ESSAY AND VIDEO CONTESTS

NAIMUN continuously strives to engage all delegates with the substance of international affairs both in and out of the competitive committee simulation experience. This year, NAIMUN LXIV is thrilled to launch our revamped Essay Contest and Video Contest—an opportunity for delegates to engage with important global issues outside of committee and through creative work!

Please email all Essay & Video Contest submissions to our Director of Operations, Noelle Lee, at n.lee@modelun.org.

Important dates

Essays and Videos Due: February 1st, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Winners Announced: NAIMUN LXIV Opening Ceremonies on Thursday, February 11th, 2027

PROMPTS

Please note that the essay and video are separate competitions and are each considered individually. Contestants may choose up to ONE prompt in each category for their submission.

Video Contest Prompts

Please note that submissions should be around 1.5 - 5 minutes in length. For the video contest, please keep jokes, impressions, and parodies respectful and cognisant of world developments and regional conflicts.

  • Prompt One: Create a movie trailer for the United Nations convention of the year 2030. You can focus on a specific committee or speak more generally. Who are the key players? What issues are up for debate and what is at stake? Get your viewers on the edge of their seats!

  • Prompt Two: Create a video showing how international affairs shapes your everyday life. Try to think beyond major events like wars or elections–prices you pay, products you consume, culture you experience, etc. This could be a day in the life video, a series of skits, a specific situation, or anything you can imagine!

Essay Contest Prompts

Please note that submissions should be around 800 - 1,250 words in length.

  • Prompt One: For much of modern history, global decision-making has been dominated by the permanent members of the UN Security council: the United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom. However, countries such as Japan, India, Brazil, and South Korea have grown into major economic and technological powers. As power becomes more distributed across the world, should the structure of global governance change? What factors—economic strength, population, military power, etc.—should determine a country’s influence? How should we decide who gets a seat at the table?

  • Prompt Two: Imagine you have been given the opportunity to address the United Nations General Assembly, as the leading expert on a global issue of your choice. You must convince delegates that your issue deserves the international community’s immediate attention. Identify the challenge you believe is most urgent, explain why it demands global action, and propose broad steps that should be taken to address it. Write the speech that you would deliver to persuade delegates to take action.

prizes available

Prize winners will receive special recognition at NAIMUN LXIV’s Opening Ceremony and one additional free merchandise item of their choice. The following prizes will be awarded:

  • Grand Prize Winner, NAIMUN LXIV Essay Contest

  • Runner-Up, NAIMUN LXIV Essay Contest

  • Grand-Prize Winner, NAIMUN LXIV Video Contest

  • Runner-Up, NAIMUN LXIV Video Contest

Additionally, there will be special recognition given at NAIMUN LXIV’s Opening Ceremony to the following superlatives:

  • Most likely to go viral

  • Most thought-provoking

  • Most likely to be an comedy skit

  • Best MUN Spirit

Additionally, this year we are excited to announce that anyone who submits an essay or video in this year's contests will automatically be entered into a raffle to win special NAIMUN-themed prizes! Limit of one entry per person.

Please direct any further inquiries about the Essay & Video contests to our Director of Operations, Noelle Lee, at n.lee@modelun.org.

Rules and Terms

Only registered NAIMUN LXIV conference delegates are eligible to enter. Eligibility is at the sole worldwide discretion of the Georgetown International Relations Association, Inc. (GIRA). Entries that are submitted late or fail to meet any rules or guidelines will be ineligible. Plagiarism — any uncredited copying or misrepresentation of another’s work or ideas as one’s own — will disqualify an entry and may result in disciplinary action by GIRA. Participants accept all responsibility for late, lost, misdirected, or illegible entries. Entries become the property of GIRA upon receipt. In consideration of the opportunity to enter the NAIMUN Essay and Video Contests, participants agree to allow GIRA to use their names, essays, and videos for promotional and publicity purposes. A grand prize winner is not eligible to receive subsequent prizes in future NAIMUN Essay and Video Contests. By entering, participants agree to be bound by these rules and the decisions of the judges and GIRA. GIRA may cancel the contest without notice at any time. The contest is void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law.