Competition format & key facts
Organized detailsOverview
University students enrolled in Costa Rica can enter a 4,000–5,000-word essay competition on Costa Rica and the Pacific Alliance, with three winning essays receiving travel-related prizes, books and publication.
Complete competition details
The competition invites essays on Costa Rica's relationship with the Pacific Alliance across themes such as gender and social inclusion, foreign policy and development cooperation, trade/investment, and environment/sustainability. Three winners will each receive one round-trip flight from San José to one of Mexico City, Bogotá or Medellín, a set of books and publication of the winning essay. The official rules state that ticket taxes and fees are borne by the winner.
Eligibility requirements
Applicants must be at least 18 years old and enrolled during 2026 in a bachelor's or licenciatura programme at a public or private university in Costa Rica, in any field. Entries must be original, submitted under a pseudonym with a separate identity plica, and comply with the official formatting and documentary requirements. The official rules prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to draft the essay.
Tips for this competition
Practical Job and Scholarship guidance. These tips do not replace official rules or create new eligibility requirements.
- Study the scoring criteria and previous winners before deciding what evidence, prototype, essay, research or portfolio will best support the entry.
- Confirm country, age, team, education and organization restrictions and whether one person may enter multiple submissions.
- Follow the required file format, word/time limits and naming rules exactly; technical non-compliance can disqualify a strong entry.
- Keep proof of submission and submit before the deadline rather than relying on the final hour.
Verification notes
The official School of International Relations rules and UNA Comunica's 4 September 2026 announcement were checked during this run. One sentence on the official page says the impossible date '31 September', while its formal calendar says 30 September and UNA Comunica also says 30 September; 30 September 2026 is therefore retained as the source-supported closing date. The submission email is obfuscated by the public extractor, so no email address was guessed.
Job and Scholarship is the discovery and verification layer. Confirm eligibility, dates, salary/funding and application instructions on the original source before submitting anything.
Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica — School of International Relations ↗