The “Asia’s Challenge 2030” Global Essay Competition challenged students across the world to answer the question: How would you address some of the most important issues in Asia in the coming decade? Participants were asked to tackle a problem in one of three categories: Economy, Trade, and Finance; Environment and Public Health; and Cities and Urban Development.

The submissions reflect a generation that is asking hard questions about the challenges facing Asian societies and optimistic about the prospects for creating a better world through new modes of doing business and innovative approaches to policymaking. The 10 essays in this compendium were selected as finalists for their creativity and innovation, rigor of research and writing, and the achievability of their ideas.