TWENTY-SEVENTH AUSTRALIA-JAPAN RELATIONS ESSAY ...

TWENTY-SEVENTH AUSTRALIA-JAPAN RELATIONS ESSAY CONTEST
2009
ENTRY GUIDELINES
1. AIM
The aim of this essay contest is to encourage and develop a better understanding of
Japan, and Australia-Japan relations, amongst Australian students.
2. ENTRY QUALIFICATIONS
• The contest is open to students enrolled in Australian secondary schools, both
public and private, including seventh year primary schools in the Northern
Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
• The level at which a student is eligible to enter is in accordance with the school
year she/he is presently in. (see Divisions below)
• Previous winners of the First Prize in each division are ineligible to enter the same
division again. If a previous First Prize winner wishes to enter a higher division,
she/he must wait until she/he enters the appropriate school year for that division.
3. DIVISIONS
JUNIOR A DIVISION: (Year 7-8)
JUNIOR B DIVISION: (Year 9-10)
SENIOR DIVISION: (Year 11-12)
4. ESSAY TOPICS
See separate document entitled Essay Topics and Notes.
5. CONDITIONS AND PROCEDURE
1. The closing date for entries is Friday, 11 September 2009. Essays must arrive
by this date at the Consulates-General.
2. When submitting your essay please ensure you include a fully completed Cover
Sheet, which includes, without fail, your exact word count. The Cover Sheet
should be filled-in by the author of the essay, and then checked and signed by
the author’s teacher.
3. The length of the essay for Junior A Division must be 700-1000 words, for
Junior B Division 1100-1400 words, and for the Senior Division 1500-1800
words.

4. The essay should be submitted on A4 paper, preferably typed (or written in
block letters), in at least a 12-point sized font. Please keep a copy of the essay
for your own records.
5. Essays must be written in English.
6. Essays must conform to the word limit as specified above and include a
bibliography to be eligible for a prize.
7. Essays will not be returned.
8. Essays should be sent to the specified Consulate-General. To clarify where to
send the essays please refer to the addresses listed below. Essays should not be
sent directly to the Embassy.
9. Each Consulate-General shall select up to three schools which have submitted a
high number of top quality essays. The Consulate-General will then invite each
school to make a submission outlining why they think they should be selected as
School of the Year. The submission should be sent directly to the Embassy.
Each of these submissions will then be examined by the judges at the final
judges’ meeting in Canberra.
10. The official results will be announced on the Embassy of Japan website
(www.au.emb-japan.go.jp), between mid December 2009 and early January
2010.
11. Prize-giving ceremonies will take place from February 2010 onwards at each
of the Consulates-General in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, and the
Embassy of Japan in Canberra (dates to be confirmed).
12. Copyright of the essays will be retained by the Embassy of Japan, and the three
winning essays (one from each division) will be placed on the Embassy’s
website (www.au.emb-japan.go.jp) between mid December 2009 and early
January 2010.
6. JUDGES
Preliminary judging will be made at state level and final judging will be made at
national level. Judging panels at both levels will comprise a panel of judges drawn
from prominent people representing various fields.
7. PRIZES
The first place winner in the Junior B and Senior Divisions will win a return air
ticket* to Japan, courtesy of Japan Airlines. In addition, the first place winner from
both these divisions will be provided with a 7-day Japan Rail Pass (Ordinary Class)
and 3 nights accommodation at the Holiday Inn Kyoto (conditions apply, subject to
availability), courtesy of JTB Australia Pty Ltd. The first place winner in the Junior A
Division will receive $300 worth of books. There will be prizes awarded across the
three divisions for “Outstanding Essays” and “Highly Commended Essays”. First

place winners, as well the “Outstanding Essay” winners and “Highly Commended
Essay” winners will all receive a plaque. There will also be a prize and plaque
awarded to the school with the highest amount of top quality essays. Every prize
winner will also be awarded a certificate.
Please note that no correspondence will be entered into in relation to the prize
conditions. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable.
*The definition of ‘return ticket’ is international flights between Sydney or Brisbane to Tokyo only. The cost of
domestic airfares, airport taxes, and fuel surcharges are the responsibilities of the prize winner.
8. ADDRESSES FOR SENDING COMPLETED ESSAYS
Please send essays, with cover sheets, to the following Consulates-General as
follows:
(NB: Please do not send essays to the Embassy of Japan in Canberra.)
From the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and the Northern
Territory:
Consulate-General of Japan, Sydney
GPO Box 4125
SYDNEY NSW 2001
From South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria:
Japan Information and Cultural Centre, Melbourne
45th Floor, Melbourne Central Tower
360 Elizabeth Street
MELBOURNE VIC 3000
From Western Australia:
Consulate-General of Japan, Perth
PO Box 7347
CLOISTERS SQUARE WA 6850
From Queensland:
Consulate-General of Japan, Brisbane
17th Floor, Comalco Place
12 Creek Street
BRISBANE QLD 4000
The closing date for the contest is:
FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2009

