Expert Overview

The GlobalWE Essay Contest, run by Harvard Alumni for Global Women’s Empowerment, a shared interest group of the Harvard Alumni Association, asks 11th-grade students worldwide to write a 750-word essay on the biggest challenge facing women and girls in their country. Students enter through partner schools or an open contest.

Format

Individual

Judging Format

Essays must have a limit of 750 words

Recognition

Opportunity

Grade Eligibility

Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Geographic Eligibility

US, International

Discipline

Essay ContestInternational RelationsSocial JusticeHistory

Entries

Not published

Percent Awarded

Not published

Important Dates

John Bowman Memorial Open Contest Opens

October 1, 2026

John Bowman Memorial Open Contest Closes

December 31, 2026

Contest dates vary by region

Passed

Open

Approaching: < 1 mo.

Priority: < 2 weeks

Urgent: < 1 week

Registration Cost

No entry fee

About

Students at partner schools enter through their school, using a U.S. or international form; students at other schools enter the John Bowman Memorial Open Contest, which accepts essays from October 1 to December 31. Essays are limited to 750 words, must be entirely the student’s own with no AI assistance, and are scored by the GlobalWE board and contest team on how well they identify the challenge, explain its causes, and propose solutions.

Winners are generally one per school and receive recognition on the GlobalWE site, the GlobalWE Book Award, and online publication. Because the winner is usually a school’s top essay, the honor is closer to a school award than a national ranking. The credential is a published essay under the student’s name, although participants should note that it is connected to a Harvard alumni group rather than to the university itself.

The GlobalWE Essay Contest is the right competition for an 11th-grader with a view on a women’s or girls’ issue in their own country who wants to argue it in print and see it published.