Iris Chang

                              2006   

Selection Process

The selection process included  three stages.

The first stage screening involved 10 judges.  To ensure candid evaluations,  each essay was reviewed by two independent judges.  Out of 290 essays, a total of 74 were selected as the semifinalists.

The second stage involved 6 judges who reviewed all 74 essays independently.    25 out of  the 74 essays were selected as the finalists - the Essays of Honors.    The remainder,  49 in total,  were Essays of Distinction. 

The 25 finalist essays were then reviewed by a final panel of four judges who granted  the top three essays for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes.    The remainder of the finalists,   22 of them,   were awarded as Honorable Mentions.

In view of the superb quality of essays by the high school students, the Committee awards a certificate of merit specifically to each of these student  whose essay made into the 74 semifinalists.      There were 25 high school students and one middle school student,  at the time of closing of the Contest.,  in this category.   Some of these high school writers entered universities this fall.  
Jury Panel  (Names arranged in alphabetical order):

Prof.  Peter Balakian (NY, USA)
English professor of Colgate University and the author of memoir Black Dog of Fate: An American Son Uncovers His Armenian Past

Ms. Cindy Chan (Toronto, Canada)
Vice President of Association for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (AOHWA)

Prof.   Kuei-Sheng Chang (WA, USA)
Professor Emeritus of Geography at University of Washington

Prof.  Richard Chu (NY, USA)
Professor of History at Rochester Institute of Technology, founding president of the Society for Studying 20th Century China in North America and co-founder and the second president of the Society for Studies of Japanese Aggression Against China

Prof.  William Jiang (CA, USA)
Professor and Chair of the Department of Organization and Management, San Jose State University

Dr. George Koo (CA, USA)
International Consultant at Deloitte and former vice Chairman of Committee 100

Prof.  Peter Li (CA, USA)
Professor Emeritus of Asian Studies and Comparative Literature at Rutgers University and founding president of NJ-ALPHA(New Jersey Alliance for Learning and Preserving the History of WW II in Asia)

Mrs. Jiu-Fong Lo (WA, USA)
Instructor (retired) of English language, Seattle Community College and writer

Rodger Scott, Ph.D. (CA, USA)
Corresponding Secretary of Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition (RNRC) and faculty member of San Francisco City College

Dr.  Peter  Stanek (CA, USA)
Chairman of Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition (RNRC)

Hon.   Julie Tang (CA, USA)
San Francisco Superior Court Judge and co-founder of Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition (RNRC)

Mrs. Jane Wu Tcheng (VA, USA)
Officer of Virginia-ALPHA (Virginia Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia) and interpreter for the American Red Cross Language Bank, Norfolk, Virginia.

Dr. Ping Tcheng (VA, USA)
Secretary General of Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia

Ms. Kaimay Yuen Terry (MN, USA)
President of Minnesota Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia

Mr. C. C. Tien (WA, USA)
President of Chinese American Forum and Coordinator of Global Alliance for Preserving the Truth of Japanese Aggression against China in Washington State

Prof.  Ronald Yates (IL, USA)
Professor of Journalism and Dean of College of Communications at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a former foreign correspondent in Japan, Southeast Asia and Latin America.