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Camden Conference essay contest winners announced

Bill Taylor would be well pleased with this year’s winners of his namesake Bill Taylor Essay Contest. Congratulations to Hailey Gagnon of Brewer High School, Chris Pyle of Gould Academy in Bethel, and Gabriel Christian Soctomah and Meriel Willey of Piscataquis Community High School for their award-winning essays based on the theme of the 2023 Camden Conference, “Global Trade and Politics – Managing Turbulence.” All the award winners were Camden Conference in the Classroom students.

The contest was established in memory of Taylor, a longtime Camden Conference volunteer and self-professed “troublemaker” who was passionate about our education programs and encouraging students to think big and without limits. This year’s award winners were thinking big, both globally and locally.

Gagnon’s first-place essay, “The Declining Morale of the American Workforce and the Subsequent Isolationist Behavior in World Economics,” was cited by the judges for exploring “an important factor in national economics – that of worker unrest,” caused in part by the shock of China entering the global marketplace. Gagnon noted in her essay, “…the influx of low-skilled manufacturing goods from China resulted in widespread unemployment in the U.S.’s unskilled labor force.”

Pyle of Gould Academy was awarded second place for his essay, “Assessing Internet Inequality in the U.S.” The panel of judges agreed that Pyle’s essay “explored important ideas about the inequality of internet access and the urgent need to address infrastructure disparities and affordability.” Pyle argued that “Internet access is a necessity” in today’s world, but in the U.S., 19 million people lack access, which is “a problem that must be solved as quickly as possible.”

Soctomah and Willey were awarded a third-place tie.

Soctomah’s essay, “Addressing Poverty on Native American Reservations,” was “strong, informative and well referenced,” and his ideas were “powerfully and passionately expressed,” said the judges. Soctomah noted that 25 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives live in poverty and have lower life expectancy than the general population. He proposed strategies for “creating economic opportunities, improving job quality and addressing substance abuse” as pathways to improving conditions for Native Americans.

Willey’s essay, “Women in Economics,” noted that in the U.S. a woman earns 82 cents to a man’s dollar, and she calls for creating opportunities for women “in fields relating to economics and trade” as a means of “mitigating wage inconsistencies, helping to boost average national income, and benefiting national economies.” The judges found Willey’s essay “strong, informative and well referenced.”

Many thanks to Susan Carter, Lenore Rapkin, Laurie Stone, Elaine Keyes, Matt Storin, Jim Hengerer, and Jim Carter for carefully reading through the 23 submitted essays to determine the winners — no easy task! And thanks to the schools and teachers who participate in Camden Conference in the Classroom. The essays are available for reading on the Camden Conference website.

The Camden Conference is a nonprofit, non-partisan volunteer-driven citizens’ forum, whose mission is to foster informed discourse on world issues through year-round public engagement in community events and student education programs, culminating in an annual February weekend conference. For more information, please visit www.camdenconference.org .

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A Comprehensive Guide to the Cambridge College Essay Competitions

