Ten years from now,
Enter
Guide for entrants

How to build an argument.

A strong entry doesn't predict the future. It makes a case about it. This guide follows the six judging criteria, step by step.

The guide in one minute

How to build an argument · 1:05 · silent, with all the words on screen and in full below.

Seven steps

  1. Narrow the questionEach challenge question is broad on purpose. Your first job is to make it small enough to argue well in 1,000 words. Not “the future of healthcare” but “whether Singapore should screen every adult for diabetes by 2030”.
  2. Find out what is already trueBefore deciding what should happen, establish what is happening now. Look for numbers, trends and who is affected. Prefer original sources (official statistics, research papers, reports from the organisations involved) over summaries of them.
  3. Decide what you thinkWrite your position in one sentence before you write anything else. “Cities should…”, “Governments should not…”, “The most important change is…”. If you can't, keep researching.
  4. Give your reasonsTwo or three strong reasons, each supported by evidence, beat seven thin ones. For each reason, ask: how do I know this? Would a sceptical reader accept it?
  5. Answer the strongest objectionFind the best argument against your position and deal with it honestly. You might show it is wrong, show it matters less than it seems, or adjust your claim. Judges look for this.
  6. Say what would have to happenIf you propose something, say who would need to act, what it would cost and what could stop it. An idea that ignores its obstacles is weaker than one that faces them.
  7. Make it clearWrite for an intelligent reader who is not an expert. Short paragraphs, one idea in each. Cut anything that doesn't help the argument. Read it aloud.

Weak and strong, side by side

Weaker“AI will completely transform education in the next ten years, and schools need to prepare for this amazing change.”
Stronger“By 2035, most secondary students in OECD countries will have access to an AI tutor. The risk is not that they use it, but that schools keep assessing work the tutor can do. Exam boards should shift 30% of assessment to supervised oral defence of written work.”

The stronger version narrows the claim, takes a position, names who should act and invites challenge. Its figures are illustrative; in a real entry each would need a source.

Using sources

  • Cite every fact, figure and quotation that isn't common knowledge.
  • Use any consistent referencing style. Include enough for a reader to find the source: author or organisation, title, year and a link if it is online.
  • References go in the separate References box and don't count towards the word limit.
  • Check where a statistic comes from. A number repeated on many websites may trace back to one weak source.
  • Note evidence that cuts against you. Using it fairly strengthens your case.

Using AI properly

You may use AI tools to brainstorm, explain a concept, find sources and check spelling and grammar. You may not use them to write, rewrite or structure your entry. Declare any use when you submit. Check any source an AI tool suggests: they sometimes invent references. Read the AI-use policy.

Before you submit

  • Can I state my position in one sentence?
  • Is every important claim supported, and is every source listed?
  • Have I answered the strongest objection?
  • If I propose something, have I said who would act and how?
  • Is it under 1,000 words, without my name or school in the text?
  • Have I declared any AI use accurately?

Write your entry in the browser.

Your draft is kept on your device as you write. You don't need an account.

Enter the competitionRegister interest