John Locke/HIR/Re:think写作选题汇总对比，一篇讲透！

冲击英美顶尖名校热门文科专业，仅凭GPA与标化成绩已难以脱颖而出，高含金量国际写作竞赛成为突破申请重围的核心利器。被誉为"藤校敲门砖"的三大顶级赛事——剑桥Re:think、John Locke、HIR，2026赛季赛题现已全部发布！

三大国际写作竞赛选题汇总

三大写作竞赛今年的选题都非常有意思，家长同学们可以看看对哪些选题更感兴趣～

John Locke写作竞赛

John Locke写作竞赛(John Locke Institute Essay Competition)以17世纪哲学家约翰·洛克命名，被公认为全球人文社科领域含金量最高、获奖难度最大的中学学术写作赛事之一。

Economics

Q1. Should we fear a cashless society?

我们应该畏惧“无现金社会”吗?

Q2. Technology now allows personalised pricing. If this came to be widely used, what effects should we expect?

技术现已支持“个性化定价”，如果这一手段被广泛使用，我们应该预期会产生哪些影响?

Q3. Did Jeff Bezos get rich at the expense of his customers, his employees, neither or both?

杰夫·贝佐斯(Jeff Bezos)的财富积累是以其顾客、员工为代价，还是两者皆非，抑或两者皆是?

Part 2. 历史

History

Q1. "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Is it? Does it?

“道德宇宙的弧线虽长，但它终究向正义弯曲。”事实果真如此吗?(这种弯曲)真的发生了吗?

Q2. What might the world look like if the Library of Alexandria didn’t burn down?

如果亚历山大图书馆没有被焚毁，世界可能会是什么样子?

Q3. Does Che deserve his iconic T-shirt?

切·格瓦拉(Che)配得上印有他肖像的那些标志性T恤吗?

Part 3. 国际关系

International Relations(新增类别)

Q1. Does foreign aid help or hurt poor people?

对外援助对贫困人口是有利还是有害?

Q2. Is the US economy harmed by cheap imports from China?

美国经济是否受到了来自中国廉价进口商品的损害?

Q3. Should a coalition of countries (or of billionaires) run an experiment with a libertarian microstate?

是否应由一个由多国(或亿万富翁)组成的联盟，联合进行一项“自由意志主义微型国家”(libertarian microstate)的实验?

Part 4. 法律

Law

Q1. If legislators and judges all accepted the philosophical theory of determinism, what would be the effect on criminal sentencing?

如果立法者和法官都接受了哲学上的“决定论”理论，会对刑事判决产生什么影响?

Q2. To what extent should criminal sentencing take into account the effect on the perpetrator’s family?

刑事判决在多大程度上应该考虑对犯罪者家属的影响?

Q3. Is trial by jury obsolete?

陪审团审判制度是否已过时?

Part 5. 哲学

Philosophy

Q1. Is it ever wrong to do the right thing for the wrong reasons?

出于错误的动机去做正确的事，这是否在任何情况下都是错误的?

Q2. What consolations does philosophy offer?

哲学能提供哪些慰藉?

Q3. Why is incest wrong?

为何乱伦是错误的?

Part 6. 政治

Politics

Q1. Is the right to self-determination absolute?

民族自决权是绝对的吗?

Q2. Did the pandemic normalise authoritarianism?

这场大流行病(新冠疫情)是否使威权主义常态化了?

Q3. Is democracy in crisis?

民主制度正处于危机之中吗?

Part 7. 心理学

Psychology

Q1. Why do we care what happens to our body after death?

为什么我们会关心死后遗体会被如何处理?

Q2. Is mental illness over-diagnosed now, or just better recognised?

心理疾病在当下是被过度诊断了，还是仅仅得到了更好的识别?

Q3. Surveys show a widening gender ideological gap in recent years. Why?

调查显示近年来性别意识形态差距正在扩大。这是为什么?

Part 8. 公共政策

Public Policy(新增类别)

Q1. What discount rate should be applied to long-run environmental policies? Why?

在长期环境政策中应当应用多大的“折现率”?为什么?

Q2. Which unintended consequence was most devastating and why did we fail to predict it?

历史上哪一个“非预期后果”最具破坏性?为什么我们没能预见到它?

Q3. Should vaccination be mandatory in a public health emergency?

在突发公共卫生事件中，是否应当强制接种疫苗?

Part 9. 科学与技术

Science & Technology

(新增类别)

Q1. What discount rate should be applied to long-run environmental policies? Why?

在长期环境政策中应当应用多大的“折现率”?为什么?

Q2. Which unintended consequence was most devastating and why did we fail to predict it?

历史上哪一个“非预期后果”最具破坏性?为什么我们没能预见到它?

Q3. Should vaccination be mandatory in a public health emergency?

在突发公共卫生事件中，是否应当强制接种疫苗?

Part 10. 神学

Theology

Q1. Is religious experience better explained by neuroscience or by theology?

宗教体验用神经科学还是用神学来解释更为合理?

Q2. Research shows a strong inverse correlation between religiosity and per-capita spending on education. Does one cause the other?

研究显示，宗教信仰程度与人均教育支出之间存在强烈的负相关。两者之间是否存在因果关系?

Q3. If you achieve enlightenment, how will you know?

如果你获得了“觉悟”(enlightenment)，你将如何知晓?

