GUIDELINES FOR INDIAN OCEAN NAVAL SYMPOSIUM (IONS)
ESSAY COMPETITION 2026

Theme & Background

1. Theme. Technology-Enabled Maritime Supply Chain Resilience in the Indian Ocean Region: Risks, Disruptions and Naval Responses.

Background

2. Indian Ocean Region. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) constitutes a critical maritime corridor linking major economies across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and beyond. A significant proportion of global trade, including energy supplies, food commodities, and manufactured goods, transits through its sea lanes and strategic chokepoints. The uninterrupted functioning of maritime supply chains in the IOR is therefore central to regional stability and global economic security.

3. Changing Technology Paradigm. Recent years have underscored the vulnerability of maritime systems to both traditional and emerging risks. Piracy, maritime terrorism and illegal activities persist, while new challenges such as Cyber threats, port digitalisation vulnerabilities, geopolitical tensions, pandemics, climate-induced disruptions and choke point instability have revealed systemic fragilities. These developments highlight the need for enhanced resilience in technology across the maritime ecosystem.

4. Resilience. Resilience refers to the capacity of maritime supply chains to anticipate, withstand, adapt to and recover from disruptions while maintaining continuity of trade and navigation.

5. Scope. Essays may examine the intersection of technology, maritime security, and regional cooperation in strengthening supply chain resilience within the IOR. Followed by detailed analysis of how technological innovation, supported by effective naval coordination and collaborative mechanisms, can mitigate risks and enhance stability.

6. Driving Questions. Participants may consider the following guiding questions: -

• 6.1. What structural vulnerabilities exist in maritime supply chains across the IOR, and why do they matter globally?
• 6.2. How have recent environmental and technological developments altered the risk landscape in the region?
• 6.3. In what ways can emerging technologies improve maritime domain awareness, risk prediction, crisis response and recovery?
• 6.4. How should navies adapt their roles to support resilient supply chains?
• 6.5. What measures are necessary to secure digital maritime infrastructure such as Port facilities against Cyber threats?
• 6.6. How can regional cooperation frameworks strengthen collective resilience across diverse IOR states?
• 6.7. What practical policy or operational recommendations should be prioritised for long-term maritime supply chain security?

Eligibility and Conducting Authority

7. Conducting Authority. Conducting Authority for the Essay competition 2026 will be the Chair of IONS, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy and the competition will be managed IONS Secretariat, Indian Navy.

8. Eligibility. The competition is open to all uniformed and civilian members of IONS Member and Observer States, regardless rank/ seniority. For members and observer countries to IONS that do not have a formally constituted 'Navy', the term 'Navy' means the principle agency responsible for Maritime Security.

9. Individual Authorship. Entries must be individual submissions. Joint authorship is not permitted.

10. One Submission. Each participant may submit only one entry.

Rules & Format Requirements

11. Language and Format Requirements.

• 11.1. Essays must be submitted in English.
• 11.2. Word limit: 5,000 - 6,000 words. A penalty of 10% will apply to essays not conforming to the specific lengths.
• 11.3. Font: Times New Roman, size 12.
• 11.4. Standard A4 size or Letter sized paper with Line spacing: 1.5.
• 11.5. Pages must be numbered.

12. Originality. Essays should be original and unpublished work. Submissions must not have been previously entered in other competitions or published elsewhere. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Entries to be screened for plagiarism by IONS Secretariat of IONS members and observers prior forwarding to IONS Secretariat, Indian Navy.

13. Classification. All submissions must be UNCLASSIFIED.

14. Anonymity. In order to ensure impartial assessment: -

• 14.1. The author's name, rank, service, nationality, or institutional affiliation must not appear in the main essay.
• 14.2. A pseudonym should be used on the first page.
• 14.3. A signed Author’s Certificate is to be submitted with each essay (Performa Enclosed).

15. Acknowledgment and Reference. Entrants are to ensure that full acknowledgment to source material is provided by way of foot notes and a comprehensive bibliography, using accepted layout and Standard referencing system, which list the authors, title, publishers, locations, dates and pages of any book, articles or other texts from which the material is derived.

Evaluation & Submission

16. Submission Procedure. Essays must be submitted in MS Word and PDF formats. Salients as follows: -

• 16.1. Submission Deadline: 15 August 2026.
• 16.2. Entries are to be emailed to: dfc@navy.gov.in.
• 16.3. Late submissions will not be considered.

17. Evaluation Criteria. Entries will be assessed by a panel of subject matter experts appointed for the competition. Evaluation details tabulated below: -

18. Decision. The decision of the judging panel shall be final.

Awards & Dissemination

19. Awards. The Conducting Authority reserves the right not to award prizes if essays are assessed as not being to a suitable standard. For papers received satisfying the rules of the competition, the following prizes will be awarded to the three best essays, provided there are at least five entries; otherwise the quantum of the prize will be reduced according to the following scale:

20. Dissemination of Prize-winning Essays.

• 20.1. The Conducting Authority will circulate the prize-winning essays to all IONS members and observers, by email and by posting them on the IONS website.
• 20.2. Any journal or magazine, other than those produced and/ or published by the IONS Secretariat, that wishes to publish any given prize-winning essay is to seek written permission from the Conducting Authority.

Draft Author's Certificate

I hereby testify: