From the guide
News & guidance
Notes on choosing a prompt, meeting the rubric, and preparing for Defense Day.
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The HIR 55-Point Rubric, Decoded: Turn 30 Content + 25 Style Into a Checklist (2026)
The HIR Academic Writing Contest scores every essay on a published 55-point rubric: 30 for Content, 25 for Style. This independent guide decodes all six Content dimensions, explains the evidence-versus-analysis split that most essays miss, shows where non-native writers lose Style points, and turns the whole rubric into a pre-submission checklist.
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How to choose a prompt you can actually defend
Choosing your prompt is the first real decision of the HIR Academic Writing Contest - and the one that quietly determines your ceiling. Here is how to choose one you can argue, not just describe.