January 20, 2023
At the 188th Yukichi Fukuzawa Birthday Commemoration Ceremony held on Tuesday, January 10, the awards ceremony for the 47th Shinzo Koizumi Prize All-Japan High School Essay Contest took place, where President Kohei Ito presented the winners with certificates of commendation. Following the ceremony, the customary social gathering was held for the prize winners, attended by members of the screening committee and other related parties. It provided a valuable opportunity for the screening committee members and prize winners to interact directly, discussing topics such as what motivated them to write their essays.
Since 1976, Keio University has held this essay contest for high school students nationwide to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of Dr. Shinzo Koizumi, who served as President of Keio University from 1933 to 1947 and was also a distinguished writer. Its purpose is to pass on the character and achievements of Dr. Koizumi to future generations and to contribute to the improvement of young people's writing and expressive skills. This year, five essay topics were set, including "Living in the World 100 Years from Now." Submissions were accepted from May to August of last year, and 260 outstanding works were received from high school students across the country.
The prize winners are as follows.
The winning essays and the screening committee's comments can be viewed here .
"Shinzo Koizumi Prize"
・Yuka Fukuda (1st year, Hiroo Gakuen Senior High School, Tokyo)
"Second Prize"
・Yuto Sawada (2nd year, Saitama Prefectural Kawaguchi Kita High School, Saitama)
"Honorable Mention" (in alphabetical order)
・Koko Umeyama (2nd year, Kōen Joshi Gakuin High School, Tokyo)
・Haru Hirose (2nd year, Gakushuin Girls' Senior High School, Tokyo)
・Shuntaro Mori (3rd year, Keio Senior High School, Kanagawa)
Shinzo Koizumi Prize All-Japan High School Essay Contest Results
Photo by Susumu Ishido