Cambridge college essay competitions, thinking of applying to oxbridge but need new ways to get ahead of the game with your application what plenty of students aren’t aware of is the fact that many of the cambridge colleges hold essay prizes for students in year 12 focusing on various subjects, allowing prospective applicants to get a taste of what uni-level essay writing might be like, as well as giving you something great to put on your cv. below is a comprehensive list of the essay competitions help by the various cambridge colleges, listed by subject. if any of them take your fancy, be sure to head over to the college website to get more details about how to enter and when the deadlines are we’ve also included past and present questions to give you a bit of an idea about what each competition is likely to entail., multi-disciplinary/humanities robinson college essay prize the robinson college essay prize is open to all students in year 12 (lower sixth, or equivalent) at a uk school during the 2020-21 academic year. it is designed to give students the opportunity to develop and showcase their independent study and writing skills. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions given, which should be no longer than 2,000 words (including footnotes and captions). the questions may be discussed with reference to any academic discipline or area of interest. up to three entries may be submitted per school, so please discuss your application with your school prior to entry. 2021 questions: 1. "a person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury." (js mill). do you agree 2. 'creativity should be the highest goal of education.' discuss. 3. "in policy making, there is no such thing as 'the data', and therefore no such thing as 'acting on the data'." do you agree 4. "the translated text must add up to the original... [translation] is like a problem in math—using different numbers, the answer must be the same, different numbers must add up to the same answer." (lydia davis). discuss. 5. watch this video featuring the poet kamau braithwaite and discuss the significance of 'archives of freedom'. girton college humanities writing competition this annual competition is an opportunity for year 12 students to research and write beyond the curriculum, using one or more of the lawrence room museum objects, as their focus. essays or creative responses (such as dramatic monologues or short stories) are equally welcome. the judges are looking for the ability to connect different areas of knowledge, to think about details and to communicate clearly. archaeology fitzwilliam college archaeology essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. what can responses to climate in the past teach us today 2. in what ways does the study of archaeology remain political 3. how is construction and building in the past symptomatic of imminent social collapse architecture fitzwilliam college architecture design competition 2022 brief: you are challenged to design a new building somewhere on the fitzwilliam college site. this building will serve as a hub for interaction between teaching staff and students, where they can share and explore ideas. during the design process, you will need to think about what programmes or activities need to be accommodated in the new building. for instance, you can consider including spaces for social interaction such as a new cafe, as well as spaces to have quieter conversations in groups of different sizes. you must also consider possible locations for the new building within the college site, taking into consideration the other college buildings in your design, as well as the landscaped areas preserving mature trees as much as possible. this should be seen as an opportunity to create an interesting relationship between the interior and exterior spaces. you are required to submit: - project title that best describes your design intention and final design solution - design narrative of 500 words that concisely explains your design inspiration, design objective, and final design strategy developed to meet your design objective - drawings that show the following: 1) floor plan(s) of your building at 1:200 scale 2) one elevation and one section of the building that best describes main features of the design solution 3) one site plan that indicates the location of the building in relation to existing buildings in the college site. a detailed site plan showing the ground floor plans of the individual buildings is available on the essay competition website for reference, but you should produce a new drawing for the competition submission. 4) one perspective drawing of your building that highlights your design intention and shows the placement of a new building in relation to existing college buildings nearby. classics fitzwilliam college ancient world and classics essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. do ancient audiences / readers / listeners matter to our interpretations of ancient texts discuss with reference to any text or texts of your choice. 2. why do we need new translations of ancient texts discuss with reference to any text or texts of your choice. 3. “the ancient world was more concerned with controlling nature than conserving it.” discuss with reference to any area or period of your choice. 4. when does childhood end in the ancient world discuss with reference to any area or period of your choice. 5. why does aristotle say that people are ‘political animals’ was he right 6. how important was trade with the near east and / or egypt in any period of your choice english trinity college gould prize for essays in english literature trinity college launched the gould prize for essays in english literature in 2013. this is an annual competition for year 12 or lower 6th students. the prize has been established from a bequest made by dr dennis gould in 2004 for the furtherance of education in english literature. candidates are invited each year to submit an essay of between 1,500 and 2,500 words on a topic to be chosen from the list of questions. newnham college the woolf essay prize n 1928, virginia woolf addressed the newnham arts society on the subject of ‘women and fiction’, and from this talk emerged her seminal text, a room of one’s own. a room of one’s own raises a number of questions surrounding the place of women in society and culture, and the competition allows students to contemplate these themes and ideas while developing the independent research and writing skills essential to university-level study. 2021-22 questions: 1. ‘only the fellows and scholars are allowed here; the gravel is the place for me.’ how have female writers been inspired by limitations placed on their educational experiences you may discuss historical or modern-day examples. 2. ‘a woman might write letters while she was sitting by her father’s sick-bed. she might write them by the fire whilst the men talked without disturbing them’. how might letters add to our understanding of female writers and their work you may discuss the letters of any female author, poet or playwright. 3. ‘anonymity runs in their blood. […] they are not even now as concerned about the health of their fame as men are, and speaking generally, will pass a tombstone or a signpost without feeling an irresistible desire to cut their names into it’. should the women of the past be commemorated in a different manner to their male counterparts explain. queen’s college the estelle prize for english queens' college invites submissions for the english prize 2021, which will be awarded to the best essay submitted by a year 12 (lower sixth form) student. essays must be less that 2500 words., fitzwilliam college history essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 brief: fitzwilliam college traces its origins to 1869, when the university of cambridge launched an initiative to facilitate access to higher education for the many students who could not afford the costs of college membership. the initiative was part of the broader transformation of education in britain, as the changes wrought by industrialisation and urbanisation created a need to cater for a growing, increasingly diverse and literate population. earlier decades had already witnessed the establishment of king’s college london, durham university, and the university of london, for instance, and colleges for women were beginning to open in cambridge and oxford. these radical social and economic changes were themselves connected to the intensification of globalisation in the second half of the nineteenth century, which placed britain at the heart of an ever-tighter web of economic relations between the world’s continents. but the same year also witnessed the birth of mohandas – later mahatma – gandhi, who would come to challenge britain’s colonial rule and lead india on the path to independence; the death of alphonse de lamartine, the poet and politician who had proudly proclaimed france’s second republic in 1848, but whose final years were lived under the more authoritarian second empire; the marriage of emperor meiji, which consolidated japan’s monarchy as the country began a new process of industrialisation; and the establishment by susan b. anthony and elizabeth cady stanton of the national woman suffrage association in a united states still recovering from the civil war. in 1869, as throughout history, old and new worlds collided. we invite applicants to examine, in their essays, a topic of their choice, connected to the changes taking place in or around the year 1869. essays may focus on a particular event, a person, a political movement, or even a process of social, economic or cultural change, but they should consider the interaction of ‘old’ and ‘new’ forces which the chosen topic illuminates. fitzwilliam college rosemary horrox medieval world essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. how can the study of dead languages help us understand medieval cultures 2. what qualities made heroes heroic and villains villainous in medieval literature 3. how far do medieval texts give us any cause for optimism in their presentation of gender 4. did the european middle ages witness the “invention of race” 5. were war and/or rebellion the defining features of medieval society 6. “medieval europe cannot be studied in isolation from the rest of the world”. do you agree trinity college robson history prize the robson history prize is an annual competition for year 12 or lower 6th students. the prize was established in 2007 in memory of the historian robert robson, who was for many years a fellow and tutor at trinity. the aims of the robson prize are twofold: firstly, to encourage ambitious and talented year 12 or lower sixth students considering applying to university to read history or a related discipline; and secondly, to recognize the achievements both of high-calibre students and of those who teach them. 2022 questions: the robson history prize for 2022 had 94 questions in the categories of british history, european history, world history, and historiography, so head to the website for the full list. newnham college history essay prize the newnham history essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at uk state school. essays should be between 1500 and 2500 words. 2021-22 questions: 1. ‘historians shouldn’t be political pundits’. discuss 2. can the history of clothing tell us about anything other than changes in fashion 3. is historical change driven by great individuals, land economy fitzwilliam college land economy essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. do you believe that environmentalist civil society organisations, such as extinction rebellion and greenpeace, can be effective at pushing governments to adopt environmental policies aimed at addressing the climate and ecological crises 2. ‘territorial inequality between different parts of the uk is extremely high. this undermines the principle of equality of opportunities, because individuals’ life chances crucially depend on where one happens to be born and raised.’ discuss, possibly drawing on examples from your own area of residence. 3. some argue that the covid-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the fate of inner cities and, in the future, expensive, commuter-driven urban cores will decline in favour of less compact/dense areas such as towns and the countryside. do you agree, law trinity college robert walker prize for essays in law the prize is named after an honorary fellow of the college, lord walker of gestingthorpe, a retired justice of the supreme court and former law student at trinity. essays can be of any length up to 2,000 words (including footnotes). 2022 question: ‘what responsibilities in connection with the environment and sustainability, if any, should the law assign to owners and to occupiers of land’, linguistics trinity college linguistics essay prize this annual essay competition aims to raise awareness of the systematic study of language as an interesting and multifaceted subject in and of itself. the competition is open to all students with an interest in how language works regardless of the specific subjects they are currently studying at a-level (or similar qualification). for example, it may be of interest to students taking a-levels in modern languages, english language or classics, but also to students taking psychology or mathematics. 2022 topic: ‘people who speak two or more languages or dialects sometimes switch between them within the same conversation, and even within the same sentence. what reasons make people switch languages (or dialects) why is this interesting for linguists should linguists prescribe if switching is good or bad’, philosophy trinity college philosophy essay prize the philosophy essay prize is open to year 12 or lower 6th students. the aim of the prize is to encourage able sixth formers to pursue their interest in philosophy, with the hope that they will be encouraged to read this or related subjects at university. 2022 questions: - which philosophical insight that you have come across in your life so far has been the most important one for you - what is the difference between knowledge and understanding - is truth a human invention newnham college philosophy essay prize the newnham philosophy essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. it is designed to give students the opportunity to think and write about philosophy and philosophical matters in the broadest sense, while developing their independent study and writing skills. through exposure to the type of work they might be expected to do at cambridge, newnham hope to encourage philosophy applicants to the university – and hopefully to newnham, where women’s history and educational excellence are, of course, central. 2021-22 question: ‘sentences such as “a good oak tree has deep roots” can be true, and true irrespective of anybody’s opinion. in other words, such sentences can be objectively true. now, the word “good” doesn’t change its meaning just because it’s being applied to members of one species rather than another. so, sentences such as “a good human being is kind” can be objectively true as well.’ should we be convinced by this kind of argument for the objectivity of ethical judgements, politics trinity college r.a. butler politics prize the objectives of the r.a. butler prize are twofold. firstly, it aims to encourage students with an interest in modern politics and world affairs to think about undertaking university studies in politics, international studies or a related discipline; it is not limited to those already studying these subjects or indeed other social sciences. secondly, its intention is to recognise the achievements both of high-calibre students and of those who teach them. essays can be up to 3,000 words, including all footnotes and references but excluding the bibliography. 2022 questions: - whom do elected representatives, in practice, represent - are the police institutionally discriminatory - is it ever legitimate for one country to invade another - should countries be punished for the actions of their leaders - do international regional organisations offer the best prospects for cooperation between states in the contemporary world - are international organisations biased towards the interests of wealthy countries - what should the uk be doing to help refugees - should every family own its own home - what statues should come down, and which (if any) should stay up - what policies should the uk government be implementing to ensure it meets its commitments made at the un climate change conferences, maths newnham college philippa fawcett mathematics essay prize the philippa fawcett mathematics prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying mathematics, statistics or further mathematics but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions below. submissions should comply with the following: • 4-6 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography • 12 point font minimum • 2 cm margins minimum • 2500 words max. 2021-22 questions: 1. how does mathematics protect your privacy online 2. what are the most fascinating aspects behind the mathematics of music discuss how mathematics is related to the theory of musical structures and/or instruments. 3. mathematics and climate change: what role do you think mathematics can play in guiding policy makers and in helping public understanding, medicine newnham college medicine prize the newnham college medicine prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a maintained sector uk school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying biology and chemistry, but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions below. submissions should comply with the following: • 6 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography • 12 point font minimum • 2 cm margins minimum • 1500-2500 words total (including footnotes and figure captions, but excluding bibliography) 2021-22 questions: 1. how realistic is it to develop a small molecule therapy for covid-19 could such a therapy be rolled out in a timeframe that it could have an impact on the current pandemic 2. sleep deprivation in clinical health settings. does it matter 3. looking to the future. will stem cell therapies be outpaced by machine-brain interfaces for the treatment of retinal disease, music newnham college music essay prize the newnham music essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a maintained sector uk school. it is designed to give students the opportunity to think and write about music in its broadest context, while developing their independent study and writing skills. 2021-22 questions: 1) how have improvements in transport and communications infrastructure affected the history of music – and in what ways might they do so in future 2) evaluate the challenges and opportunities presented to musical culture in a time of global pandemic. 3) in some ways music can be thought of as the ultimate interdisciplinary subject, but it is also highly specialised in other respects. examine this paradox in the context of the debate about music’s role in primary and secondary education., sciences newnham college engineering essay prize the newnham engineering prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying physics, mathematics, further mathematics, chemistry, biology, design and technology or economics, but they welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. 2021-22 questions: 1. what can engineers do to mitigate climate change - atmospheric levels of co2 are increasing and the world is waking up to the problem of climate change brought about by human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. as engineers, we have the skills and expertise to make a difference, providing technological solutions to reduce global carbon emissions. all engineering disciplines have a role to play and some areas are suggested below. (a) electric power generation and consumption. what are ‘renewable sources’ of electric power generation how do they work and what are their strengths and limitations are there any new sources being researched and developed that might provide solutions for the future could the uk generate all its electricity from renewable sources - how can we reduce our demand for electric power so that we don’t need to generate so much - there may be opportunities in both domestic and commercial/industrial consumption, e.g. energy efficient homes, energy-efficient manufacturing, low power consumer electronics. (b) transport. modern lifestyles involve a lot of transport, of people as well as goods. how energy-efficient are different modes of transport, and what is the potential for reducing their carbon footprint (c) construction. this sector is one of the biggest emitters of carbon globally. the carbon emissions arise from many sources, especially the huge amount of concrete used in construction projects but also including the energy to power machines. do we have any alternatives for materials or technology strategies to reduce these emissions (d) other engineering areas. technological solutions can be found in all engineering disciplines. you are encouraged to choose for the topic of your essay an example that interests you. 2. data and information engineering data and information engineering is being used everywhere around us. our life increasingly relies on data analysis, from the recent developments in the automotive sector to social media, from machine assisted surgery to law forensics. the data deluge provided by recent technological advances has made automation in data analysis necessary to identify hidden patterns of information within the considered datasets. it is also true that a fully automated world could bring new risks and dangers that did not exist even just a few years ago (e.g., the ethical dilemmas of self driving cars). write an essay on the major aspects of social awareness in ai development, and how this could impact: a) the health sector. b) government, democracy and policing. c) sustainable development. d) another major topic of your interest. you are encouraged to think about the engineering considerations related to some of these topics as well as the ethical considerations. what makes an algorithm particularly helpful or harmful newnham college biological sciences essay prize the newnham college biological sciences prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying biology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics, but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the titles overleaf. submissions should comply with the following: - 5 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography - 12 point font minimum - 2 cm margins minimum - 2500 words max. 2021-22 questions: 1. is biology in a reproducibility crisis 2. assess the contribution of artificial intelligence (ai) to recent scientific advances. 3. past and present: how has infection shaped the human genome newnham college computer science essay prize the computer science essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a maintained sector uk school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying computer science, mathematics, physics, or chemistry, but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions overleaf. submissions should comply with the following: - 4-6 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography - 12 point font minimum - 2 cm margins minimum - 2500 words maximum 2021-22 questions: 1. is there a fundamental difference between self-driving cars and a "slaughter army" of killer drones 2. mobile phone apps are generally written by commercial entities for private gain. if you had the same resources to design one mobile phone app that would make the world better, what would it be and how would it work, get in touch.

