Application Deadline:1 February 2020, 11:59 p.m. last time zone (UTC-12)
The St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award is a global student essay competition, offering students who study at graduate or postgraduate level around the world the opportunity to apply for participation at the St. Gallen Symposium.
Benefits
Meet 300 of the world’s 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
Celebrate our 50th anniversary with us
Win prize money of CHF 20,000 split amongst winners
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must fulfill all of the following criteria:
- Enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university
- Born in 1990 or later
Make sure you can provide the following documents:
- Copy of passport or other identification (in English for non-Roman languages)
- Confirmation of matriculation/enrolment from your university which proves your enrollment in a graduate/postgraduate level programme as of 1 February 2020 (download sample document here)
- Your contribution file with no indication of your name in the file name, the file metadata or the file itself
Essay Question
Freedom Revisited: Which aspects of freedom need to be defended, or recalibrated, to meet the challenges of our time?
Domestically and on the international stage, values of individual, economic, and political freedom are subject to critical inquiry or outright attack. Diverse phenomena such as populism, global power shifts, climate change, the digital revolution, and global migration call for a reflection on the value of freedom for the way we live, do business, and organize politically in the years ahead. While some call for a defence of established freedoms, others call for recalibration of our concept of freedom, or the balance we strike between freedom and other values, such as equality, sustainability, and security. Where do you stand in this debate? Choose one of the following positions as you develop your essay:
In defence of freedom: Choose an area in the realm of business, economics, politics, or civil society where current concepts of freedom are under pressure and where they need to be defended. Describe the problem and offer a concrete and practical proposition of how established concepts of freedom should – and can be – defended. Describe its impact for the future.
In defence of recalibrating freedom: Choose an area in the realms of business, economics, politics or civil society where current concepts of freedom are unsuitable for the challenges we face and where they need to be recalibrated. Describe the problem and offer a concrete and practical proposition of how established concepts of freedom should and can be recalibrated. Describe its impact for the future.
Requirements
he following criteria must be met:
| Form | Essay (max. 2,100 words, excl. bibliography & footnotes) |
| Language | English |
| Deadline | 1 February 2020, 11:59 p.m. last time zone (UTC-12) |
| Anonymity | Your name must not be mentioned anywhere in the contribution file. |
| Individuality | Individual work expected, no group work allowed. The essay must be written exclusively for this contest. The idea must be the author’s own. |
| Citation | All sources must be cited and referred to the respective part in the essay. All contributions will be tested for plagiarism. |
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the St. Gallen Symposium Leader of Tomorrow Essay Competition 2020