Winners announced for APRU-NYT Competition 2017
July 31, 2017
01

The inaugural APRU – The New York Times Case Competition attracted entries from some of the brightest minds in the Americas, Asia and Australasia to tackle a pressing issue: The Future of the Pacific Ocean.

Talented students from 12 nations and territories and 31 universities participated in the competition which was judged by senior university leaders and staff from The New York Times’ award-winning newsroom. Students were tasked to focus on a policy response to the complexities of climate change in 800 words.

This competition focuses on raising awareness of climate change and the future of the Pacific Ocean. Students are expected

Chancellor Gene Block, APRU Chair, announced the winners and short-listed competitors at the APRU Annual Presidents’ Meeting in Sydney on June 26, 2017.

Winners

The winners of this year’s competition are Katherine Crosman, Leah Johnson, Eleni Petrou and Hillary Scannell, from The University of Washington in Seattle. The 1st Runner Up is Stephanie Chee from the Yale-NUS College while the 2nd Runner Up is Nicole Lim from the National University of Singapore.  Coming from both sides of the Pacific Ocean, they demonstrate the importance of this issue to diverse communities linked by this great ocean.

The prize for the winners and the 1st Runner up is US$500 and US$300 in vouchers respectively and publication of the case as an article in the international edition of The New York Times.  A booklet of the top 10 entries will also be published in July 2017.

View the winners and shortlist of top 10 teams

By engaging students in a case competition which aims to brief public policy leaders, APRU hopes to strengthen long-term leadership of climate change mitigation and adaptation, ocean sustainability and governance, disaster science and recovery as well as oceanographic and environmental research and education.

As the voice of knowledge and innovation in the Pacific, APRU will continue to use our unique geographical reach to bring together the region’s leaders and brightest minds to address the future of the world’s greatest ocean.

See compilation of the top 10 case submissions here