St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Essay Competition Award 2015

Check your eligibility and prepare documents.

To be eligible, you must fulfil all of the following criteria:

• Enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate program (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university
• Born in 1985 or later

Make sure you can provide the following documents:

• Copy of passport or other identification (in English for non-Roman languages)
• Confirmation of matriculation / enrolment from your university which proves your enrolment in a graduate/postgraduate level programme as of 1 February 2015
• Your contribution file with no indication of your name in the file name, the file metadata or the file itself.

Impress the Jury.

All contributions will be evaluated according to specific criteria by an independent jurycomposed of professors, corporate executives, entrepreneurs and politicians. The authors of the best 100 contributions will be invited to join the next St. Gallen Symposium, while the three best are bestowed with the St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award.

Choose a question.

Your contribution for the competition must treat one of the following questions.

Question 1 – What is the next small BIG thing?

Think about unconventional ideas, undiscovered trends or peripheral signals that may turn into ground-breaking changes for societies. Present one idea which is not on the radar of current leaders yet but will change the game in business, politics or civil society – the best ones will be put to the test by the global audience of the St. Gallen Symposium.

Question 2 – Collaborative Small State Initiative

Although small states lead the global rankings in international benchmark studies on competitiveness, innovation and wealth, they are often politically marginalised. Explore a common agenda for small and prosperous countries and identify one joint project that would increase the relevance of small states on the global stage. Go beyond politics and diplomacy by also including economic and civil players.

Question 3 – Elites: small but superior groups rule the world - at what price?

Human history shows that the world has been ruled by tiny but superior groups of people. It is the elites who have been controlling societies and the allocation of resources. Given the rise of inequality, a devastating level of famine that still exists, ubiquitous corrupt systems of government, limited access to education for the underprivileged, to name just a few of the world’s greatest problems, elites are challenged to redefine their roles and agenda settings. Share your thoughts on how elites are supposed to emerge and transform in the 21st century.