HIR哈佛国际评论写作竞赛

HIR哈佛国际评论学术写作竞赛(Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest)由哈佛大学旗下具有四十多年历史的权威期刊《哈佛国际评论》(Harvard International Review)主办，是国际关系与全球事务领域最具影响力的中学生竞赛之一。

Junior 初级组（7–8 年级）

主题：Inventions that Changed How We Live

改变我们生活方式的发明

截图来源于官网

参赛者需围绕主题进行写作，同时请注意：所有低年级组参赛者必须遵守高中组比赛的投稿指南！

Senior 高级组（9–12 年级）

参赛者需在三个全球议题主题中选择其一，提交一篇关于国际事务主题的短文。：

Theme A:Global Culture in the Digital Era

数字时代的全球文化

Theme B:Security in a Multipolar World

多极世界中的安全

Theme C:Technology, Innovation, and Power

技术、创新与权力

剑桥Rethink写作竞赛

剑桥Rethink论文竞赛(Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition)是近年来备受瞩目的写作竞赛新秀。虽然创办于2024年，但依托剑桥国际研究中心(CCIR)，并集结了哈佛、MIT、剑桥、牛津等顶尖学府的教授团队进行命题与评审，其学术权威性迅速获得全球认可。

Junior 初级组（7–8 年级）

初级组鼓励低年级学生通过日常经验和关于公平、责任和社区的伦理问题来探索重要理念。

Animal Rights and Society

动物权利与社会

Why is it okay for us to eat certain animals and not others?

为什么我们可以吃某些动物而不能吃另一些动物?

Freedom and Accountability

自由与问责

Should people always tell the truth, even if it might hurt someone’s feelings?

人们是否应该总是说实话，即使这可能会伤害别人的感情?

Is it better to work together or do things on your own?

是合作更好还是独自完成事情更好?

Law and Society

法律与社会

How can we make sure schools are fair for all students?

我们如何确保学校对所有学生都公平?

Should people be punished for breaking rules online?

人们是否应该因为违反网络规则而受到惩罚?

Public Health

公共卫生

Should getting vaccines be a matter of individual freedom or community responsibility?

接种疫苗是个人自由的问题，还是社区责任的问题?

Is resilience something individuals must build, or should schools and families do more to reduce the causes of stress?

韧性是个人必须培养的品质，还是学校和家庭应该做更多来减少压力的根源?

Technology and Ethics

技术与伦理

If an AI makes a mistake, who should be responsible?

如果人工智能犯了错误，谁应该承担责任?

Senior 高级组（9–12 年级）

高年级组鼓励学生深入探讨道德、政治、科学和哲学等领域的挑战性问题。

Freedom and Accountability

自由与问责

Is populism inherently a form of radical right-wing politics, or can it also represent a legitimate, alternative democratic expression?

民粹主义本质上是一种激进的右翼政治形式，还是它也可以代表一种合法的、替代性的民主表达?

Law and Society

法律与社会

Should AI systems be granted legal personhood, or are they tools that must always remain under human accountability?

人工智能系统是否应被赋予法律人格，还是它们必须始终作为人类问责制下的工具?

Should colonial-era artifacts in Western museums be repatriated to their countries of origin, or preserved where they are as part of global heritage?

西方博物馆中的殖民时代文物应该归还给其原籍国，还是作为全球遗产的一部分在其所在地保存?

Economics and Globalization

经济与全球化

Should the nation-state be abolished in favor of new forms of global or regional governance, or does it remain essential to political identity and stability?

民族国家是否应该被废除，以支持新的全球或区域治理形式，或者它对于政治认同和稳定仍然至关重要?

Should meritocracy be considered a fair system that rewards talent and effort, or a myth that disguises structural inequality?

精英管理制度应该被视为一种奖励才能和努力的公平体系，还是一个掩盖结构性不平等的迷思?

Should open borders be embraced as a path to justice and freedom, or would they destabilize societies and undermine welfare systems?

开放边界应该被视为通向正义和自由的道路，还是会动摇社会并损害福利体系?

Technology and Ethics

技术与伦理

Should governments fund moonshot scientific projects (like curing aging or interstellar travel) even if they appear speculative, or prioritize incremental improvements with more immediate benefits?

政府是否应该资助大胆的科学项目(如治愈衰老或星际旅行)，即使它们看起来具有投机性，还是优先考虑具有更直接益处的渐进式改进?

Should scientific research on potentially catastrophic technologies (such as gain-of-function experiments or advanced AI models) be restricted, even at the cost of slowing progress?

对可能带来灾难性后果的技术(如功能增益实验或先进AI模型)的科学研究是否应该受到限制，即使这会减缓进步?

Public Health

公共卫生

Can healing ever be “complete,” or is it always an ongoing negotiation with pain, memory, and identity?

治愈能否“彻底完成”，或者它是否总是在与痛苦、记忆和身份进行持续的协商?

三大国际写作竞赛怎么选？

A place that students can achieve effectively.

如果你是“人文社科全能型”学生：

建议主攻John Locke Essay竞赛，冲击高认可度。可同时用Harvard HIR作为保底或补充，因其获奖机会相对多元，且能展现类似的国际视野与分析能力。

如果你是“跨学科兴趣突出”的学生：

建议主攻John Locke Re:think竞赛，凸显你在交叉领域的思考。同时，可选择Harvard HIR中与科技治理、全球政策相关的主题作为备选，展示同一兴趣点的不同维度。

如果对“国际关系或政治学”有明确热情：

建议将Harvard HIR作为核心目标。其论文+答辩的赛制能全面展示你的能力，是申请相关专业的有力凭证。