TWENTY-SEVENTH AUSTRALIA-JAPAN RELATIONS ESSAY CONTEST 2009
ESSAY TOPICS
ESSAY TOPICS AND NOTES
A. JUNIOR A DIVISION (Years 7-8) [700-1000 words]
If you could meet a famous Japanese person, who would you choose and why In
what way has he/she contributed to Japanese society
B. JUNIOR B DIVISION (Years 9-10) [1100-1400 words]
Doraemon, a popular Japanese anime character, was recently chosen as a cultural
ambassador for Japan. What popular icon could effectively represent Australia and
why How could this icon be used to promote Australia among Japanese youth
C. SENIOR DIVISION (Years 11-12) [1500-1800 words]
Japan, like Australia, is geographically isolated from its neighbours. Do you think
this is reflected in traditional Japanese culture and thinking, and why/why not
NOTES
1. Before starting to write your essay, make sure that you know how to write an
essay. If you are not sure, ask your English teacher to explain to you how an
essay should be written.
2. Before you start to write your essay, you should think carefully about the topic
for a while. When you think of good points to put in your essay, write them
down. After a while, you will find that you have collected quite a lot of good
ideas for your essay.
3. The next step is to plan your essay. Remember that a good essay should have
an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Write an essay plan, organising all
your ideas so that they are all included and fit together in a logical way.
Follow your essay plan while writing your essay.
4. When writing your essay, you may need to collect information about Japan.
How much do you know about the way Japanese people live, and what kind of
country they live in If you do not know much about these kinds of things, you
should gather the information you need to help you write your essay before
you start.
Some useful sources of information might be:
- your geography/history/SOSE teacher;

- your school library and your local library;
- friends or relatives who have been to Japan;
- the Consulates-General of Japan in Sydney, Brisbane and
Perth, and the Japan Information and Cultural Centre in Melbourne;
- the Embassy of Japan in Canberra;
- the Japan Cultural Centre within The Japan Foundation in
Sydney.
- the Australia-Japan Society in your state, territory or local area, and
Japan Clubs in certain universities;
- Japanese studies departments in certain universities.
In addition, programs about Japan on television and radio, and stories about Japan
in newspapers and magazines, can also be a useful source of information and good
ideas. The internet is another terrific source of information about Japan [check out
the Embassy of Japan’s web site at www.au.emb-japan.go.jp and Web Japan
http://web-japan.org]. Discuss your ideas with teachers, family and friends.
5. Important!
Whatever you do, when you write your essay, don't just copy things from
books and pamphlets. The essay must be your own work. It is good to gather
information about Japan from books and pamphlets in order to increase your
knowledge of Japan, but you must write your essay in your own words.
Please note that your essay must include a bibliography, which is a list of the
information sources you have used in your essay. If you do not know how to
write a bibliography, ask your teacher. Please note that your essay must
conform to the word limit as specified and you must write the exact word
number of your essay on the cover sheet.
Please note that you must fill-in and attach an official Cover Sheet to your
essay. The Cover Sheet must also be checked and signed by your teacher.
Cover Sheets are available from the Consulates-General of Japan in Sydney,
Perth and Brisbane and the Japan Information and Cultural Centre in
Melbourne. All necessary application information for students, including
the Entry Guidelines, Essay Topics and Notes and Cover Sheet, is also
available on the Embassy of Japan website at: www.au.emb-japan.go.jp
The closing date for the contest is:
FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2009
(Essays must arrive by this date at the Consulates-General;
DO NOT send essays directly to the Embassy of Japan)

TWENTY-SEVENTH AUSTRALIA-JAPAN RELATIONS ESSAY CONTEST 2009
ESSAY DETAILS
COVER SHEET
(to be filled in by student and checked and signed by teacher)
Division: Junior A Division Junior B Division Senior Division
Title:
Number of words: words. (Please state exact word length here.)
STUDENT DETAILS
Name: Ms Mr
(please circle one)
title given name surname
Address:
street number and name / post office box number
town/suburb state/territory postcode
Telephone: ( )
Email address:
area code
Date-of-birth:
/ /
dd/mm/yy
School year:
Have you ever participated in this essay contest before Yes No
If so, which division did you enter Junior A Junior B Senior
SCHOOL DETAILS
Name of school:
Address:
street number and name / post office box number
town/suburb state/territory postcode
Telephone: ( )
Facsimile: ( )
area code
area code
Name of principal:
Name of teacher in charge:
Subject/s taught:
title given name surname
title given name surname
“To the best of my knowledge, I declare that this is the student’s own work.”
…………………………………………
signed: (teacher in charge)