South African tertiary students are invited to participate in the 13th ARSO Continental Essay Competition, by submitting their essays on or before 27 February 2026.

African Organisation for Standardisation

The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) is a member of African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO). ARSO is an intergovernmental body, established by the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in 1977 with a principal mandate to harmonise African Standards and conformity assessment procedures in order to reduce Technical Barriers to Trade and therefore promote Intra African and International Trade as well as enhance industrialisation of Africa. Part of the ARSO mandate is to ensure the well-being and safety of the African community. As an African organisation, ARSO’s vision and mission are aligned with any efforts made to eradicate poverty, educate the youth, and foster a writing culture among the youth.

The Theme for the Competition

The role of harmonised standards in reducing Technical Barriers to Trade and in promoting fair and just trade within the Intra-African and Global Trade. To participate in the competition, students must submit their essays to the SABS. The SABS will assess and award the top five national winners.The top five winning essays will be forwarded to ARSO as entries in the continental competition. All essays must be well-written, demonstrate creativity and innovation, as well as understanding of the theme for assessment as guided in the continental concept note. In addition to the continental requirement, The SABS further requires that all essays to be properly formatted., structured, justified and correctly referenced in the Harvard style.

Essay Entry Requirements

• This competition is open to all South African students currently registered at any tertiary institutions in South Africa, as recognised by the National Department of Education and Council of Higher Education.
• Interested foreign students at South African tertiary institutions are encouraged to submit their essays to the countries of their origin.
• Essays should be between 1000 and 1200 words. The essays should be double spaced and presented in Century Gothic, size 12.
• Essays must be written in English.
• Authors may use up to 50 words to describe themselves. Information should include their names, course and year of study, name, town and country in which their university is located. NB: this will not be part of the 1000 - 1200 words.
• All essay entries, including a duly completed stamped registration form (attached) and a copy of Identity Document or passport must be submitted to: ESSAYCOMPETITION@sabs.co.za by Friday, 27 February 2026.
• Participants are allowed to submit one essay only.
• Participants must be 35 years old or younger. Information and rules of participation in the competition are included in the concept note.

Plagiarism Note:
Please note that AI Generated Essays upon review on the AI Checker will be in admissible and will be automatically disqualified if the score is more than 20% as per the AI Plagirism Checker Software.

The 1st Position Winner at the Continental Level will win a fully sponsored trip to the next ARSO General Assembly taking place in Uganda in June 2026. Should you not be contacted within two months of the closing date, consider your essay unsuccessful.

Privacy notice (POPIA)
In compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the SABS is committed to safeguarding your personal information (Identity Document). By participating in this essay competition, you agree that your submission be used strictly for the competition. Your details will be handled with confidentiality and will not be shared with third parties without your consent.

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