Photo Credit: Colin Spurway for Mercy Corps.

On behalf of the Global Envision staff, we wish to extend our congratulations to the contest winners of the Fall 2007 essay. Although we received a wide range of exemplary work from around the world, only three essays have been chosen. These pieces represent a clear and concise understanding of globalization as well as follow grammatical and stylistic criteria.

Below readers will find the winning essays along with highlights from the top three essay submissions. All have been published on the Global Envision site. To read the Global Envision essay that received first place, see the contribution from William Bruns of Seattle, Washington.

Thank you for all of your hard work and interest in Global Envision's Fall 2007 contest. We hope you will participate in our future competitions and look forward to your submissions. Stay tuned for our Spring 2008 essay contest topic which will be posted soon!






ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS

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First Place

Even if one is unwilling to accept globalization as an inevitable progression, there is certainly no denying globalization is occurring and we are reliant on the global village more so today than at any time prior.

Essay Excerpt
Globalization is the logical evolution of a process that has been ongoing since the advent of human culture. Even if one is unwilling to accept globalization as an inevitable progression, there is certainly no denying globalization is occurring and we are reliant on the global village more so today than at any time prior. It would be accurate to say that to abandon globalization in this day and age would require the complete reorganization of almost all society as we know it. In fact, to imagine living a day without a product or even an idea originating from another culture is hardly fathomable to all but the most removed denizens of Earth. As a resident of the United States I can state with certainty that most of the clothes I wear, many of the electronics I utilize, and even much of the food I eat originates from outside the United States. One need not focus on whether globalization is a stoppable force, for it is not. What needs to be the focus in discussions regarding globalization is how this process can be manifested in a manner least detrimental to the earth's environment and most beneficial to the earth's population.

Link to the full article on our website at

• William Bruns
• Seattle Central Community College
• Seattle, WA
• Major: Communications

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Second Place

This disparity is another source of comparison between gravity and globalization: natural laws have always been manipulated or even broken to create advantage of a select few.

Essay Excerpt
Whereas some industries contribute mostly to the positive effects of globalization, like humanitarian work and tourism, by creating a greater understanding of what it means to live in a globalized society, many other global industries and organizations cannot be spoken of so highly. This disparity is another source of comparison between gravity and globalization: natural laws have always been manipulated or even broken to create advantage of a select few. For example, governments have long sponsored programmes to launch shuttles upwards from Earth into space. Just so, man has also created organizations to harness the power of globalization and tip the scales of progress in favour of one side over another. Such organizations as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO), even the United Nations (UN) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were created as a natural evolution to reflect increasingly globalized affairs, and have since been remodelled to suit the needs of those who created them, with few exceptions. All of these organizations were designed to bring economic prosperity to all regions of the globe. In a very short time span, however, each of these organizations have pursued avenues leading only to selective growth for a handful of people.



Link to the full article on our website at

• Bethney Ross
• Canadian Tourism College
• Surrey, British Columbia
• Major: Travel and Tourism Management

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Honorable Mention

Globalization seems to be a pendulum that swings throughout time and history and we, as a global community, have no control over it, not unlike the laws of gravity.

Essay Excerpt
As someone who is concerned with world news and current events, I prefer to support the aforementioned theory that Kofi Annan's quote was intended to point out considerable problems with globalization. Globalization seems to be a pendulum that swings throughout time and history and we, as a global community, have no control over it, not unlike the laws of gravity. Both appear to be powered by an incomprehensible force as yet undiscovered by man. In effect, I believe this crucial sentence was intended to warn the global community that though we are on the upswing of globalization, there will be an equal and opposite downswing and that it may occur sooner rather than later.



Link to the full article on our website at

• Amanda M. Osborne
• University of Missouri-Kansas City
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Major: Criminal Justice

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To compete in the Winter Contests stay tuned for our Spring 2008 essay competition..



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