It’s easy to think our daily lives have little relevance when it comes to global issues worth taking a stand on. The winning pieces for our Op-Ed Competition, however, show that the most powerful opinion pieces can be inspired by the most everyday experiences—whether that be a childhood lunchroom incident or a scroll through Instagram. And, when supported by research, these experiences can connect to a universal argument. As Guest Judge Rainesford Stauffer says, “We come away with a better sense of how this impacted not just the writer, but the stakes of the issue on a bigger scale.”
Check out the winners, finalists, and honorable mentions below, as well as Rainesford’s accompanying commentary!
WINNERS:
Winner: Food Shame: How Guilt-Tripping Solves Nothing by Spree (US)
What I appreciate about this piece is the clarity of the argument: From the start, we have a strong sense of how this impacted the writer directly, and what brought them to this opinion—it gives us a scene to connect with and draws us in. Then, they bolster that vivid scene by expanding the issue, telling us this isn’t just a problem they’ve perceived within their home country, but one that extends in different ways beyond that context, showing the scope of the problem and the different ways it appears. The transition between the example of the national headlines in the United States regarding a student being forced to eat food from a trash can to the intergenerational trauma that shape how this issue manifests in some places and communities was thought-provoking, and showed that the writer considered both the present-day examples as well as the foundation of how and why this came to be. Especially with this kind of subject matter, that feels important: How does the topic we’re discussing situate itself in historical, political, social, and cultural context? It helps the reader understand the scope of what we’re exploring on the page. To that end, the clarity with which we transition from food shaming in schools to food waste globally helped position the opinion in that larger context, too—it’s clear this writer considered the scope of the problem, as well as potential school-level and systemic solutions. We come away with a better sense of how this impacted not just the writer and the adults they know, but the stakes of the issue on a bigger scale. Overall, the vividness of personal anecdotes, analysis of how this issue manifests and who is impacted, and clear suggestions for a different path forward made this opinion piece stand out.
Runner Up: r/ identity by Ava reitmaier (Canada)
This is such a unique perspective on social media, and I appreciated how the writer sought to better understand their own experiences through research, viewing their relationship with Instagram through psychological and cultural theory. The opinion argued a different perspective on social media than common narratives on why young adults are attached to Instagram and TikTok, and offered critical points for reflection for users to pause and question the impact of social media on their sense of self. It feels very much like it was written with the audience in mind—young people with similar experiences, especially, could find viewing issues of online life through a different lens illuminating, and that connection with readers is important. This writer also contextualized the research and quotes they used within their own perspective and argument, helping the reader break down the research and make connections between the academic notes and the author’s larger argument. If anything, I wanted to see more of the writer’s perspective toward the end, especially about whether there’s a better path forward for how we use social media and what it means to “perform” a self. I also loved how vivid this writer’s examples were: “a knitting tutorial or a thoughtless skit” and “calculate whether my likes to liked or followers to following ratio was appropriate” were great pieces of detail that grounded this opinion piece.
PEER REVIEW WINNER:
Best Peer Review: Spree’s (US) review of Problems of Body Dysmorphia
First, I loved the in-text notes this reviewer left: they asked for clarity on certain points, left questions for the writer to consider, and added helpful grammar and sentence structure notes that could be useful when editing. It was evident that they read the piece carefully and thoughtfully. The reviewer’s feedback with regards to what was missing from the piece was especially helpful—suggesting that they’d like to see more of a call to action on what change the writer would like to see. In addition, the reviewer offered thoughtful questions to help the writer to brainstorm on what this call to action might be. I appreciated how this review left the writer with really actionable next steps to strengthen the piece, giving them ideas and support through the editing process.
Op-Ed Finalists:
Headed for Hell: How Popular Writing Tropes Romanticize Abuse by Excuse Me While I S p a r k l e (US)
Against Ledinsky: Exploring the Line Between Translation and Appropriation by Yellow Sweater (US)
We Are Not Writing Enough by reveriawrites (Vietnam)
Peer Review Finalist:
AllisonHRedwood’s (Japan) review of Refugees: Do they deserve the pain?
Mesh_mckinney’s (US) review of Curating Femininity from Film to Culture
Op-Ed Highly Commended:
The Feminist Fluctuations by Lakshita Sharma (India)
The Hidden Expense of being a Woman by adithri (US)
Linguistically Sexist by azraa (Turkey)
It’s Time to Reinstate the Federal Ban on Assault Weapons by memorabilia (US)
Sex Education in Indian High Schools by i tried to be graceful, okay? (India)
A Cycle of Encouraged Destruction by GlisteringGlow (US)
I Want Better by Celina2023 (US)
Idleness and Capital by diegokmenendez (US)
American Inclusivity With Vietnamese Immigrants by Penguyen (US)