The National Committee on United States-China Relations, based in New York, has announced the establishment of an essay contest in the memory of the late A. Doak Barnett, an internationally recognized scholar in the field. The competition is open to American and Chinese graduate students.

Awards of $1,000 each will be made to the best American and Chinese essayists, respectively. The National Committee will publish the winning essays in its China Policy Series and on its web site; it also will seek to place the winning essays in other publications.

Essay Topic

Identify an actual or potential problem or source of tension in Sino-American relations. What steps could be taken by both sides to prevent this from becoming a significant problem, or to reduce the seriousness of the problem for the U.S.-China relationship?

Eligibility

Open to citizens of the United States and the People's Republic of China who currently are enrolled in a graduate program, or who have received a graduate degree within the past twelve months.

Guidelines

• Essays must be written in English.
• The length may not exceed 1,500 words.
• All essays must be accompanied by an application form (see below). Applicant names should appear on the application form only; names should not appear on the essay itself.
• A faculty member at the applicant's university must sign the application form, verifying that the essay submitted is original material and that the entrant is enrolled in a graduate program (or has graduated within the last year).

Judging Criteria

Essays will be evaluated on the basis of demonstrated understanding of the issues, quality of argument or analysis, and writing style.

The panel of judges includes Mrs. Jeanne Barnett and a group of five distinguished China scholars.

Deadline

All essays and application materials must be postmarked no later than October 15, 2000.

For further information, check the National Committee's web site (www.ncuscr.org). For application forms or additional information, contact Anne Phelan by e-mail (aphelan@ncuscr.org).

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