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Camden conference essay winners.

Tommy Lowell ’22 with his father and Adam Leff (right)
Burke MacLeay
Camden Conference 2022

207.236.1034

tbonneville
July 17, 2023

Winners of this year’s Bill Taylor Essay Contest!

Bill Taylor would be well pleased with this year’s winners of his namesake Bill Taylor Essay Contest. Congratulations to Hailey Gagnon of Brewer High School, Chris Pyle of Gould Academy, and Gabriel Christian Soctomah and Meriel Willey of Piscataquis Community High School for their award-winning essays based on the theme of the 2023 Camden Conference, Global Trade and Politics – Managing Turbulence . All the award winners were Camden Conference in the Classroom students.

The contest was established in memory of Bill Taylor, a longtime Camden Conference volunteer and self-professed “troublemaker” who was passionate about our education programs and encouraging students to think big and without limits. This year’s award winners were thinking big, both globally and locally.

Hailey Gagnon’s First Place essay, “ The Declining Morale of the American Workforce and the Subsequent Isolationist Behavior in World Economics , “ was cited by the judges for exploring “an important factor in national economics – that of worker unrest,” caused in part by the shock of China entering the global marketplace. Gagnon noted in her essay, “ …the influx of low-skilled manufacturing goods from China resulted in widespread unemployment in the U.S.’s unskilled labor force.”

Chris Pyle of Gould Academy was awarded Second Place for his essay, “ Assessing Internet Inequality in the US, ” The panel of judges agreed that Pyle’s essay “explored important ideas about the inequality of internet access and the urgent need to address infrastructure disparities and affordability.” Pyle argued that “Internet access is a necessity” in today’s world, but in the U.S., 19 million people lack access, which is “a problem that must be solved as quickly as possible.”

Gabriel Christian Soctomah and Meriel Willey , of Piscataquis Community High School, were awarded a third-place tie.

Soctomah’s essay, “ Addressing Poverty on Native American Reservations ,” was “strong, informative and well referenced,” and his ideas were “powerfully and passionately expressed,” said the judges. Soctomah noted that 25 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives live in poverty and have lower life expectancy than the general population. He proposed strategies for “creating economic opportunities, improving job quality and addressing substance abuse” as pathways to improving conditions for Native Americans.

Meriel Willey’s essay, “ Women in Economics ,” noted that in the U.S. a woman earns eighty-two cents to a man’s dollar, and she calls for creating opportunities for women “in fields relating to economics and trade” as a means of “mitigating wage inconsistencies, helping to boost average national income, and benefiting national economies.” The judges found Willey’s essay “strong, informative and well referenced.”

