Malaysia’s longest-running English essay competition returns for its 10th year with the theme centred around nation-building.
Entries are now open for submissions online by secondary school students studying the national syllabus.
Entries are split into two categories with bursaries and prizes worth a total of RM200,000 to be won!

Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, 26 April 2023 – The Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition returns for the 10th year running, calling all secondary school students studying the national syllabus to pen their ideas and aspirations for a better Malaysia and stand to win up to RM172,000 in Sunway bursaries as well as up to RM28,000 worth in prizes.

This year’s theme is centred around nation-building, and participants are invited to describe the role they can play in shaping the future of Malaysia. Entries are split into two categories with Form 1 to 3 students (Category A) and Form 4 and 5 students (Category B), with each having their own essay prompts.

The Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition is jointly organised by Sunway Group, the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, Sunway University, and the Oxford and Cambridge Society Malaysia, in partnership with Sunway Super App. It is endorsed by the Ministry of Education Malaysia, with the aim of elevating English proficiency among Malaysian students nationwide.

The competition also aims to equip secondary-level students with soft skills such as critical reasoning, creativity and effective communication that will prepare them for their future careers.

Sunway Group deputy chairman Tan Sri Datuk Seri Razman M. Hashim said, “The Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition reflects Sunway’s long-standing commitment towards the role of education in shaping the destiny of an individual, our society and the country.

With English being the international language of business and science, this essay competition provides a national platform to promote and encourage the use of English among students in articulating their thoughts and ideas about their place in Malaysia’s future,” added Tan Sri Datuk Seri Razman M. Hashim, who is also trustee of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation.

The Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition 2023 is currently open for submissions until 8 May 2023 (by 1:00pm), and students can submit their essays online at www.sunway.com.my/essay.

Essay Topics

With this year’s theme centred around nation-building, entrants in Category A (Form 1 to 3 students) will be tasked to answer this question within 200-350 words, “What do you see as your responsibilities in building our nation?”

Meanwhile, Form 4 and 5 students in Category B are invited to respond in 500-650 words to the following prompt: “Look at our society. What is the single most distressing problem our people are facing? How could your generation help to address this issue?”

Following the submission deadline, a judging panel will then select and invite a shortlist of 100 finalists from all over the country to attend a final on-site essay writing competition, where winners from their respective categories will be selected by the same panel of judges.

The panel comprises Margaret Hall, Past President and Executive Committee Member of the Oxford and Cambridge Society Malaysia, representatives from the Sunway Education Group Centre for English Language Studies and officials from the Ministry of Education Malaysia.

Prizes

The Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition 2023 will see both categories offer awards for the top three winners, along with 10 consolation prizes. These include cash prizes, bursaries for pre university programmes at Sunway College, 10,000 Sunway Points, an Award Certificate, and a Trophy.

1 st Place – RM5,000 cash prize, Sunway Bursary valued at RM16,000, 10,000 Sunway Points, an award certificate and a trophy
2 nd Place – RM3,000 cash prize, Sunway Bursary valued at RM12,000, 10,000 Sunway Points, an award certificate and a trophy
3 rd Place – RM1,000 cash prize, Sunway Bursary valued at RM8,000, 10,000 Sunway Points, an award certificate and a trophy
10x Consolation Prizes – RM500 cash prize each, Sunway Bursary valued at RM5,000, 10,000 Sunway Points, an award certificate and a medal

Sunway Points can be redeemed via the Sunway Super App, Sunway’s one-stop lifestyle mobile app, which connects users to products and services across Sunway’s expansive and extensive ecosystem.

Since its first iteration in 2014, the Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition has drawn more than 24,000 participants nationwide. For more information regarding the competition, and to submit your essay, please visit www.sunway.com.my/essay/.

To read the full terms and conditions for entry, please click here.

This content is provided by Sunway Group.