UNIDIR Global Disarmament Essay Competition

PRIZES

The best essays will be awarded the following prizes:

• The top essay writer will be offered the opportunity to be a non-residential Young Leader Fellow at UNIDIR. The Young Leader Fellow will work with a UNIDIR expert during a week-long all-expenses paid trip to Geneva to prepare and deliver a presentation, based on their winning essay, during an awards ceremony at the at the UN HQ in Geneva. Trip expenses will be determined based on individual circumstances and consistent with UNIDIR rules and regulations.
• The second and third-place essay writers will be offered the opportunity to be a non-residential Young Leader Fellow at UNIDIR. The Young Leader Fellow will work with a UNIDIR expert online to prepare and deliver a presentation, based on their winning essay, during an awards ceremony at the UN HQ in Geneva.
• The five-best essays will be published online as part of UNIDIR’s series of Youth Commentaries, which will be promoted in a dedicated section on its website, through social media and UNIDIR’s research networks.
• The five-best essays will also be shared as background reading for participants involved in UNIDIR’s Model United Nations First Committee simulation.
• In addition, the five finalists will receive a certificate signed by the Director of UNIDIR and by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea in Geneva.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Participation criteria for the essayist

• Age-range: 18-29 years old as of submission date.
• UNIDIR encourages applications, without distinction, on the basis of gender, racial, ethnic or social origin, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, disability, nationality, sexual orientation or gender identity.
• UNIDIR shall have the right at any time to require proof of identity and/or eligibility to participate in the essay competition. Failure to provide such proof may result in disqualification. All personal and other information requested by and supplied to UNIDIR for the purpose of the competition must be truthful, complete, accurate, and in no way misleading.
• Availability to travel to Geneva during September 2022. While it is the responsibility of the candidate for obtaining the necessary visa to enter Switzerland and complying with swiss entry regulations regarding Covid-19 pandemic, UNIDIR will provide administrative assistance to facilitate the travel, and will cover all related costs (cost associated with obtaining a visa and cost associated with performing a PCR test).

Technical requirements for the submission

• One essay per person.
• Essays must be submitted by an applicant acting in their own personal capacity and not on behalf of an organization, company, or government.
• All essays must be an original work by the applicant in their own words, except for quotations from published and unpublished sources, which are clearly indicated and acknowledged as such. The articles submitted for the competition may undergo a thorough review for plagiarism and may be disqualified if any evidence of plagiarism is found.
• The essay must not have been previously published.
• Word-length: 2,000 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography).
• Abstract: 100 words.
• Language: English.
• Format: MS Word document.
• Only entries submitted by date and time will be considered. UNIDIR will confirm via e-mail the receipt of all essay submitted. If the applicant does not receive a confirmation within 48 business hours of sending a submission, s/he can contact UNIDIR to ensure receipt.
• The submission email should contain “Essay Competition 2022_’applicant’s family name’” in the subject line.

Note: The winning/selected article(s) becomes the property of UNIDIR. The winning article(s) may not be published in any journal, review or any medium other than UNIDIR’s website, unless expressly authorized by the Institute.

Only entries submitted by date and time will be considered. UNIDIR will confirm via e-mail the receipt of all articles submitted. If the applicant does not receive a confirmation within 48 business hours of sending a submission, he/her will be invited to contact UNIDIR to ensure that we received it.