Many thanks to Susan Carter, Lenore Rapkin, Laurie Stone, Elaine Keyes, Matt Storin, Jim Hengerer, and Jim Carter for carefully reading through the twenty-three submitted essays to determine the winners – no easy task! And thanks to the schools and teachers who participate in Camden Conference in the Classroom. The essays are available for reading on the Camden Conference website.

Essay Competitions for Year 12 Students: A Complete Guide

I must confess that essay competitions were not a thing when I applied to uni. But then when I applied to uni, all that was required was a decent pass in all my A-Levels and a part-time job in McDonalds. The story for today’s teens is not so simple.

Today I’m sharing a guide to independent essay competitions run by colleges and other organisations. This is a chance for students to share work they’ve already done, or create a fresh essay on a topic set by the organisers.

While you’re here, don’t miss our other guides for Year 12 students:

Complete guide to pre-university summer schools
Oxford and Cambridge admission tips from an admissions director
50+ super curricular activities for Year 12 students

Table of Contents

Why essay competitions are useful

Essay competitions for Year 12 students are a great way to build up your UCAS application. They’re a great example of a super-curricular activity. They show universities that you have a genuine interest in a subject, and expending your learning beyond the classroom.

This is important if you are applying for a competitive course like English or Psychology, or a competitive university like Oxford or Cambridge. We’ve focused on English and humanities here because that’s what my teen is researching. But if you want to study something else, this guide includes relevant essay competitions in other areas for Year 12 including law, philosophy and history.

There are essay competitions in LOADS of subject areas. The below essay competitions for Year 12 (and sometimes other years) could help. Not only by showing your commitment. If you win a prize, then you could mention this in an application. Some essay competition prizes include attendance at a university open day, providing a valuable way to stand out to admissions teams.

Complete Guide to Essay Competitions for English Lit Students

Below you’ll find a list of Year 12 essay writing competitions that are aimed at, or suitable for, English students. Some of these competitions won’t open until later in the academic year. Others are open for entry in 2024 for students applying to university in 2024/25. I’ve indicated a month of closing for each competition. I’ve also provided a brief description of each competition and details of prizes. Click through to find out more.

Girton College Humanities Writing Competition

Girton College, Cambridge, runs an annual competition for humanities essays, which is suitable for students wanting to apply for English at university. It’s also a great opportunity for students of history, geography, economics and other humanities.

The essay prompt is an exhibit from the college’s museum collection, and students are invited to submit an essay inspired by that item. Winners receive prizes of up to £200. It’s worth noting that only three students per school can enter this competition. The submission deadline is MARCH and the prize is £200.

Find out more

Minds Underground Essay Competitions

This scientific focused from Minds Underground essay competition has a category aimed at ‘senior’ students, which means Year 12. There are actually multiple essay categories covering science, geography, medicine, veterinary science along with history, english and classics. The submission deadline for all categories is April 3, 2024.

Find out more

Immerse Education Essay Competition

This annual essay competition has an unusual prize – a place at the annual pre-university summer school run by Immerse Education in Oxford, Cambridge or London. It’s a highly competitive competition and the standard of entries is high. The deadline is January each year, further details available online.

Sheffield Philosophy Essay Competition

This competition has small prizes of £50 but worth entering for the kudos. It’s open to students in Years 10, 11 and 12, and invites you to write an essay of 1,500 words on one of five ethical/moral questions like ‘Can animals be moral?’. The competition opens in January and closes in May.

Sheffield History Essay Competition

The University of Sheffield is also running a history essay competition for 2024, which is open until April 26, 2024. To enter the competition, Y12 students must create a 1500 word essay on one of 5 history prompts. Worth noting you can win £100 if you get a prize, but there can only be two entrants from each school or college.

ISA Essay Competition

While some competitions are only open to state school students, the ISA Essay challenge is open only to students attending independent schools that are part of the Independent Schools Association.

The competition is open to students of all ages and entries are judged in various categories, including one for Year 12 and 13 students. The competition opens in February 2024 and closes in May. There’s also an annual poetry competition that might be worth considering for literature students.

Find out more

New College of Humanities Essay Challenge

NCH London also runs an annual essay competition for Year 12 students, which is open worldwide. The contest includes various categories that may be of interest to future English students. Entry is open to students in Year 12, and the essay prompts will be published on September 5 or thereabouts. Students need to submit a 1,500 word essay by the following January. The overall winner of this competition gets a £1,000 prize. There’s also £500 or £200 for the runners up.

NU London Essay Competition

This competition is not yet open for 2024, but information on the annual essay competition run by the Northeastern University, London can be found online. The competition is open to students in Year 12, and covers technology, social science and humanities topics. Expect questions to be posted in January and the competition usually runs until April.

Fitzwilliam College Essay Competitions (various)

This year, Fitzwilliam college, Cambridge, is running a series of essay competitions in Ancient World and Classics, Archaeology, Economics, History, Land Economy, Medieval World and Slavonic Studies. Entries must be submitted by the end of March 2024. Students must be in year 12 and there is a limit of 5 applications per school per competition. Helpfully, the college is running a couple of webinars in essay writing, to help students make the most of the competition.

The Hugo Young Award

If you’re a budding journalist or activist, the Hugo Young award is run annually by the Guardian newspaper and is open to people aged 16-25. The prize is to create a short piece of journalism on a topic of your choosing.

There is a specific category for 16-18 year olds (if you’re under 18, you’ll need an adult to confirm your entry) and the award is open to anyone from a state school background, although entries from traditionally under-represented groups are especially welcome. You can win £100 in book vouchers, a Guardian subscription and certificate.

The Rex Nettleford Prize

Run by Oriel College, Oxford, this essay competition focuses on the enduring influence of colonialism on our lives. The rules encourage students to engage with the legacies of colonialism in all its forms – historical, political, economic, social, cultural. Entry is via a 2,500 word essay, and is open to students in Year 12. The prize is £250, and your entry needs to be submitted by 15 March, 2024.

Magdalene College Essay Competition 2024

This competition has not yet opened for 2024, but you can register for more information and to get an alert when entries open. Traditionally, the competition is open to arts and humanities students in Year 12, and is open to students currently in state school education.

Newnham College Essay Competitions

The Newnham competition has been in the news recently because it has changed its rules so that students from independent schools may NOT enter their essay competition. Newnham is a Cambridge college, and as such, they’re trying to distance themselves from the idea that they favour students from privileged backgrounds. Fair enough.

The Newnham competition offers a number of essay prizes, that are open to female students in Year 12. The college provides webinars and guides outlining how to submit and create your essay. Entries are submitted each March, and there is a maximum of four entries permitted in each subject, per school. Details of the Woolf essay, which opens each summer, can be found online.

LSE Undergraduate Political Review

This competition has not yet been opened for 2024 but you can see the format of the competition for 2023 and the winning entries on the LSE UPR website.

This competition invites students in Year 12 to write an 1,000 word essay on a political prompt. The prize includes a £100 Amazon voucher, a certificate signed by the head of LSE’s government department and a chance to present at the annual LSEUPR conference.

Trust for Sustainable Living Essay Prize

This competition is open to school students of all ages but the secondary category is for students aged 11-18 and only requires a 600-word essay on a topic around sustainability.The brief for 2024 – “How can nature help us achieve the UN SDGs in my community?” You will need to have your entry submitted by a teacher or other adult aged 18+.

