Winners & Recognition
Measured against every entrant, worldwide.
How recognition works in the HIR Academic Writing Contest—the medal tiers, the commendations, and what separates a winning essay from a competent one.
How recognition works
Medals by global percentile
Awards are set against the full global field, so the bar is the same for everyone, everywhere.
Beyond the medals, the contest awards High Commendation and Outstanding Writing for distinctive entries. Every student who submits a complete essay receives a Certificate of Completion, and finalists earn further recognition through Defense Day.
What judges reward
What separates a winning essay
A real claim
Winners argue a position a thoughtful reader could reject—not a summary, not a list of facts. The thesis is specific and contestable.
Evidence, then analysis
Strong essays do not just cite evidence; they explain what it means for the argument. Analysis of evidence is its own rubric line.
Structure a reader can follow
A clear introduction, logical transitions, and overall coherence—so the argument builds instead of wandering.
Clean, confident style
Correct grammar, AP Style, careful citations, and easy readability free the judge to focus on the ideas.
The essays that advance share one trait: the writer picked a question they could argue—then defended it cleanly.
Read past winners
Learn from awarded essays
The Harvard International Review publishes its own lists of medal winners and, in some cycles, selected awarded essays. Reading them is one of the best ways to calibrate the standard before you write—notice how each one states a claim early and defends it throughout.
Because awarded essays are the authors’ and the organizer’s to publish, we link to the official results rather than reproducing essays here. Confirm the current winners’ list on the official contest site.