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The Indonesian Scholarship and Research Support Foundation (ISRSF) invites talented Indonesians to participate in the Foundation’s History Essay Competition. The goal of this competition is to recognise the work of Indonesians interested in history and to inspire young Indonesians to become academic historians.

Who can enter the competition? 

  • Any Indonesian citizen with a strong interest in history
  • Anyone with either an S1 or S2 degree as of the end of 2016
  • You have not yet started any Ph.D program
  • Anyone who is 35 years old or younger at the time you submit your essay
  • No one currently affiliated in any way with ISRSF can submit an essay

What can I write about?

  • Any subject or period in Indonesian history from 1800 to 2000
  • The focus can be on a social, economic, political, cultural, religious, or ideological topic
  • You can focus on individuals, groups, movements, trends, ideas, organizations, or any combination of these
  • It must be an original essay written exclusively for this competition and not submitted or published anywhere previously

What are the criteria for winning?

  • Originality, clarity, coherence, use of sources, and the quality of the writing.
  • Essays must be written in English and carefully edited for content, spelling, and grammar.
  • Essays must be non-ficton, based on research, and be 2,500 words or less.
  • Essays must be written and edited by the same individual (no outside help).
  • Each writer can submit only one essay for this competition.
  • Essays must be new, original, and written specifically for this competition.
  • Previously published essays, whether in print or online (in any form), will not be accepted.
  • All sources (primary or secondary) used in the essay must be fully and properly cited. All direct quotes must appear in quotation marks.
  • ISRSF will scan all essays using plagiarism software that can detect any material previously published in books, articles, or available online.
  • Essays should have a title. The author’s name should appear under the title. Avoid using headers and footers.
  • Essays must be submitted in Word .doc or .docx format. Use 12 pt Times New Roman font. PDFs will not be accepted.
  • Margins should be set to 1” on all sides. Pages should be numbered.

All essays will be read and judged by an independent panel of Indonesian and international historians. The panel reserves the right not to award a prize if no essay qualifies. The panel’s decisions regarding prize winners are final.

Based on the decisions of the judges, IRSRF will award first, second, and third prizes. The prizes for these places are:

1st Prize: Rp. 10,000,000

2nd Prize: Rp. 8,000,000

3rd Prize: Rp. 6,000,000

Prize winners will also receive an award certificate from ISRSF and will be featured on the Foundation’s website. Prize winners are also automatically eligible to be interviewed by ISRSF for a prestigious Arryman Fellow award and eligible for an interview for a full scholarship to study for a Ph.D. in history at Northwestern University.

Please send your essay attached with the History Essay Competition Form and a scan of your ID (KTP) for verification to: [email protected]

Essays must be submitted online to ISRSF no later than 15 November 2016 at midnight (WIB).