The Peter Cane Legal Reasoning Prize

If you’re an aspiring lawyer in Year 12 or Year 13, this competition by Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The competition opens in January and closes in February. Winning entrants will be invited to a debate at the college later in the year. This year’s essay prompt is a hypothetical legal case and students are invited to submit an essay outlining their view of the case and reasons why they take the position they do.

The Libra Essay Prize

The Libra competition is for students in Y11 and Y12 preparing for university – it opens each year in January and closes in April 2024. There are actually essay questions across eight categories including science, English, history, economics and more. Essays can be up to 2,000 words and winners will receive vouchers of up to £50 for each category.

Royal Institute of Philosophy Essay Competition

If you reckon you could write 1,200 words on the theme ‘Can Machines Think’ then you might be up for the first ever Royal Institute of Philosophy Think! essay competition. There aren’t any monetary prizes but the winners’ entries will be published by the Institute and that’s got to be worth mentioning on your university application!

The St Johns College Classics and Ancient History Prize

This annual competition is now open and closes in March 2024. There are questions for students of classics and history, including classical literature. To enter, students must submit a 2,000 word essay on one of five questions, and could win a £100 book voucher as a prize. In addition, everyone who submits an essay is invited to the college for an open day, including tours and workshops.

Oxford IQ Essay Competition

Similar to the Immerse Education essay competition, the Oxford IQ essay competition gives students the chance to win a free place on a summer pre-university programme in Oxford. Essays are judged on a rolling basis, but must be submitted by March 2024. Entering is something of a process. You need to first register interest in the summer programme including writing a statement on why you want to attend the session, and you’ll receive details of the competition and the essay questions within 48 hours. You can then start your entry, and you’ll be informed within a week of submission if you have been successful.

The Mary Renault Prize

St Hughes College Oxford runs two essay competitions each year. The first focuses on history , the second on classics. The classics essay is worth considering if you’re aiming for an English degree. The competition welcomes entries from students not currently studying Latin/Greek at A-Level, and your essay can focus on classical literature. There are 2 prizes available, worth up to £500. Entries must be 2,000-2,400 words and submitted by late July. Winners are also invited to visit the college for tea!

Queens College Year 12 Essay Contest

Queens College Cambridge runs an annual English essay competition for Year 12 students, demanding a 2500 word essay for a change to win a £500 prize! Entries close in March and the winner is announced in May. In addition to the cash prize, the winner is invited to the college open day and several previous winners went on to study at Cambridge.

The John Locke Institute International Essay Competition

While not strictly aimed at English students, this global contest is very well known and the breadth of topics means you can take a literary approach to another discipline. Students can submit essays across seven different subjects. They are Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law. There are three questions set for each topic, and you can choose your favourite. Entries close in June each year.

The Betty Haigh Prize

Many sixth form students of literature will study Shakespeare and this essay competition is the perfect place to showcase your best work.

To enter the competition, students need to write a 1500 word essay that compares a scene in a Shakespeare tragedy to a film or TV adaptation, OR write a standalone essay exploring how a TV or film adaptation of a Shakespeare drama has thrown new light on the original text. Entries close in September 2024, and winners generally receive book vouchers as prizes.

Gould Prize for English Literature

One of the best essay competitions for english students is the Gould Prize, which is awarded annually by Trinity College, Cambridge.

Candidates are invited each year to submit an essay of between 1,500 and 2,500 words on a topic to be chosen from the list of questions. Entries must be submitted by August 1, with a first prize of £600 to be split between the student and their school or college. Each year there are six questions to choose from, covering novels, poetry and drama.

Robinson College Essay Prize

You don’t enter the Robinson College essay competition because of the prizes – you’ll get a £50 book token if you win. But you’ll get lots of kudos AND an invite to a celebratory award lunch at the college, where you can meet the dean. Similar to the Gould prize, the Robinson College prize poses a series of challenging questions and invites students to answer them from their own perspective. Questions are carefully selected so they’re applicable to literature but also philosophy, history, law and science. This particular competition will not run in 2024.

There you have it! 26 of the best essay competitions for Year 12 students, that you can apply for in 2022. Missed something from our guide? Let me know in the comments!

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World Class Schools News & Events

World class lymm high school student wins trinity college cambridge literature prize.

Jay Palombella, year 13 student at World Class Schools Quality Mark accredited Lymm High School, receives the Gould essay competition commendation from Trinity College Cambridge.

Jay submitted his entry for the Trinity College Gould Prize for Essays in English Literature earlier this year, with an essay on Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart .

Jay is absolutely thrilled to have achieved this commendation and intends to study for a degree in English Literature after leaving Lymm High next year.

He has been invited to visit Trinity College Cambridge later this month. “I am overjoyed that my essay has been commended. I really enjoyed writing and researching the essay, so it’s great to see that it was received so well “, said Jay.

The judges said: “We were impressed by the extent of the research that you had undertaken and the judicious use of criticism within the essay. We admired the clarity and expressiveness of your argument which you maintained throughout and the very strong close readings you offered. It was a great pleasure to read your essay.”

Things Fall Apart was the Nigerian novelist’s first novel and magnum opus. It occupies a pivotal place in African literature and remains the most widely studied, translated and read African novel.

“I know that the quality of the English teaching and support Jay has received at Lymm have both been a major factor in his decision to study English Literature”, said Jay’s mum Sarah. “I know we all remember influential teachers and I know that Jay has been very

influenced by the teaching and support he has received from the English department not just in his A’ Levels but also for his GCSEs.”

Following his commendation Jay’s teachers nominated him for the World Class Schools Quality Mark Character Award in October 2021.

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Academic Competitions for Oxbridge Applicants: A Teacher’s Guide

Author: Matthew Amalfitano-Stroud

19th April 2024

If your students are looking to take part in something that will give them valuable learning experiences and something impressive to put on their Personal Statement, then you should introduce them to the world of academic competitions, particularly those run by Oxford and Cambridge.

Oxbridge applicants need to find ways to make themselves stand out from their competition, whether it’s through work experience, volunteering or research projects. However, one option that many applicants won’t be aware of is to apply for and take part in an academic competition.

The benefits of taking part in these competitions are numerous even without winning, so this guide will show you some of the best competitions that you can recommend to your cohort. First, let’s take some time to discuss what these competitions are and why applicants should take part in them.

What Are Academic Competitions?

Academic competitions are events or contests that assess participants’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in specific academic subjects or disciplines. These competitions often involve challenging tests, projects, presentations, or debates that require participants to demonstrate their understanding, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills within a particular academic field.

Academic competitions are organised at all levels, including local, regional, national, and even international levels. Generally speaking, there are competitions that cover a wide range of subjects, such as mathematics, science, literature, history, social sciences, computer science, and more. These competitions aim to promote academic excellence, foster intellectual curiosity, and provide opportunities for students to showcase their talents and achievements in their respective fields of study.

What Types of Academic Competitions are there?

Across the world, these are some of the most popular types of academic competitions that students can take part in:

STEM Academic Competition Types

Math Competitions: Math competitions assess participants’ problem-solving skills, mathematical reasoning, and ability to apply concepts in challenging scenarios. Examples include the Mathematical Olympiad, MathCounts, and the International Mathematical Modeling Challenge.

Science Olympiads: Science Olympiads focus on different branches of science, such as physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, or environmental science. Participants may have to solve complex problems, conduct experiments, or demonstrate practical knowledge in these fields.

