Flagship Program: Student Essay Contest

“What is the biggest challenge

facing women and girls in your country today?”

Our global presence

Harvard GlobalWE Essay Contest Participants are in countries around the world

Rights and Wrongs in the Middle Women, by Dilay K.

"If both men and women are taught to listen and understand each other as well as to treat each other equally, there will be less difficulties not only in our country, but in the whole world.”

The Ghanian Woman's Quest for Equality, by Benedicta A.

“An average Ghanaian family would rather have the pride of having a wedded daughter than a Ph.D. holding bachelorette...Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women is of benefit not only to the women, but to the country at large.”

The Burdens of Prejudice Embedded in the Chinese Language, by Dabria

“In a world where only the most tangible things can be characterised as real, as existing, we often forget that challenges can also come from within, from places which we easily ignore. In China, the greatest challenge that women and girls face is the language formed through the ancestral ideology: 「三從四德」.”

2023 GlobalWE Essay Contest Winners!

The GlobalWE Essay Contest was established to invite students to think critically about the status and rights of women. In most regions, we work in partnership with local schools. The contest is open to 11th-grade students around the world. Students from 31 countries have participated in the Essay Contest so far.

Students write an essay responding to the question: “What is the biggest challenge facing women and girls in your country today?” We choose winners each year to celebrate students’ powerful reflections on this critical question. Please join us in congratulating all winners of the 2023 Essay Contest, and read their inspiring and thought-provoking essays below.

List of 2023 Winners

Support our Student Essay Contest

Membership continues to be free, but we hope you will consider a voluntary contribution!  May we suggest $10 for every year you’ve been a Member or Friend, or for each event that you’ve attended? Donations of $99 or more entitle you to a beautiful hardcover collection of the winning essays from the first five years of our contest for high school students.