2025 English Essay Contest Successfully Concluded
The 2025 English Essay Contest, held to commemorate CNU’s 73rd anniversary and the Chonnam Tribune ’s 57th, concluded with an awards ceremony held on Oct. 31, celebrating the achievements of five Korean students and four international students. In the non-native speakers’ category, Kim Mariia (Freshman, Dept. of English Language and Literature) took first place, while Park Moo-chang (Third Year, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine) came second, with Lee Su-hyun (First Year, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine) receiving third place honors. Honorable mentions were awarded to Agramba Nandin-Erdene Damdinsuren (Freshman, Faculty of Business Administration), Park Min-yu (Freshman, School of Biological Sciences and Technology), and Baek Chae-heon (Junior, Dept. of English Education). In the native speakers’ category, the first prize was awarded to Naven Patrick Terrance (Master’s Student, Dept. of English Education) and honorable mentions were awarded to Mukherjee Saheli (Junior, Faculty of Economics) and Ramsey Rachael Heather (Master’s Student, Interdisciplinary Program of Perfume and Cosmetics).
A total of 25 undergraduate and graduate students, both Korean and international, participated in the competition, which took place on Sept. 27 in the PC Room at the CNU Office of Information and Technology Services. Each contestant was given two hours to write their essay without internet access, ensuring that submissions reflected their own critical thinking, language skills, and creativity, free from the assistance of AI or other translation tools.
The essay prompts challenged students to address pressing global issues. For native speakers, the topic explored the rise of political violence. In full, the prompt read “The recent assassination of a prominent American political figure, along with other incidents of political violence worldwide, has raised urgent questions about the state of democratic discourse. Discuss the underlying causes of the rise of political violence, and argue how societies can best balance passionate advocacy with respectful, civil debate. Support your viewpoint with well-reasoned arguments and concrete examples.” For non-native speakers, the prompt examined the evolving nature of activism: “Generation Z is transforming contemporary protest movements by merging traditional street demonstrations with digital activism. Discuss the key factors that drive Gen Z to take action, and argue whether digital activism produces more positive impacts (such as mobilization and awareness raising) or negative consequences (such as misinformation). Support your viewpoint with specific examples.”
This annual contest continues to promote academic excellence and cross-cultural dialogue, encouraging students to engage critically and creatively with complex social and political issues through the power of writing.