Robotics and Engineering Competitions: These competitions focus on designing, building, and programming robots using a variety of materials to complete specific tasks or challenges. Examples include FIRST Robotics Competition, VEX Robotics Competition and the International RoboCup.

Humanities Academic Competition Types

Model United Nations: Model United Nations (MUN) simulations involve participants representing countries or delegates in mock United Nations assemblies. They discuss and debate global issues, develop diplomatic skills, and engage in public speaking.

Language Competitions: Language competitions test participants’ proficiency in languages, such as spelling bees, vocabulary challenges, translation contests, or language proficiency exams like the DELE (Spanish) or DELF (French).

General Academic Competition Types

Quiz Bowls: These competitions involve teams or individuals answering questions in a fast-paced quiz format. They cover a wide range of subjects, including general knowledge, science, history, literature, and more. These will often be formatted into multiple rounds.

Writing and Debating Contests: These competitions evaluate participants’ abilities in written composition, persuasive speaking, and critical thinking. They often involve essay writing, speech competitions, or debates on specific topics.

Academic Decathlons: Academic Decathlons are multi-disciplinary competitions that cover a wide range of subjects, including math, science, literature, social sciences, art, and music. Participants compete individually or as part of a team in written exams, speeches, interviews, and other activities.

Some of these competition types aren’t always that common to find in the UK, so here are some of the most well-known competition types that your students can take part in:

UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Challenges : The UKMT organizes a range of mathematics challenges for different age groups, including the Junior Mathematical Challenge, Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, Senior Mathematical Challenge, and the British Mathematical Olympiad.

British Physics Olympiad : The British Physics Olympiad offers challenging physics competitions for students at different levels, such as the Physics Challenge, AS Challenge, A2 Challenge, and the British Physics Olympiad papers.

Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad : The Royal Society of Chemistry organizes the Chemistry Olympiad, which challenges students’ chemistry knowledge and problem-solving skills through a series of challenging exams.

Royal Society of Biology Olympiad : The Royal Society of Biology conducts an annual Olympiad to assess students’ biology knowledge and understanding at different levels, including the British Biology Olympiad and Biology Challenge.

National Science and Engineering Competition : Organized by the British Science Association, this competition invites students to present their science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) projects for a chance to showcase their creativity and innovation.

National Schools’ Debating Competitions: These competitions focus on debating skills and critical thinking. Examples include the English-Speaking Union (ESU) Schools Mace, Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition , and the Cambridge Union Schools’ Competition .

UK Linguistics Olympiad : The UK Linguistics Olympiad offers competitions that test participants’ analytical and problem-solving skills in languages and linguistics.

Young Writers’ Competitions: Various organizations and publications in the UK host writing competitions for young writers, such as the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award .

Of course, these are all competitions held on a national level by large organisations. Be sure to keep an eye out for competitions at a local level as these will be easier for your students to take part in while still offering the benefits of taking part. Speaking of which, why should your applicants apply for these competitions? Let’s find out.

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Why Should Students Take Part In Academic Competitions?

As a teacher, you most likely already understand why students should be taking part in these competitions. However, they require a lot of time and effort and can often involve travel and other expenses. To a student, it may not seem worth it to do all this when they could spend their time studying for exams or taking part in volunteering and work placements for their personal development.

These competitions aren’t for everyone but they should appeal to Oxbridge applicants. If they wish to attend Oxford or Cambridge, your students need to be motivated, inquisitive and have the desire to seek out opportunities and immerse themselves in their subject. Academic competitions are a great way to not only satisfy those traits but also impress the Oxbridge admissions tutors in the process. These are some of the top reasons for competing that your students should be aware of:

Application Advantages

The first and most obvious reason is the boost that the average application will receive when a student takes part in a competition. As we already mentioned, taking part in an academic competition is hard work, before even considering that most competitors will be doing this alongside their regular studies and potentially their university applications.

A student who can follow through and complete a competition will have already shown a great deal of commitment to their subject on top of academic and time management skills. All of this will have already shown the admissions tutors at Oxbridge that the student is highly talented and has a genuine drive to study their subject.

All of this is true no matter whether the student wins or not. Winning is obviously an even greater accolade to add to their resume, but simply entering a competition will provide a much-needed boost to their Personal Statement and interview discussion points.

Extra Learning Experiences

Going into these competitions, a student isn’t going to know everything that comes up in the questions or everything that is required to complete a task. Therefore, they are going to learn plenty of new things when they take part.

Whether it’s learning from error, researching issues that they had no prior knowledge of or discovering things from other contestants, they are sure to learn at least one interesting fact or new skill that will help them in their Oxbridge application.

Developing Teamwork Skills

Many competitions will see groups of contestants compete together rather than individually, so this is the perfect chance for your students to improve their camaraderie and teamwork skills. Sometimes contestants will need to apply as a team while other competitions will group contestants at random on the day.

Either way, your students will be able to learn valuable skills such as verbal reasoning, group ideation, management, compromising and more. As some students may already have a lot of experience in group work through sports and other activities, this will be their chance to practice those skills in a high-pressure academic environment.

Confidence Building

For students who are unsure of their skills or feel they aren’t good enough to attend Oxbridge, an academic competition may be exactly what they need to show themselves that they have the capabilities to succeed.

Of course, this does depend on whether the student actually does have the necessary skills to be competitive, but you should be able to determine this as their teacher and advise them towards taking part in a competition should you feel it will help.

Even if the student doesn’t win, being able to submit a high-quality piece of work or hold their own in a debate should be proof that they are more than capable of attending their desired course.

High-Level Academic Experience

Most of your students will have not experienced academia at a higher level than their classes, which is a far cry from what they will experience at Oxbridge. While academic competitions aren’t a one-to-one simulation of the Oxbridge learning environment, students will still be able to experience the competitiveness and intellectual inspiration of being among other academics.

Many competitions are a place to experiment with new ideas while learning from others, exactly as students are expected to act when studying at Oxford and Cambridge. While this may come naturally to some, others may have difficulty adjusting so attending a competition will give them the experience they need to be prepared for Oxbridge.

Winning Prizes

Of course, the overall goal of a competition is to win. Other than the acclaim and title of doing so, winners may also be able to win a variety of prizes that could have a massive impact on their life going forwards. Some examples include:

Awards (Trophies, Certificates, etc)
Cash Prizes
Scholarships and Bursaries
Internships Opportunities
Publication Opportunities
Equipment and Resources

So, if any of these perks seem appealing to your students then they should definitely consider taking part in an academic competition. As we are speaking about Oxbridge applicants, let’s take a look at what competitions are run by Oxford and Cambridge.

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Oxbridge Academic Competitions

Oxford and Cambridge both host a wide variety of academic competitions, although they aren’t typically run by the universities as a whole. Instead, they are run by specific colleges, meaning many of the competitions are smaller scale. While this isn’t a comprehensive list of all Oxbridge competitions, we have selected some of the most well-known competitions that are aimed at Sixth Form students (and equivalents). Let’s start with the University of Oxford:

Oxford Academic Competitions

Oxford has a page available that is regularly updated with upcoming competitions , so be sure to check there to see what options your students have to enter. Here are some of the competitions that Oxford currently hold for students:

The Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize

College:

Competition Type

Competition Date:

The Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize is an essay writing competition described as an opportunity for students to “write about a subject they are interested in” within the subject of philosophy. Students’ works are assessed by the following criteria:

Originality of thought
An accurate understanding of the issues
Clarity of structure and expression
And a critical approach to what has been read

The word limit for this essay is 2,500 and all submissions need to be sent digitally to [email protected] . Prizes available include £250 for the winner and £150 for the runner up.

