In A Glance
To mark ASEAN’s 59th anniversary, SEA Daily organises the Weaving the SEA Essay Competition 2026 for writers across Southeast Asia.
We are looking for thoughtful cultural and social analysis that explores a specific subject and examines what it reveals about the region’s culture, society or sense of place.
Register and submit your outline: bit.ly/SeadailyWritingCompetition
Outline deadline: 1 September 2026.
About the Competition
Register at bit.ly/SeadailyWritingCompetition
The Weaving the SEA Essay Competition is run by Southeast Asia (SEA) Daily, an independent platform founded in 2025 to provide curated, neutral and accessible insight into the politics, economy and societies of Southeast Asia.
The competition takes its subject from SEA Daily’s Weaving the SEA series, which covers the cultural links between the countries of the region. Under the theme “Weaving the SEA: Culture, Identity and What Southeast Asians Share”, we are asking writers to examine Southeast Asian culture, identity and shared experience, and to show how one specific subject in one country connects to the region as a whole.
We are looking for writing that starts from something concrete: a practice, a place, a dish, a ritual, a market, a journey, a form of music or dress. The strongest entries will take that specific subject and explain what it says about the region.
Timeline
Register at bit.ly/SeadailyWritingCompetition
| Date | Stage |
| 18 August to 1 September 2026 | Outline submission |
| 1 to 5 September 2026 | Outline evaluation |
| 5 September 2026 | Top three outlines announced |
| 5 to 19 September 2026 | Final article submission |
| 19 to 23 September 2026 | Final article evaluation |
| 24 September 2026 | Winner announced |
All deadlines close at 23:59 UTC +7.
How to enter
Register at bit.ly/SeadailyWritingCompetition
Stage 1: Submit Your Outline
Complete the entry form and upload an outline of no more than 300 words, set out in three bullet points:
- Context: a specific cultural, social or travel subject, grounded in a concrete moment or experience.
- Analysis: its history, social forces and regional connections, with comparisons across Southeast Asia where relevant.
- Significance: what it reveals about the region’s culture, society or sense of place.
Stage 2: Selection of the Top Three Outlines
The three strongest outlines will be selected and announced on 5 September 2026. Their authors are invited to develop their ideas into a full article.
Stage 3: Submit Your Full Article
Finalists write an article of 1,200 to 2,000 words. The article must:
- focus on at least one of ASEAN’s 11 member states;
- explore a specific cultural or social subject;
- be written in British English;
- be grounded in detail, observation and research;
- prioritise primary sources, official figures and named expert input;
- attribute all figures and claims clearly.
Before you submit
Complete these four steps before sending your entry:
- Repost the official Weaving the SEA Writing Competition post to your Instagram Story.
- Follow SEA Daily on Instagram (@seasia.daily) and on LinkedIn (Southeast Asia Daily).
- Tag three friends in the comments of the official competition post.
- Upload proof that you have completed these steps in the relevant section of the entry form.
Your Instagram account must be public so that we can verify your submission.
Prize
Register at bit.ly/SeadailyWritingCompetition
The best writer will receive a cash prize with the following sum according to their country of residence:
| Country | Amount |
| Indonesia | 1,500,000 IDR |
| Singapore | 100 SGD |
| Brunei Darussalam | 100 BND |
| Cambodia | 320,000 KHR |
| Laos | 1,800,000 LAK |
| Malaysia | 320 MYR |
| Myanmar | 165,000 MMK |
| Philippines | 4,800 PHP |
| Thailand | 2,600 THB |
| Timor-Leste | 80 USD |
| Viet Nam | 2,100,000 VND |
The top three articles are published on SEA Daily and promoted across our Instagram and LinkedIn channels.
The winner and the three shortlisted outline writers will also be considered for paid roles as Correspondent or Contributing Reporter for SEA Daily.
Who Can Take Part
Register at bit.ly/SeadailyWritingCompetition
There is no fee to enter. Entries must be the entrant’s own original work, must not have been published elsewhere, and must not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. One entry per person.
How Entries Are Judged
Register at bit.ly/SeadailyWritingCompetition
Outlines and final articles are assessed by the SEA Daily editorial team against four criteria:
- Originality of the subject: how specific and unexpected the chosen subject is.
- Regional insight: how well the piece connects a local subject to the wider region.
- Evidence: the quality of research, sourcing and attribution.
- Writing: clarity, structure and control of language.
The decision of the editorial team is final. Entrants who are not selected will not receive individual feedback.
Publication and Rights
Register at bit.ly/SeadailyWritingCompetition
By entering, you confirm that the work is your own and that you hold the rights to it. Finalists grant SEA Daily the right to publish, edit and promote their article on sea-daily.com and on our social media channels. Authors retain copyright in their work and may republish it elsewhere once it has appeared on SEA Daily, with credit to SEA Daily as the original publisher. Finalists’ articles may be edited for style and length before publication.
Register
Submit your outline through the official entry form: bit.ly/SeadailyWritingCompetition
For any further questions, write to contact@sea-daily.com.
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