NATIONAL ESSAY CONTEST

Discover the winners of the 2022-2023 National Essay Contest!

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What is the National Essay Contest?

The National Essay Contest, it’s 98 bursaries to be won, for a grand total of $377,000!

Are you in Grade 10, 11 or 12 (secondaire IV, secondaire V or Cégep in Quebec) and registered in a French program?

Do you need a little boost to continue your education in French after high school?

Take part in the National Essay Contest for the chance to win a scholarship ranging between $1,000 and $20,000 to study in French in one of our participating post-secondary institutions.

Shortcuts

• Theme and how to participate
• Categories
• Partnering institutions
• Rules and scholarship details
• FAQ
• Evaluation 
• What’s next?

Our partnering institutions

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How to participate?

• Write a 750-word essay on this year’s theme:

  What is the impact of social media on the music industry and the musical creative process?

  We all know that today music somehow depends on social media like YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter. Social media can harm as well as benefit the music industry. For example, artists can use them to distribute their musical productions, and create a bond with their fanbase. On the other side, many lyrics don’t age well in time, and artists can lose their good reputation faster than lighting. Also, advertising promoting artitst is easier than ever with social media such as TikTok and Twitter. Music being easily exposed on the Internet, tools to listen, create and criticize it are more accessible than they have ever been. On top of this, songs can keep their popularity longer than expected (e.g. Never gonna give you up by Rick Astley), or climb and drop drastically (e.g. Gangnam Style by PSY), creating entirely new challenges and many more expectations to musical artists.

  Keeping this in mind: what is the impact of social media on the music industry and the musical creative process?

The sponsor of the 2022 National Essay Contest: Shawn Jobin

Shawn Jobin is one of the leading figures of French Canadian urban music in Western Canada. Best known as a rapper, Shawn is also a beatmaker, music producer, trainer, and DJ. He is recognized for his powerful texts and his very accomplished writing which come to him from his love for French, which he wears proudly. Shawn is a proud ambassador of the Canadian Francophonie in his country but also internationally. Lesser known about Shawn is his involvement for more than 10 years with the Francophone communities, and more particularly with the youth in Saskatchewan. This unfailing involvement earned him the recognition of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. With a passion for linguistic minority communities, he passes on to young people the love to embrace French for themselves, to have fun with it, and to truly experience it in their communities.

We strongly encourage you to read the Rules and Regulations as well as the Evaluation Grid before you start writing your essay.

You have questions! Visit our FAQ

Discover the essay of the winners of the 2021-2022 contest 

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Categories

At the time of entry each participant must indicate on their entry form into which of the two categories below he or she best fits:

Category 1: French Second Language (“FSL”): students whose first language is not French or students who are currently enrolled in Core French, Extended Core French, Basic French, French Immersion, or any other version or type of FSL program, available in their province or territory of residence, and who do not match any of the French First Language criteria.

Category 2: French First Language (“FFL”): students who satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

– Their first language is French;
– They speak, write and comprehend French with native fluency;
– They regularly speak French at home with one or both parents.
– They attend or have attended a French First Language school for more than 3 years within the past 6 years.

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