Harvard International Review Writing Contest Preparation
80% of our students earned Silver or Gold medals at the HIR Academic Writing Contest — a global top-10% result. Our semester-length course builds general academic writing skill — research, AP style, argument, and oral defense — with the HIR Academic Writing Contest as its goal.
- Course starts
- Week of Aug 24
- Format
- 20 hrs + 1-on-1
- Our students
- 80% Silver+
- Target deadline
- Jan 2, 2027
The Competition
What is the HIR Academic Writing Contest?
Run by the Harvard International Review, the contest invites students in grades 7–12 to write a short-form article — 800 to 1,200 words, in AP style — on one of the year's international affairs themes. It runs three cycles a year; our course targets the winter deadline of January 2, 2027.
What sets it apart is the finalist round: Defense Day, a virtual oral defense where students present their article and take questions from a panel. Strong writers who cannot defend their work do not medal — which is why our curriculum ends with mock defenses.
A new Junior Division for grades 7–8 was introduced in 2026, making this the best entry point for younger writers.
How medals are awarded
Source: hir.harvard.edu/contest · Non-finalists with strong scores receive High Commendation, Commendation, and writing prizes.
2026 Senior Division themes
Enrollment
Choose Your Package
Both packages follow the same live curriculum from the week of August 24 through December. Package 2 adds four more one-on-one hours for personalised topic work, extra draft reviews, and individual Defense Day coaching.
Package 1
20 hours + 2 hrs one-on-one
- 20 hours of live group instruction
- 2 hours of one-on-one tutoring
- Full curriculum through submission
- Defense Day preparation
Package 2 · Most popular
20 hours + 6 hrs one-on-one
- 20 hours of live group instruction
- 6 hours of one-on-one tutoring
- Personalised topic selection
- Additional mentored draft reviews
- Individual Defense Day coaching
Existing Atlantic Ivy families: contact us about the $300 returning-client discount before July 29.
The Course
Curriculum: From First Principles to Defense Day
How the contest works, what medallists have in common, and how journalistic international-affairs writing differs from school essays.
The Associated Press style the contest requires: attribution, hyperlink citations, concision, and voice.
Finding and evaluating sources on fast-moving international topics. Building a source file.
Analysing the annual themes and finding an under-covered angle — the single biggest differentiator in scoring.
Making every paragraph earn its place in 800–1,200 words.
Weaving fresh sources, actors, and mechanisms into every section.
Full first drafts with structured peer and instructor feedback.
Editing to publication standard: clarity, accuracy, and style.
Formatting, registration, and final checks for the January 2 deadline.
Mock oral defenses: presenting and defending your article to a panel, as finalists must.
The Record
Results Our Writing Students Earned
See the full year-by-year record on our results page
Your Mentors
Taught by International Affairs Specialists
The course is led by mentors who live this material. Netra Easwaran — Yale, B.A. Political Science; Vice President of the Yale International Relations Association and Director-General of Yale MUN Dubai — leads the international-relations curriculum.
Matt Mauriello — Harvard; 2023 North American Debating Champion and Top Debater — coaches argumentation and Defense Day. 100% of his John Locke students were shortlisted.
Meet all our writing tutors
Common Questions
What is the HIR Academic Writing Contest?
The Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest is an international affairs writing competition run by the Harvard International Review, open to students in grades 7–12 (Years 7–13). Entrants write an 800–1,200 word article in AP style on one of the annual themes. Finalists present and defend their work at a virtual oral round called Defense Day.
How are medals awarded?
Gold medals go to roughly the global top 3% of entrants, Silver to the top 10%, and Bronze to the top 20%, based on written scores and Defense Day performance. Non-finalists with strong scores receive High Commendation, Commendation, and writing prizes. 80% of our students have earned Silver or Gold.
What is Defense Day and do you prepare students for it?
Defense Day is the oral round where finalists present their article and answer questions from a panel — similar to a viva. It is the part most entrants are least prepared for, so our curriculum ends with mock defenses, and Package 2 includes individual Defense Day coaching.
Is AI allowed in the contest?
No. The HIR strictly prohibits AI writing tools and uses multiple detection tools on every entry. Our course develops genuine research and writing skill, and we teach students how to document their process so their work stands up to scrutiny.
Which deadline does this course target?
The course runs from the week of August 24 through December and targets the fall/winter cycle deadline of January 2, 2027, with Defense Day in early February. The contest also runs spring and summer cycles each year.
How is this different from your John Locke course?
Our John Locke track is hyper-focused on one competition essay. This course is geared toward general academic writing — research, structure, style, and oral defense — using the HIR contest as its goal. Many students take this course in the autumn and progress to John Locke preparation in January.
Want the full picture? Read our complete guide to the HIR contest — deadlines, medal cutoffs, AP style, and Defense Day drills. Or print the free HIR article blueprint and Defense Day prep sheet.
Classes Begin the Week of August 24
Years 7–9 meet Tuesdays, Years 10–13 meet Thursdays — both 6:00–8:00 PM GST, live on Zoom, capped at 8 students.