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Essay Topic
Addressing the Climate Crisis and a Multidimensional Understanding of Energy
Explore the challenges and tensions associated with addressing climate change through at least two perspectives: diplomacy and security, science and technology, economics, or oceans. Consider how energy security, geopolitical tensions, and the growing energy demands of emerging technologies such as AI may shape our future, and propose a creative scenario for addressing these challenges.
Overview
- Hosted and Organized by: Education Association for Software Empowerment (EASE)
- Operated by: HOBY Korea
- Supported by: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Busan Metropolitan City, Gyeonggi Province, Seoul Metropolitan Council, Gyeonggi Provincial Council, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education, Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education, Sejong Special Self-Governing City Office of Education, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education, Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, Jeollanam-do Office of Education, Paju Office of Education, Gyeonggi Province, Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco), Green Environment Practice Headquarters, HOBY Foundation
- Entry fee: No entry fee
- Eligibilities: Middle and high school students from any country
- Grades between 7th and 12th in the U.S. education system or equivalent (e.g., homeschooling) on August 3, 2026
- Submission Deadline: August 3, 2026 (KST)
- Announcement of Winners : September 3, 2026 (KST)
- Awards Ceremony: September 19, 2026 (KST) in Seoul (in-person)
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Awards
The following awards will be presented to outstanding participants:
- Award by Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives - 2
- Award by New York City Councilmember - 2
- Award by Chicago City Alderman - 2
- Award by Boston City Councilmember At-large - 2
- Award by Boston City Councilor - 2
- Minister of Education Award – 1
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Award – 1
- Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Award – 1
- Minister of Oceans and Fisheries - 1
- Mayor of Seoul Metropolitan Government Award – 1
- Governor of Gyeonggi Province Award – 1
- Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council Award – 2
- Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Award – 2
- Foreign Embassies in the Republic of Korea Award – 3
- Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Award – 1
- Busan Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Award – 2
- Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education Superintendent Award – 2
- Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Office of Education Superintendent Award – 2
- Sejong City Office of Education Superintendent Award – 1
- Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Superintendent Award – 4
- Jeollanam-do Office of Education Superintendent Award – 1
- Gyeonggi Paju Office of Education Head Award – 4
- Korea Environment Corporation President’s Award – 2
- Korea Software Empowerment Education Association President’s Award – 5
- HOBY Korea Award – 5
- Green Environment Practice Headquarters President's Award – 5
※ Some awards may have geographic restrictions and can only be given to students residing within the specific districts of the awarding organizations. Essays submitted by applicants residing in these districts will be given priority during the final selection process.
※ Certificate of Participation (electronic) is issued to each participant.
Submission Guidelines
- Languages : English or Korean (Choose one language.)
- Word Limit: 700 words or less in Korean, or 1,000 words or less in English, excluding title, references ※ Using footnotes is not allowed.
- Only Microsoft Word (docx or .doc) files are accepted. PDFs, Pages documents, HWPs, PPTs, etc. will not be reviewed.
- Use the official essay submission form provided below to submit your essay. Entries using self-made forms will not be considered. Modifying the official essay submission form will be also excluded from reviewing.
- Use a standard font to avoid any readability issues. Essays with font issues will not be considered for reviewing.
- Ensure your uploaded file can be downloaded successfully through the online application. Essays that cannot be downloaded will be excluded from reviewing.
- Please double-check that you upload the intended essay file. Uploading the wrong file will result in disqualification.
- Essays must be submitted through the competition's online application only. Submissions via email or other methods will not be reviewed.
※ Acceptable Uses of AI:
- Grammar/Spelling Check
- Information searching
Judging
1st Round:
- Essays submitted by elementary school students, high school graduates, college students, or adults are disqualified from review.
- Essay submitted after the competition deadline (23:59 August 3, 2026 KST) are disqualified from review.
- Essays submitted that do not adhere to the submission guidelines are disqualified from review.
- Essays with a similarity rate over 15%, as detected by the turnitin program, will be disqualified from review.
- Failure to submit the AI Usage Disclosure Form will result in disqualification.
2nd Round:
Essays that passed the 1st round will be evaluated based on the following criteria.
- Length: Essays containing fewer than 50% of the required word count or exceeding the specified limit by more than 10% will be disqualified.
- Writing Quality: Essays with excessive errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or sentence structure (Essays with exceeding 30% of the content wiil be disqualified.)
- Topic Relevance: Essays will be evaluated based on how closely they address and engage with this year's competition topic.
- Essays should clearly demonstrate the participant's own ideas, opinions, analysis, and insights.
- Essays that rely heavily on AI-generated sentences or paragraphs, or that merely paraphrase and compile existing information without substantial original thought, analysis, or interpretation, may receive score deductions or be disqualified from the review process.
3rd Round:
Essays that pass the second-round review will be evaluated regardless of the language of submission (Korean or English), and the top 100 essays will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Clarity of Argument - 30%
- Strength of Reasoning - 30%
- Understanding of the Topic and Critical Thinking - 25%
- Readability and Organization - 15%
Final Round:
The final 100 essays will be evaluated by judges according to the criteria below. Award recipients will be determined based on the average of the scores by all judges.
- Clarity of Argument - 25%
- Strengh of Reasoning - 30%
- Depth of Thought and Originality - 30%
- Quality of Expression and Written Communication - 15%
How to Apply
Submit your essay using the form by 23:59 on August 3, 2026 (KST).
Submit Your Essay
[Download Essay Submission Form - MS Word version]
[Download Download AI Usage Disclosure Form - MS Word version]
Note:
- Once submitted, essays cannot be modified. Please review carefully before submitting. (If you need to make changes, please resubmit a new application.)
- Applicants are solely responsible for any issues arising from incorrect or inconsistent personal information (name, date of birth, school name) provided in the online application form or essay submission form.
- Applications will not be accepted via email or any other methods than the official online application.
- Submitted essays will not be returned.
- Essays must be written solely by the individual applicant. (Team participation is not allowed.)
- To avoid the rush of applications near the deadline, please submit your application 2-3 days before the closing date.