Theology Essay Competition

9th June (Deadline)

In the Theology Essay Competition , applicants must answer one of five questions relating to Theology. Answers are written as essays, with a maximum length of 1,500 words. It is stated that applicants must answer these questions individually and schools should submit no more than three essays.

The essays are marked by a panel of theologians who are looking for “carefully researched, well-structured and well-presented” that also demonstrate verbal reasoning and critical awareness. The prize for the best essay is £300, with smaller prizes sometimes given to runner-ups.

The Oxford Scientist Schools’ Science Writing Competition

In this Science Writing Competition , run by the University of Oxford’s independent science magazine, students must write an essay based on a prompt relating to science. Previous questions have been fairly topical, tackling topics like COVID-19 and climate change, so your students should be sure to keep an eye on current trends in science if they wish to enter this competition.

The essay must not exceed 700 words and the judges will be looking for quality in “topic, relevance, writing style and grammar, interest to a general audience, and factual accuracy”. Prizes for the winning essay change from year-to-year.

The University of Oxford is less prolific when it comes to its annual competitions, although it does still run a wide variety of one-off competitions throughout the year. Be sure to check their website regularly to stay up to date on the current competitions that are underway.

The University of Cambridge holds a lot more annual competitions, many of which are handled by Trinity College, so let’s take a look at some of them:

Cambridge Academic Competitions

Gould prize for essays in english literature.

1st August (Deadline)
Year 12/Lower Sixth

The Gould Prize was established in 2013 and sees applicants answer one of several questions. These questions can vary from analysis of passages to general statements to discuss. It is said that the award was created to increase students’ interest in reading, recognise achievements in writing and encourage students to apply for English at Cambridge.

Essays can be between 1,500 and 2,500 words long and must be submitted via the entry form on the Trinity College website. The winner receives £600 while second place gets £400 although these cash prizes are split between the student and their school.

Languages and Cultures Essay Prize

The Languages and Cultures Essay Prize sees students write an essay based on one of a series of topics relating to cultural and language-based topics. The prompts given to students include:

“It is difficult to craft a form of protest using words that have been appropriated by power.” Discuss.

“It is easier to control the power and message of images than of words.” Discuss.

“Language is a more powerful indicator and agent of inclusion and/or exclusion than any image.” Discuss.

The essay must be a maximum of 3,000 words and should be submitted via an online application form. The top prize is £600 to be split between the student and their school, while 2nd place wins £400 with the same stipulation.

Linguistics Essay Prize

Contestants of the Linguistics Essay Prize must write a 3,000-word essay discussing a prompt given by the college. There is only one prompt so applicants cannot choose what they answer. In 2023, the prompt is as follows:

“What are the implications for fairness or bias when an Artificial Intelligence system learns about language from online resources? Discuss with relevance to how language can be influenced by social variables such as age, race, gender, and social hierarchies.”

The college states that the competition is suitable for applicants from a wide variety of subjects, from Linguistics to Classics to Mathematics. Essays must be submitted via an online form on the college website, were students will also find a collection of free resources to help the research the topic of the essay. The prizes for this competition are £600 for 1st place and £400 for 2nd place, each split equally between the contestant and school.

Philosophy Essay Prize

31st May (Deadline)

The Philosophy Essay Prize was created to encourage Sixth Formers to engage their interest in Philosophy in a way that will benefit their applications. Contestants must submit an essay discussing one of two prompts:

“There is progress in science. Is there progress in philosophy, and is the field only successful if there is?”

“Can we love someone more than ourselves, and what does this imply about the human condition?”

Essays should be 2,000 words or less and should be submitted to the college via the online application form. The winner receives £600 to split equally between themselves and the school, while the runner-up receives £400 to also be split.

R.A. Butler Prize

The R.A. Butler Prize is an essay competition for those with an interest in Politics and International Studies. Contestants will write an essay that answers one of various questions provided by the organisers, where they will be expected to provide references in their work and “use a diverse selection of contemporary, historical or literary examples”.

The essay should not exceed 3,000 words and needs to be submitted using an online application form. The top prize is £600, which will be shared between the student and their school. The second-place winner receives £400 under the same conditions.

Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law

11th April (Deadline)

As the name suggests, the Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law is aimed at students interested in Law. The award is named after Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe and was created to encourage students to explore their interests in Law and apply to study Law and Cambridge. Essays are judged by the “development of argument, the quality of expression and the appropriate use of supporting facts and material” .

The essay must be no longer than 2,000 words and should be submitted on the college website via an application form. There are winners in two divisions, UK and International, who each receive £300 for first place and £200 for runner-ups. As well as this, the top 10 writers from each division will be “invited to a Prize Ceremony at Trinity to see the College and to meet the Law Fellows” .

Robson History Prize

Like other Trinity College competitions, the Robson History Prize was created as a way to encourage students with an interest in History to interact with the subject and apply to study at Cambridge. Contestants must submit a 3,000-word essay answering one of over 60 available questions covering a wide variety of topics. Questions in 2023 include:

“Why did divorce rise so dramatically over the course of the twentieth century in Britain?”

“Does the American constitution owe more to the ideas of whigs or of royalists?”

“What role did seventeenth-century natural philosophers regard experimentation as playing in natural science? Discuss with reference to one or more of Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, and Isaac Newton.”

“Why, and how effectively, did the Roman authorities persecute Christians?”

Essays should include all references within the bibliography and must be submitted via the online application form found on the website. The top prize is £600 to split between the student and their school while 2nd place receives £400 to split as well.

Fitzwilliam College Architecture Design Competition

Fitzwilliam
1st March (Deadline)

The Fitzwilliam College Architecture Design Competition is an annual competition for those interested in architecture. This is a design task that sees applicants aim to design a new building and present a full project including a title, design narrative and various sketches. In 2023, the task was to design a building within Fitzwilliam College that would act as a place for students and teachers to interact. Applicants must register to take part in this competition before submitting work via [email protected] .

Registered contestants are typically invited to campus in February for a guided tour of the college campus to provide visual inspiration for their designs. Submissions are then due at the beginning of March. The top prizes are £300 and £200 as well as £25 book vouchers to commended applicants.

Girton College Humanities Writing Competition

The Girton College Humanities Writing Competition isn’t strictly an essay competition but is rather a general writing competition. Contestants are required to write a piece focusing on one or more items from the Lawrence Room Museum. It is stated that this can be written in multiple formats, be it an essay, a short story or a monologue.

The top prize is £200 and up to £200 worth of Cambridge Press books which will be shared out between the winner and their school.

As we said, this list only scratches the surface of the competition available at Oxbridge. As well as even more annual competitions, you will also find a wide variety of one-off competitions held throughout the year. We would recommend additional research with your students to find competitors for various colleges that relate to their subject of interest.

If you want to learn more about what you, as a teacher should know about the university admissions process for Oxford and Cambridge, be sure to explore our Teacher’s Hub today for guides covering every step of your student’s application. Alternatively, you can find out how UniAdmissions can provide you with the ultimate preparation programme for your Oxbridge applicants through our unique and comprehensive formula.

