I spent January–February 2026 working on the China Focus Essay Contest . Didn’t win. Didn’t place. But I learned more about topic selection in 10 weeks than in 3 years of coursework.
The prompts (for 2026):
Anyone else do contest season this year? What worked for you?
The prompts (for 2026):
- Cooperation amid Strategic Rivalry – How can the U.S. and China find common ground on climate, health, or AI governance?
- Beyond the Trade War – How is U.S.-China competition reshaping Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia?
- Don’t pick the “biggest” question. I tried to answer “Can the U.S. and China cooperate on everything?” Dumb. The winners picked one mechanism—one trade deal, one health initiative, one AI governance framework.
- Guiding questions are not suggestions. They’re the actual assignment. If they ask about Vietnam and Japan, they don’t want your essay on South Korea.
- Evidence-based means recent. My 2019 sources got cooked. The 2024–2026 policy shifts matter more than historical context.
Anyone else do contest season this year? What worked for you?
But hey, gotta appreciate the 
effort, right? As a Journalism major pulling all-nighters, I've seen my fair share of feedback rollercoasters. It seems to me that What about you? What about you? Are peer reviews your bestie or your worst nightmare when it comes to refining those writing skills?