2021 General Prize Essay Contest

THE CHALLENGE

We are living in an era of intense global competition. The conventional over-match the U.S. military enjoyed at the end of the Cold War is eroding, and renewed competition will require the Sea Services to rethink how to address national, strategic, and operational challenges and the way they will have to fight. Authors may address any topic, but issues to consider might include:

• How would NATO defend the Baltic states from a Russian incursion?
• Can the United States and its allies apply pressure globally to deter China from coercive action in East Asia or the western Pacific?
• Given China's A2/AD capabilities, how would the United States defend Taiwan?
• What new or nascent technology do the Sea Services need to incorporate, and how it would impact tactics or strategy?
• What should the U.S. nuclear posture and strategy be to deter competitors along the continuum of conflict?
• What reforms in education and training will or should advance the services?

Submission Guidelines

• Open to all contributors -- active-duty military, reservists, veterans, and civilians.
• Essays must be no more than 3,000 words, excluding footnotes, endnotes and sources. Include word count on title page of the essay.
• Essays are judged in the blind. Do not include author name(s) on title page or within essay.
• Submit essay as a Word document at www.usni.org/genessay no later than 31 December 2021.
• Essays must be original and not published (online or print) or being considered for publication elsewhere.

First Prize: $6,000

Second Prize: $3,000

Third Prize: $2,000

Selection Process

The Proceedings staff members will evaluate every essay and screen the top essays to the Naval Institute’s Editorial Board composed of serving Sea Service professionals. 

Announcement of the Winners

The winning essays will be published in the June 2022 Proceedings and on the Naval Institute website. The winners will be recognized at a future Naval Institute event.