Africa Organization for Standardization (ARSO) 14th Continental Essay Competition 2026/2027 ($USD 2,300 Prize)

Application Deadline: Ongoing

Applications are actually open for the 2026/2027 Africa Organization for Standardization (ARSO) 14th Continental Essay Competition. As part of its mandate to construct a tradition of standardisation and high quality amongst Africa’s youth, ARSO established the Continental Essay Competition to
have interaction tertiary college students throughout AU Member States on points central to Africa’s standardisation, high quality infrastructure, and commerce agenda.

Theme – “Advancing Intra-African Trade through Conformity Assessment and Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) — Unlocking the Full Potential
of the Cotton-to-Clothing Value Chain under the AfCFTA”

The 14th Continental Essay Competition theme invites tertiary college students to critically study how strengthened conformity evaluation
techniques and MRAs can unlock the total potential of the cotton-to-clothing worth chain in direct help of the AfCFTA’s aims

Eligible Students
▪ Enrolled in an accredited tertiary establishment in an African Union Member State on the time of submission.
▪ Aged 35 years or beneath as on the essay submission deadline
▪ Open to college students of all disciplines
▪ May submit just one essay for consideration; group or co-authored submissions will not be eligible.
▪ Comply with Copyright Rules and AI Ethical Use Practice listed herein

Essay Guidelines

▪Length: 1,000 – 1,200 phrases, excluding references, cowl web page, and appendices.
▪ Language: English or French
▪ Essays have to be unique, unpublished works. Plagiarised or considerably AI-generated submissions might be disqualified upon detection; sources have to be correctly referenced utilizing a constant quotation type (e.g., APA).
▪ Submitted as a phrase (.docx) doc, measurement 12 font, 1.5 line spacing, with a separate cowl web page bearing the coed’s title, establishment, nation, and get in touch with particulars. The essay physique itself mustn’t bear the creator’s title or establishment, to help blind judging.
▪ Essays have to be submitted via the National Coordinator within the scholar’s nation of study; direct submissions to the ARSO Secretariat might be referred the related National Coordinator.
▪ Kindly connect a duplicate of the Identity Card or Passport and a totally stuffed Registration Form (ARSO/CACO/EC/Form 1/2026)

Prizes

• First Place – $1000: Cash award, certificates of excellence, and public recognition on the ARSO Awards Ceremony.
• Second Place – $800: Cash award and certificates of excellence.
• Third Place – $500: Cash award and certificates of excellence.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Africa Organization for Standardization (ARSO) 14th Continental Essay Competition