TPIU Annual High School Writing & Art Contest

Essay Category

Choose from the 4 prompts below, and write an essay with a 1200-1500 word limit.

In your opinion, is compassion a natural human instinct or a nurtured societal virtue? Please elaborate using perspectives from philosophy, sociology, or theology.
“Justice without compassion becomes cruelty, but compassion without justice leads to moral blindness.” To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
The word “compassion” has Latin roots and means “to suffer with”, but different cultures’ interpretations vary. Examine two or more
traditions’ (e.g. Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism) definition of compassion, and explore the universality– or limitation– of compassion.
Do you or your family members have personal experiences related to compassionate healthcare? Tell us the story.

Art Category

Create a piece of 2D art reflecting the theme of compassion.

Drawing: pencil, ink, charcoal, pastel, etc.
Painting: acrylic, watercolor, oil, gouache, etc.
Mixed media
Photography
Digital illustration

All submissions must be in the form of a high quality digital image in PDF or JPEG form.

Who Can Compete

Entrants must be currently enrolled in high school, currently enrolled in high school, or be home schooled at the high school level, by the time of submission.

Key Dates

June 30

Submission starts
September 15

Registration deadline
September 30

Submission deadline
October 15

Winners announced

How to Submit

Each contestant is limited to one submission in one category.
Submit your essay in PDF format, and artwork in PDF or JPEG format, title “LastName_FirstName_Essay_2025” or “LastName_FirstName_Art_2025”.
Include a cover page or side text with the following information in your attached file: your submission title, your full legal name, and your full school or institution name.
Email this PDF as an attachment to competition@tpiu.org. Email title should be the same as your attachment title.
Files should not exceed 5 MB

Essay Category Rules

The use of AI in the writing process of submitted drafts is strictly forbidden.
All ideas and language should be original and by the contestant themselves.
Plagiarism or the use of ghostwriters will result in disqualification.

Art Category Rules

Artworks generated by AI are currently not accepted. All submitted artworks must be created by humans.
Please safely store the original hard copy of the artwork if you wish to be considered for the shortlister’s exhibit.

Prizes

Your work will receive an invitation to attend the TPIU annual gathering in November or December, with the chance to get to know esteemed guests such as our past honor roll attendees.

The Gold Medal
The Silver Medal
The Bronze Medal
The Shortlist

TPIU Annual High School Writing & Art Contest

The TPIU Annual High School Writing & Art Contest encourages current high school students to reflect on the universal theme of compassion.

The competition has two tracks:

Essay Category

Art Category

Who Can Compete

Key Dates

June 30

September 15

September 30

October 15

How to Submit

Essay Category Rules

Art Category Rules

Prizes

The Gold Medal

The Silver Medal

The Bronze Medal

The Shortlist

The TPIU Annual Gathering

Register