The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition is a completely virtual, global writing competition for high school students aged 12 to 18.
The Harvard Crimson, in collaboration with Crimson Education, offers this annual opportunity for students to showcase their writing skills on a global stage.
All enrolled students participate in a competition against one another, competing for exclusive prizes and educational opportunities. They receive international recognition, which also enhances their university applications.
The HCGEC encourages students to explore various writing styles and challenge themselves to enhance their writing skills.
Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition: What Is It All About?
The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition challenges young students and writers to explore different writing styles to improve their writing skills through university-style guidelines.
Moreover, participants have the opportunity to add this achievement to their CV and university applications, as the Harvard Crimson evaluates these essays. HCGEC is completely online, which removes all geographical barriers.
Participants utilize webinars and workshops to guide them through various stages of the competition. Moreover, there are two main phases of this competition.
The two stages are the regional stage and the global stage. Here are the notable dates for the 2026 timeline:
- Early bird registration opens on October 1st and ends on December 15th.
- Regular registration opens on December 16th and closes on February 10th.
- The prompts are announced on January 30th.
- The deadline for regional essay submission is February 23rd.
- The global finalists are announced on 10th March.
- The deadline for submitting the global essay is March 18th.
- The global winner announcement will be made on March 31st.
The students submit their essays online. They must select a topic from fifteen essay topics and categorize them into creative, journalistic, argumentative, and topical categories. The top five from these categories from all regions move forward to the global platform.
On the global stage, they must write an essay of 1,250-1,500 words. These essays are judged in their respective categories, and winners from all four categories are awarded.
Award Details
The prizes for the 2026 competition will be given in 4 categories:
- Creative – 3
- Journalistic – 3
- Argumentative – 3
- Topical – 3
| Place Holder | Crimson Credit Mentorship | Cash Prize | Free Participation in The Summer Journalism Course by Harvard Crimson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 USD | 1,000 USD | Yes |
| 2 | 750 USD | 750 USD | Yes |
| 3 | 500 USD | 500 USD | Yes |
The competition will publish all the essays of the 12 winners on their official sites, and they will receive global champion certificates.
Eligibility Criteria
There are certain eligibility criteria for participating in the competition. Here are the criteria mentioned:
- Students must be between the ages of 13 and 18 and currently enrolled in high school or secondary school by the time of the competition. Or they must be under the age of 18 but not yet enrolled in university.
- For the global round, participants must compete against local participants and rank among the top 15 regional qualifiers. The regions eligible to participate in the competition are listed below.
- South and Central Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa
- Russia, Europe, and Central Asia
- North America
- LATAM ( South America, Central America, Mexico & the islands of the Caribbean
- APAC (East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania)
The registration fee is $15 USD and must be paid during registration.
Benefits of This Competition
This competition earns students international recognition and provides a solid foundation for their university applications. Here are some of the other benefits of the competition mentioned.
Improves Writing Skills
This competition improves written communication skills, and you learn to write according to university guidelines from high school itself. This adds a high-impact achievement to the CV and university application.
The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition evaluates your essays and often endorses them. This prepares you for writing university-style essays and expands your knowledge.
No Restriction to Entry
The entire competition is conducted online, eliminating all geographical barriers. Students from around the world are eligible to participate in the competition. Moreover, the webinars and workshops held guide the participants through the competition.
You have the opportunity to represent your country on a global platform. You get the opportunity to network and compete with talented students invited from every country.
Exclusive Prizes
Your work gets published on the official HCGEC website. Moreover, you get a free spot on their Summer Journalism course. Crimson collaborates with Crimson Education to help them reach their individual goals. Also, there are amazing cash prizes for the winners.
How is it Different From Other Competitions?
The Harvard Crimson conducts HCGEC in collaboration with Crimson Education. These two major houses come together to provide an amazing learning experience like nothing else.
All participants are invited to attend some of the best-in-class boot camps and explore what their career in writing looks like. Moreover, the participants get global recognition and exclusive opportunities.
If you have dreamt of having a career as a reporter, editor, communication specialist, columnist, marketing professional, or social media manager, then this could be your chance. This could be your gateway to achieving your career goals.
Winners & Their Reviews
Here is what some of the winners are saying about the HCGEC:
1. Justin, 1st Place, Global Winner 2025 (Creative): “I really enjoyed the variety of unique prompts that HCGEC offers, and I think that’s what makes the competition so unique. Additionally.”
He further wrote, “The initial 500-word limit forces you to make your writing concise and precise, which I believe is an important skill for any writer to have. Overall, HCGEC was a really awesome experience, and I recommend it to all students even slightly passionate about writing.”
2. Le Thuc Anh, ELL, Global Winner 2025 (Journalistic): “It was an extraordinary learning experience. I could really improve and practice my writing. The prompts were very interesting and helped me to think more deeply and critically.”
She also wrote, “Through the live webinars I got to meet like-minded people and great experienced mentors. Overall it was a very rewarding experience.”
So, When Are You Enrolling?
The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition is one of your best opportunities for global recognition. It opens various doors of opportunity for you and comes with numerous added benefits.
It prepares you for your future and sharpens your skills. This will also enhance your CV and make it more attractive. So, it is high time you prepare yourself and enroll for the competition next year. So, start preparing.
LEARN MORE:
- Debate Writing Class 11: Format, Tips & Popular Topics
- POW! The Art Of Structuring An Essay For Maximum Impact
- Opinion Essay Topics: Speak Your Mind With These Essay Topics
