GLOBAL IMPACT
WRITING CHALLENGE
Introduction
Following the successful launch of its inaugural year in 2024, the China Daily Global Impact Writing Challenge returns for 2025–2026, welcoming more young voices from around the world to join the conversation on global challenges and sustainable development.
The China Daily Global Impact Writing Challenge (China Daily GIWC) is open to junior high and high school students worldwide through two divisions: the Junior High School Division and the High School & Above Division. The challenge aims to guide young participants to focus on global issues and broaden their international perspectives.
As future builders of the world, young people should fully recognize the challenges and development opportunities facing the globe. Through this challenge, we hope participants will not only gain a deeper understanding of the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, but also be encouraged to think independently and propose insights with practical significance. We believe that young people should not only be aware of these global topics, but also develop their own perspectives and make independent judgments.
We sincerely invite students from around the world to actively participate in this challenge. We look forward to seeing contestants, on the basis of thorough research, consider how to impact the world through concrete actions from the shared perspective of global youth. In an increasingly globalized world, we hope to help the younger generation develop a broad vision and contribute to building a better future together.
Purpose
The theme of the writing challenge will revolve around young people and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), and a different theme will be determined each year to stimulate the thinking and creativity of young people.
Organizer
China Daily Global Edition (US)
Challenge
Participants
The challenge is open to students worldwide:
The challenge is open to students worldwide, with two categories established:
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Junior High School Division (U.S. Grades 7-8)
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High School & Above Division:
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High School Division (U.S. Grades 9-12)
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College Freshmen and Sophomores
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The topics and judging criteria for each division are carefully designed based on the learning content and competency level of the corresponding grades. This approach aims to stimulate students' learning interest while cultivating their innovative thinking and problem-solving abilities. Such design ensures both the fairness and appropriate difficulty level of the challenge, while providing participants with an ideal platform for learning and demonstration.
Details
| Method
The challenge will be conducted online, facilitating the participation of young people from around the world.
| Language
The language of the challenge is English, which will help participants improve their English writing skills and communicate and share with young people from around the world.
| Entry Fee
￥399
| Contact
| Registration
| Submission
Upon successful registration, the organizing committee will send an email confirming your entry and providing submission guidelines.
Schedule
Questions
Junior High School Division
Please select one of the following directions and write a 600-800 word article on a specific issue within that direction.
Humanities & Society Direction
Q1: How can educational equity serve as a key force in breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, and what role can young people play in this process? (SDG 1, 4)
Q2: In today's globalized world, how can young people balance their local cultural identity with their responsibilities as global citizens? (SDG 16)
Technology & Engineering Direction
Q1: Does digital technology narrow or widen the educational resource gap? How can young people use technology to promote educational equity? (SDG 4)
Q2: What specific ways can teenagers participate in the promotion and application of renewable energy to drive the energy transition? (SDG 7)
Economy & Policy Direction
Q1: How can small enterprises pursue profits while also contributing to the sustainable development of their local communities? (SDG 8)
Q2: In today's world of relative material abundance, how should young people recognize and address the issue of relative poverty? (SDG 1)
Ecology & Environment Direction
Q1: Amidst urbanization, how can young people reconnect with nature and protect biodiversity? (SDG 15)
Q2: What does climate change mean for the future of young people, and what concrete actions can we take to address it? (SDG 13)
Interdisciplinary Integration Direction
Q1: How can data literacy help us understand the underlying nature of poverty and inequality more deeply? (SDG 1, 10)
Q2: How do literature and media shape young people's imagination of a sustainable future and influence their value systems? (SDG 11)
High School & Above Division
Please select one of the following directions and write a 1000-1500 word article on a specific issue within that direction.
Humanities & Society Direction
Q1: In an algorithm-driven digital world, how can young people protect their mental health and right to development? (SDG 3)
Q2: In the context of globalization, how can youth from different cultural backgrounds work together to build more resilient societies? (SDG 11)
Technology & Engineering Direction
Q1: How can green infrastructure development reconcile economic growth with environmental protection to achieve genuine sustainable development? (SDG 9, 13)
Q2: What ethical challenges might biotechnology pose while addressing food security issues? (SDG 2)
Economy & Policy Direction
Q1: Is green economic growth merely a utopian vision, or a truly viable path for future development? (SDG 8, 13)
Q2: While fostering industrial development, how can technological innovation avoid exacerbating inequality on a global scale? (SDG 9)
Ecology & Environment Direction
Q1: What profound impacts will biodiversity loss have on human civilization, and why must we act immediately? (SDG 15)
Q2: How can urban development balance construction needs with ecological protection to achieve sustainability in the true sense? (SDG 11)
Interdisciplinary Integration Direction
Q1: How can systems thinking help us understand the complex interconnections and potential conflicts between the various Sustainable Development Goals?
Q2: How does data visualization influence public understanding of the SDGs and, consequently, their engagement behaviors? (SDG 17)
Judging
Judging Criteria
The judging criteria will be comprehensively considered from multiple dimensions, including but not limited to the theme, content, logic, language usage, analysis, grammar, and format.
Judge Panel (Partial)
The submissions will be judged by a distinguished panel comprising senior editors from China Daily Global Edition (US) and experienced international news professionals. Evaluation will be conducted with professionalism, fairness, and a global perspective.
Awards
Student Awards
Apex Honors (2 Recipients Worldwide)
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Global Impact Apex Award：1 from Junior High School Division and 1 from High School & Above Division
Subject Advancement Honors (Top 20% Globally)
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Subject Excellence Gold Tier Award (Top 5% globally)
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Subject Excellence Silver Tier Award (Top 5% globally)
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Subject Distinction Award (Top 6%-20% globally)
Participation & Growth Honors
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Finalist Rising Talent Award (Top 21%-35% globally)
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Participation Certification Award (All participants with compliant submissions)
Special Recognition Awards (Quantity TBD*)
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Best Argumentative Expression Award
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Frontier Innovation Thinking Award
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Localized Practice Insight Award
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Interdisciplinary Integration Award
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Youth Action Initiative Award
*Note: "Quantity TBD" indicates the number of awards will be determined based on actual participation and submission quality.