Other Helpful Oxbridge Resources

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Writing Tips

7 Essay Writing Contests to Look Out For in 2023

7-minute read

28th December 2022

Essay contests are not only a great way to exercise your essay-writing skills but also an awesome way to win cash prizes, scholarships, and internship or program opportunities. They also look wonderful on college applications as awards and achievements.

In this article, you’ll learn about 7 essay writing contests to enter in 2023. Watch the video below, or keep reading to learn more.

1. Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Deadline: Now–April 30, 3023

Who may enter:

This is an international contest for people of all ages (except for residents of Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus due to US government restrictions).

Contest description:

● The contest is organized by Winning Writers, located in MA, USA.

● They accept stories and essays on any theme, up to 6,000 words each. This contest defines a story as any short work of fiction and an essay as any short work of nonfiction.

● Your stories and essays must be submitted in English.

● You may submit published or unpublished work.

Entry fee: USD 22 per entry

● Story: First Prize is USD 3,000.

● Essay: First Prize is USD 3,000.

● 10 Honorable Mentions will receive USD 300 each (any category).

● The top 12 entries will be published online.

Official website

Please visit the competition’s official website for more information on judges and submissions.

2. 2023 Calibre Essay Prize

Deadline: Now–January 15, 2023, 11:59 pm

Who may enter: All ages and any nationality or residency are accepted.

● This contest is hosted by the Australian Book Review.

● Your essay must be between 2,000 and 5,000 words.

● You may submit nonfiction essays of all kinds, e.g., personal, political, literary, or speculative.

● You may enter multiple essays but will need to pay separate fees for each one.

● Your essay must be unpublished.

Entry fee: AU 30 for non-members

Prize: AU 7,500

Official website:

For more information on this contest, please visit its official website.

3. John Locke Institute Essay Competition

Deadline: June 30, 2023

● Students from any country.

● Students aged 15 to 18 years by the competition deadline.

● Students aged 14 years or younger by the competition deadline are eligible for the Junior prize.

● The contest is organized by the John Locke Institute.

● Your essay cannot exceed 2,000 words.

● There are seven subjects or categories for essay submissions: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law.

Entry fee: Free to enter

● The best overall essay winner receives an honorary John Locke Fellowship, which comes with a USD 10,000 scholarship to attend one or more summer schools or gap year courses.

● There is also a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category and the Junior category is a scholarship worth USD 2,000 toward the cost of a summer program.

● All winning essays will be published on the Institute’s website.

For more information about this competition and the John Locke Institute, please visit the official website . Also, be sure to check out our article on all you need to know about this contest.

4. The American Foreign Service Association 2023 Essay Competition

Deadline: April 3, 2023

● Students in grades 9–12 in any of the 50 states, DC, the US territories, or if they are US citizens or lawful permanent residents attending high school overseas.

● Students attending a public, private, or parochial school.

● Home-schooled students.

● Your essay should be 1,000–1,500 words.

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● You will select a country or region in which the United States Foreign Service has been involved at any point since 1924 and describe how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in advancing American foreign policy goals – including promoting peace – in this country or region and propose ways in which it might continue to improve those goals in the coming years.

● Your essay should follow MLA guidelines.

● Your essay should use a variety of sources.

● The first-place winner receives USD 2,500, a paid trip to the nation’s capital from anywhere in the U.S. for the winner and their parents, and an all-expense-paid educational voyage courtesy of Semester at Sea.

● The runner-up receives USD 1,250 and full tuition to attend a summer session of the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.

Please visit the American Foreign Service website for more information.

5. The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) 2023 Essay Contest

Deadline: Mid-February 2023–June 1, 2023

Who may enter: High school (including homeschooled), college, and graduate students worldwide.

● The 2023 essay contest topic is marriages and proposals.

● High school students may focus on Pride and Prejudice only or bring in other Austen works.

● Undergraduate and graduate students should discuss at least two Austen novels of their choice.

● Your essay must be in MLA format and 6 to 8 pages (not including your Works Cited page).

● Your essay must be written in English.

● First place wins a USD 1,000 scholarship.

● Second place wins a USD 500 scholarship.

● Third place wins a USD 250 scholarship.

● Winners will also receive one year of membership in JASNA, publication of their essays on this website, and a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels.

For more information and submission guidelines, please visit JASNA’s official website .

6. 2023 Writing Contest: Better Great Achievements by EngineerGirl

Deadline: February 1, 2023

● Students in Grades 3–12. If international or homeschooled, please select your grade level based on if you were attending a public school in the U.S.

● This contest is organized by EngineerGirl.

● Students should write a piece that shows how female or non-white engineers have contributed to or can enhance engineering’s great achievements.

● You should choose one of the 20 Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century as a topic and explore the technologies developed in the last century and the new ones being developed today. Make sure to follow the specific guidelines for your grade level.

● Essays should be 650–750 words based on your grade level.

● Please visit the contest’s website to see specific requirements based on your grade.

Winners in each grade category will receive the prizes listed below:

● First-place winners will be awarded USD 500.

● Second-place entries will be awarded USD 250 .

● Third-place entries will be awarded USD 100 .

For more information and submission guidelines, please visit the official website .

7. World Historian Student Essay Competition

Deadline: May 1, 2023

Who may enter: Students enrolled in Grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools and home-study programs worldwide.

● Your essay must address the following issue: In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live?

● Your essay should be 1,000 words.

Prizes: USD 500

For more information and submission requirements, please visit the contest’s official website.

Essay contests are a great way to expand your writing skills, discuss a topic that is important to you, and earn prize money and opportunities that will be great for you in the long term. Check out our articles on writing thesis statements, essay organization, and argumentative writing strategies to ensure you take first place every time.

If you need help with your essays and would like to make sure that every comma is in place, we will proofread your first 500 words for free !

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Essay prize

LUCY MERCER AWARDED THE 2024 FITZCARRALDO EDITIONS/MAHLER & LEWITT STUDIOS ESSAY PRIZE

We’re thrilled to announce that Lucy Mercer has won the 2024 Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & LeWitt Studios Essay Prize with her proposal for Afterlife , an essay on mortality, small- and large-scale collective making, the animate within the inanimate and the afterlives of materials through the mimetic medium of wax. Spilling across poetic thinking, candlemaking, the everyday, culture and ecology, and absorbing a wide range of references including Madame Tussauds, Europe’s biggest industrial candlemaking factory and the work of poets such as Louise Glück and Mary Ruefle, this lyric essay re-approaches this familiar but critically neglected biosynthetic material. Secreted and reconstituted from nonhuman bodies, in its flesh-like malleability wax also remains the closest reproductive medium we have of our bodies, blurring boundaries between life and death, the human and the non-human. Prioritising the materiality of wax and its environmental intersections as a focal point, while also considering wax as an amorphous, interstitial model for thought, Afterlife asks how we might conceptualise mortality as we become more collectively conscious of our environmental connectedness. Lucy Mercer is a writer based in London. Her first poetry collection, Emblem (Prototype, 2022), was a Poetry Book Society Choice. Her poems have been widely published in magazines and anthologies and her essays and reviews in Art Review , Bricks From The Kiln , Granta , INQUE , LA Review of Books , Poetry Review , Port Magazine and The White Review . She was awarded the inaugural White Review Poet’s Prize and is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter. Since 2020 she has made candles with the artist Jamie Shovlin as an ongoing collaborative project, