of finance announced that it had hired the lead actor and actress from a hit television serial that aired May-July to promote their microcredit program. That television serial, “War of Money” (쩐의전쟁), was about the informal moneylending industry in South Korea, reaching an average of 32.8% of households in the greater Seoul area and 31% nationwide, and it was the top-rated serial of the season, so popular that ‘bonus’ episodes were produced - it remains one of my personal all-time favorite kdramas. Much of its storyline emphasized themes of income volatility, uncollateralized credit, innovative entrepreneurship, and good (and bad) borrowing practices - all themes relevant to microfinance. In an interview prior to the serial’s airing, the lead actor Park Shin-yang (박신양, of Lovers in Paris/파리의연인 fame) had even noted that one of the sources of inspiration that he drew from was the work of Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank.
Perhaps it may be useful to take “Money’s Warfare” one step further, and consider a similar application of television serials in microfinance education, through its plot, themes, and product placement strategy.
So it’s confirmed, I’m going to Tokyo, and they have posted the full text of the essay online if you care to read it. Although they liked my essay, they didn’t like it enough:
We would like to express our gratitude to you for submitting your essay to the JFTC Essay Competition 2007. After a strict screening of all the essays, we have selected your essay, “Gundamnomics: Transforming Corporate Japan for the Challenges of Global Capitalism” as a candidate for an award. The final result is scheduled to be announced on Friday, December 14, and the winners will be notified directly. The Awarding Ceremony and our New Year’s Reception will be held from 16:30 to 19:00 on January 9, 2008 at Hotel New Otani, Tokyo, Japan.
Although my op-ed has finally been published in the Straits Times review section as a joint submission, I can’t help but feel a little upset that they rejected my original piece but took this one when the only differences are that 1) it is less critical of the state, 2) more conversational and most importantly, 3) has a nominated member of parliament’s name in front - same ideas, same structure, his prose. That, and I like my punchy policy-wonk prose better, even though his is probably more accessible.
I am considering whether or not I can attend this without too much cost:
On behalf of the Global Forum for Health Research and The Lancet, we are pleased to confirm that your essay entitled The fever at the bottom of the pyramid: Towards private sector and market-oriented solutions for the 10/90 gap was chosen as one of 40 shortlisted by the organizers from almost 300 entries from 60 countries. Your essay will now be published in an anthology to be launched at the Global Forum’s 2007 meeting in Beijing on 29 October. As you know, the winners of the competition have been invited to Beijing for their prize, all expenses paid. Should you be able to find funding to allow you to join us in Beijing, we would be happy to waive the participation fee and to involve you in the celebration of ‘Young Voices’. Do let us know. Please accept our congratulations on this success and our very best wishes for your future.
