The East Asia Institute (EAI) invites undergraduate and master's degree students (including recent graduates) to share their visions on the critical challenges facing the global society at the "2016 EPIK Young Leaders Conference: Essay Competition." The EPIK Young Leaders Conference has become an annual academic forum for young leaders since its successful start in 2010.

THEME
"Past and Present: How Do They Interact?"
When, in the present, do we look back into the past? Or when does the past influence the present? How do the present and past interact and give meaning to each other?
Indeed, the past can help us understand the present and anticipate events to come in the future. Likewise, our understanding of the past is often shaped by what we have come to learn in the present. Yet the past and present do not simply interact to influence our understanding of the world. The past can be used to justify or delegitimize actions in the present, just as present circumstances can act to validate or condemn legacies of the past. In this way, the past and present also interact to guide, empower or circumscribe our decisions.
Interactions between the past and the present are multifaceted and can occur at many levels, ranging from individuals to states and from interest groups to government agencies. For example, interest groups offer competing and sometimes contradictory accounts of the past in order to promote their own goals and values. The course of economic or institutional development is largely influenced by the initial decisions made by leaders based on their initial conditions. History can facilitate international cooperation, as in the European Union, or hinder it, as in the Middle East or East Asia. Cultural and social norms influence the way events are remembered, whether individually or collectively.
The 2016 EPIK Young Leaders Conference invites bright scholars from around the world in various academic disciplines to ponder upon the question of “Past and Present: How Do They Interact?” Be sure to support your argument using appropriate research methods including, but not limited to, illustrative case studies or quantitative analyses.

ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION
The competition is open to domestic/overseas undergraduate and master's degree students (including the recent graduates who completed the program within the previous 2 years), who were in the age group of 18-35. The participants must submit an attested copy of their student Identity Card (or Degree Certificate for graduates) along with required documents.

DEADLINES AND REQUIREMENTS
1. First Round
Deadline: March 31, 2016
Result Announcement: April 18, 2016
Required Documents:
1) Application - Abstract should not exceed 400 words
2) Resume
3) Copy of a student Identity Card or Degree Certificate for graduates
2. Second Round
Deadline: June 12, 2016
Result Announcement: July 4, 2016
Required Document: First draft
1) Essays should not exceed 5,000 words (excluding abstract, keywords, and references).
2) Essays must be submitted and formatted in Microsoft Word
3) Use Times New Roman, 11-points, 1.5 interlinear spacing. Text should be justified.
3. Final Draft Submission
Due July 31, 2016: Final draft after consultation with the reviewers
Due July 31, 2016: PowerPoint (or other types of visual aids) for presentation
4. Essay Presentation and Award Ceremony
Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2016 2PM
Venue: Hotel Kukdo, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Finalists will attend the conference to present their papers and participate in discussion with other discussants.

AWARD
One first-place winner and one second-place winner will be selected and announced at the conference on Wednesday, August 10, 2016. The finalists’ papers will be published online as a series of EPIK Journals Online on EAI website.
1st-place winner: 2,000,000 KRW
2nd-place winner: 1,000,000 KRW
*Travel expenses will not be covered by EAI.

IMPORTANCE
1. All requirements must be submitted by each deadline only electronically to epik@eai.or.kr.
2. Papers that poorly address the theme with irrelevant ideas and/or not meeting all requirements will be disqualified from the contest.
3. About plagiarism policy, refer to www.plagiarism.org.
4. Essays must be written by one person. Co-authored essays are not accepted.
5. Only original and unpublished essays will be considered for the competition.
6. Essays must be submitted in MS word format.

ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS MUST BE SENT TO:
Email : epik@eai.or.kr

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR YOUR REFERENCE:
EAI Website: www.eai.or.kr
EPIK Website: epik.eai.or.kr