HEC Announces Inter-University Essay Writing Competition With Big Cash Prizes

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is conducting an inter-university essay writing competition in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives for Pakistan’s 75th Independence Day.

The competition is aimed at enabling the youth to analyze the opportunities and challenges Pakistan is facing. It will also allow them to critically identify the role youngsters can play in the country’s development through creativity, critical thinking, and productive engagement.

Candidates have the opportunity to display their writing skills in either English or Urdu and win cash awards.

Topics (English and Urdu)

1. Development Journey of Pakistan from 1947 to 2022; Lessons Learnt vis-à-vis Other Countries.
2. Pakistan at 2047: National Youth Aspirations.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must be:

• Pakistani/Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) nationals.
• Regular university students.
• A maximum of 25 years of age.

Essay Writing Criteria

• Entry in one language only.
• The word count is between 2,500-3,000.
• The English essay must be typed in Times New Roman in font size 12, with 1.5 line spacing.
• The Urdu essay must be typed, not handwritten.
• All entries must be submitted in PDF format.

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is 26 August 2022.

How to Participate

• Candidates are to submit their essays with a filled registration form downloaded from hec.gov.pk
• The essay and the registration form have to be emailed to meshahzad@hec.gov.pk, and hard copies must be sent through courier to ‘Saher Mirza, Assistant Director (Academics), Higher Education Commission, Sector H-8, Islamabad’.

Cash Prizes (for English and Urdu)

The winners of the competition will be awarded cash prizes as follows:

• First position — Rs. 500,000.
• Second position  — Rs. 300,000.
• Third position — Rs. 200,000.
• Fourth to tenth positions — Rs. 100,000 each.

Note: Incomplete and duplicate entries will be rejected and the HEC reserves the right to reject any or all entries without reason.