Ethos High School Writing Competition 2026
The Ethos High School Writing Competition 2026 invites students to engage with an array of thought-provoking questions beyond traditional academic curricula. This competition aims to foster independent thinking, deep understanding, clear reasoning, and effective argumentation.
The essays will be judged by a distinguished panel of experts from the LKS Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong and the Ethos Editorial Board. This competition provides students the unique opportunity to have their work evaluated by leading academics, students, and professionals.
THEMES AND PROMPTS
I. Medical narratives/Humanities (A):
Choose one of the quotes provided below for your narrative or fictional piece, ensuring that the theme of your story aligns with the essence of the quote, and includes the quote verbatim.
A1: "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." (John Milton, English poet)
A2: "Our suffering can make us callous to the suffering of another." (Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air)
II. Non-Fictional / Ethical Inquiry (B):
Choose one of the provided questions from one of the themes. Craft an essay that showcases your understanding, argumentation skills, and creativity.
B1: Is the growing trend of mental health content on social media (from self-diagnosis to therapeutic advice) creating a more empathetic generation or a more pathological one?
B2: Is loneliness in the modern city a design flaw?
Each participant may submit only one piece, which must be based on either a Medical Humanities quote or a Non-Fiction question, not both.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
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Eligibility:
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Students in Years 10 to 13 or Forms 3 to 6 studying in a Hong Kong secondary school for the 2025-26 academic year.
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Submission Deadline:
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All entries must be submitted by the 12th of July, 2026 at 11:59 pm HKT
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Submission Format:
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Essays should be submitted in Microsoft Word or Google Doc format with the filename in the structure: QuestionNumber-LastName-FirstName.docx (e.g., 2-Chan-TaiManAlex.docx).
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Word Count:
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Essays should be between 800 and 1200 words.
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Citation:
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Vancouver Style
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Submission Portal:
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
This competition is an excellent opportunity for students to engage deeply with important topics, develop their critical thinking and writing skills, and receive recognition for their scholarly efforts. Award-winning works will be featured on Ethos.
COMPETITION RULES
Only original, unpublished work may be submitted. By entering the competition, the entrant confirms that the work is solely their own and has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere.
Plagiarism, defined as the use of third-party works without proper citation or written permission from the author, will result in disqualification.
Artificial intelligence (AI) may be used as a supporting tool in the creation of a submission but must not generate the entire work or replace the entrant’s original ideas and effort. Submissions must reflect the entrant’s own intellectual contribution.
LEARN MORE
Do not hesistate to email us at ethos@hku.hk if you have any questions. Follow us on Instagram @hkuethos and our podcast at www.youtube.com/@hkuethos!