荣耀时刻|183国10万人参赛，2名昆明青苗学子同时入围John Locke写作竞赛全球轮!
近日，约翰洛克写作竞赛公布了全球入围结果，昆明青苗十一年级学生Kerryn入围哲学组别，九年级学生Maggie入围经济学组别。两位同学的论文从来自183个国家、100,227名参赛者的作品中脱颖而出，双双跻身全球前17.5%，晋级全球轮。
The official global shortlist for the John Locke Essay Competition has recently been released. Kerryn, Grade 11 at BIBS Kunming, earned a shortlist spot in Philosophy, and Grade 9 student Maggie secured a place in Economics. Their essays were selected from among the top 17.5% of entries submitted by 100,227 contestants across 183 countries.
关于John Locke写作竞赛
约翰洛克写作比赛被誉为“人文社科领域的奥林匹克”和“文科竞赛天花板”，在英美顶尖名校申请中具有极高的含金量。其含金量主要体现在以下几个核心方面：
1. 顶级学术背书与名校认可;
2. 极高的选拔性与竞争烈度;
3. 深度的学术挑战与能力考察;
4. 丰厚的奖项激励与升学助力;
5. 新增面试环节进一步验证学术真实性。
The John Locke Essay Competition is hailed as the "Olympics of humanities and social sciences" and the "pinnacle of liberal arts competitions," carrying immense weight in applications to top UK and US universities. Its prestige is mainly reflected in the following core strengths:
1. Top-tier academic accreditation and recognition from world-leading universities;
2. High selectivity and intense competition;
3. In-depth academic challenges and thorough evaluation of academic competencies;
4. Generous prizes and outstanding advantages for university applications;
5. Newly introduced interview rounds to further validate students' independent academic ability.
入围背后，她们的写作历程
Reflections on Essay Writing by Kerrny and Maggie
Kerryn
G11 Student 十一年级学生
“我选择这个题目，是因为我希望了解人们为何认为乱伦是不正确的，以及不同观点背后的理由。在写作过程中，我认为自己的一个优点是愿意从多个角度探讨问题，而不是只围绕一种论点展开。我也提升了自己的研究能力，学会了寻找资料，并正确使用APA引用格式。不过，我也意识到自己一开始过于依赖那些支持自己原有观点的文献。通过这篇论文，我更加有信心运用证据来讨论复杂的道德与心理学议题。我认识到，许多伦理问题并没有简单的答案，而是涉及自主权、同意、伤害以及社会责任等彼此竞争的价值观。”
"I chose this topic because I was interested in understanding the different perspectives of why incest is wrong. One of my strengths when writing this essay was my willingness to explore multiple perspectives, instead of focusing on only one argument. I developed stronger research skills, by finding sources and learning how to use APA citations correctly. A weakness I noticed was that I initially relied too heavily on sources that supported my own assumptions. Through this essay I became more confident in discussing complex moral and psychological topics using evidence. I learned that many ethical issues do not have simple answers and often involve competing values such as autonomy, consent, harm and social responsibility."
Maggie
G9 Student 九年级学生
“我选择的问题是：我们应该害怕无现金社会吗?我列举了无现金社会的优点和缺点。优点包括支付效率更高、犯罪率更低、更加便利，以及更加环保;缺点则包括数字鸿沟、隐私泄露问题、系统故障带来的风险，以及人们对科技本身的过度依赖。最后，我在结论中支持无现金社会的优点，认为无现金社会是一件好事，我们不应该害怕它。
回顾整个写作过程，我觉得自己的第一稿写得很糟糕，不仅有很多语法错误，内容也不足以支撑整篇论文。和老师讨论之后，我学会了利用AI来发现并修改语法和拼写错误，也了解到如何在论文中进一步拓展论述，让自己的观点更加深入。”
"The question I chose is 'Should we fear a cashless society?' I listed the pros and cons, for pros I included the higher payment efficiency, lower crime rates, convenience, and the environmental-friendliness. For cons, there's the digital divide, issues with privacy leaks, system failure risks, and the over-reliance on technology itself. In my conclusion I chose to favor the pros, I think a cashless society is a good thing and we shouldn't fear it.
Looking back at my writing process, I thought my first draft was horrible, there were lots of grammar mistakes, and I didn't have enough content to fill the essay. After consultation with my teacher, I learned that I can use AI to identify and fix my grammar/spelling mistakes, and more about opportunities for extended discussions within my essay."
Mr. Ming说：“比起入围，学生的经历更重要”
Mr. Ming said, " What matters more than being
shortlisted is the students' experiences."
青苗昆明校区于2024年春季首次开设约翰·洛克全球论文竞赛课后活动，帮助指导学生为竞赛撰写论文。今年，青苗昆明共九位学生参与竞赛并向组委会提交了最终论文。在这一过程中，学生们尝试实践自己的研究能力、思维能力、自我管理能力以及沟通表达能力。
BIBS Kunming first set up an After-School Activity (ASA), to help students prepare submissions to the Global Essay Prize, in the spring of 2024. This year, we have all nine participating students offer final submissions to the Institute, and in the process practice the application of their research, thinking, self-management, and communication skills.
当我们开设这一课后活动时，我们的目标远不止帮助学生完成一篇参赛论文。我们希望学生能够广泛阅读、深入思考复杂议题，并逐渐形成属于自己的写作风格与思想表达。无论竞赛结果如何，查阅资料、质疑既有观点、反复修改、构建并捍卫自己的论证，本身就是极具价值的学习过程。
When we launched this ASA, our goal extended well beyond submitting essays to an international competition. We wanted students to read widely, engage seriously with challenging ideas, and develop authentic voices as writers and thinkers. The process of researching, questioning assumptions, revising drafts, and defending arguments is valuable regardless of the competition's outcome.
在人工智能工具日益普及的今天，知识储备、求知欲与原创思考显得比以往任何时候都更加重要。AI可以帮助润色语言、发现语法问题，但无法替代真正的理解与独立思考。我们鼓励学生善用这些工具，将其作为促进学习的助手，而非替代学习的捷径。
In an age when AI tools are increasingly accessible, knowledge, curiosity, and originality matter more than ever. AI can help polish grammar or suggest improvements, but it cannot replace genuine understanding or independent thought. We encourage our students to use these technologies thoughtfully-as tools that support learning rather than substitute for it.
Kerryn和Maggie的入围成绩，以及九位同学在整个过程中展现出的投入与坚持，都证明了真正的学术成长始于好奇心、毅力，以及敢于面对复杂问题的勇气。我们期待这段经历不仅帮助他们成为更优秀的研究者和写作者，更能帮助他们成长为善于思考、勇于表达，并能够为世界贡献独立见解的学习者。
Kerryn and Maggie's achievements, together with the commitment shown by all nine participants, demonstrate that academic excellence begins with curiosity, perseverance, and the courage to engage with difficult questions. We hope that this experience has inspired our students not only to become stronger researchers and writers, but also more thoughtful learners who are ready to contribute their own ideas to the wider world.
