The China Focus editorial team is excited to announce the following six winners of the 2025 China Focus Essay Contest:
The 1990 Institute Prize
Pablo Dufour – $1,000
Institution: The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Essay Title: “Robotic Might, Aerospace Fright: China’s Uneven March to Tech Sovereignty”
The Jimmy Carter Prize
Elizabeth Nemitz – $1,000
Institution: University of Minnesota
Essay Title: “When Perception is Power: Countering China’s Courtship of Sub-Saharan Africa in the Trump Era”
The 1990 Institute Prize – Runner-Ups
Parvathy Sailesh & Chenling Wan – $500
Institution: National University of Singapore
Abraham Wu – $500
Institution: University of California, San Diego
Essay Title: “Mexico in the Middle: Trump 2.0’s Front Line in the U.S.–China Contest”
The Jimmy Carter Prize – Runner-Ups
Xudong Zhu – $500
Institution: University of Aberdeen
Xiangkun Huang & Ng Ying Fang – $500
Institution: The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Essay Title: “胡萝⼘与⼤棒之间：美国如何回应中国在东盟的步步为营”
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the staff members of the 21st Century China Center, the 1990 Institute, and the Carter Center for their continued support and guidance throughout this process. We are also grateful to everyone who contributed to the contest’s success—from brainstorming essay topics to promoting the call for submissions and helping with final evaluations.
The winning essays were selected by a panel of experts from the Carter Center, the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, and the China Focus editorial team.
Generously supported by the 1990 Institute and the Carter Center, the 2025 China Focus Essay Contest highlights emerging voices exploring timely issues related to China and its role in the world. The selected essays will be published on the China Focus blog over the coming month.
