Essayists are invited to enter a contest to write on the topic of human rights for a new competition. The 2012 Global Human Rights Essay Contest on “Human Rights City” is inviting people to register by midnight on Jan. 31. Applicants then have until March 15 to submit their essays on the topic: “If I were to change my city into a Human Rights City.”

The contest is a joint initiative by The Institute for Social Development and Policy Research of Seoul National University and the Korea Human Rights Foundation with support of the Metropolitan City of Gwangju to promote the idea of a human rights city.

It aims to get young people to participate in building a human rights city. An awards ceremony will take place in Gwangju on May 16 during the 2012 World Human Rights Cities Forum.

All essay submissions must be in Microsoft Word format and should be between 5,000-10,000 words. Papers must be submitted online via www.humanrightscity.net. Sources must be cited properly where used and proper bibliography or footnotes must be included. Papers must be written within the framework of politics, society, culture and economics.