Application Deadline: July 31st 2016
The McKinsey Global Institute has launched a global essay contest aimed at crowdsourcing solutions to one of Europe’s biggest political and economic conundrums: how to implement a pro-growth economic strategy that is both effective and that appeals to voters and policy-makers.
The essay prize is a follow-up to the MGI June 2015 report, A Window of Opportunity for Europe, which identified policy measures that could double GDP growth in Europe in a sustainable manner and create more than 20 million jobs in Europe. While that report identified the “why” and the “what,” it did not focus on the “how.”
The contest is being held under the patronage of European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Juncker, a former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, himself articulated the dilemma that the essay is hoping to resolve, when he said back in 2007 “we all know what to do, but we don’t know how to get re-elected once we have done it.”
Eligibility Requirements:
The competition is open to Entrants worldwide provided that they are aged 18 years or over as of the date of entry, except:
(a) Employees, associates, directors or agents of McKinsey or its holding or subsidiary companies
(b) employees of the Jacques Delors Institute; or
(c) direct ascendants, direct descendants, siblings, spouses or partners of (a) or (b) above.
McKinsey will not accept Essays that:
(a) are not drafted in English;
(b) exceed five thousand (5,000) words (including any exhibits);
(c) are submitted after the Closing Date (as defined under 5.1 below);
(d) are not original, i.e., were not independently conceived by its author;
(e) include material inaccuracies which are misleading as to the Entrant’s compliance with the eligibility criteria set forth by this Clause 4;
(f) have been completed on behalf of a company, partnership or corporate entity;
(g) have been drafted by a third party other than the Entrant who is not mentioned as co-author in the Application Documents; or
(h) have been submitted prior to the Closing Date for publication or as an entry for another competition.
- Each Entrant may submit no more than one entry, whether as sole author or as co-author (joint submissions).
- McKinsey may require you and any co-author(s) to provide proof that you and your co-author(s) are eligible to enter the competition.
Prize:
- The winner of the essay contest will receive a prize of €60,000. A prize of €25,000 will be awarded to the best essay written by an author under the age of 30.
- A further €15,000 will be awarded to runners-up at the discretion of the panel of judges, which is chaired by Pascal Lamy, a former European Trade Commissioner and ex-director general of the World Trade Organization.
- Submissions are due by July 31 and the awards will be presented at a dinner ceremony in Brussels in October.
How to Apply:
To enter a submission you must:
(a) visit www.essayforeurope.com (the “Competition Website”) to download the application form.
(b) submit your Essay to essayforeurope@mckinsey.com (the “Competition Email Address”) in either Adobe pdf or Microsoft Word format, together with the following documents (the “Application Documents”) by the Closing Date:
(i) a signed and completed application form confirming that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Rules;
(ii) a colour photograph of each author in jpeg format; and
(iii) a short biography of each author, no more than two hundred (200) words.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the McKinsey Global Institute Global Essay Contest 2016
