ATTENTION: Contest for best research paper

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO/Organisation) celebrates in 2017 the 15th anniversary the SCO Charter and the 10th anniversary of the signing by SCO member states of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

In June 2017, Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, will host the SCO Heads of State Council Meeting, during which the heads of state will exchange views on the topical issues on regional and international agendas, discuss priority areas of multi-dimensional cooperation within the Organisation and prospects for expanding the SCO, as well as stepping up cooperation with other international and regional organisations.

It is against this backdrop that the SCO Secretariat is announcing a new student contest for the best research paper on the subject ‘The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: Development and Expansion Opportunities.'

The contest will be held from 6 February until 15 December 2017.

The contest is open to third and fourth-year students from SCO member states.

Contest nomination: Best research paper on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

— the paper shall be an original, previously unpublished, article;

— the research paper shall be submitted in Russian or Chinese;

— the title page shall contain the student's full name, university, department and class year, name of the contest and research paper title (a student profile with a photo shall be provided as an attachment);

— the page layout for Russian-language papers: A4, top margin: 2 cm, bottom margin: 2 cm, right margin: 1.5 cm and left margin: 2 cm. Font: Times New Roman, font size: 14. Line spacing: 1.5. The paper shall be at least 7 pages and not more than 10 pages long. In Chinese: A4, top margin: 2 cm, bottom margin: 2 cm, right margin: 1.5 cm and left margin: 2 cm. Font: 宋体, font size 四号. Line spacing: 1.5. The paper shall be at least 6 pages and not more than 9 pages long.

1. Heads of universities will select research papers that meet contest requirements by 1 October, and submit them by 15 October to the national coordinator at their respective foreign ministries.

2. The national coordinator will then select the most substantive research papers and submit them to the SCO Secretariat following the established procedure.

Selecting winners: members of a special council established by the SCO Secretariat and tasked with reviewing research papers submitted by students from higher education institutions of SCO member states (the Council) shall review the research papers and select one winner per SCO member state.

— concept and topic;

— creativity;

— novelty and the extent to which the topic is analysed;

— compliance with requirements in terms of format and page layout.

The contest winners will be announced on 7 December 2017 on the SCO Secretariat website.

Awards for contest winners: Contest winners will be awarded with a certificate and a memorable gift by the SCO Secretary-General, and the best research paper will be published in academic journals.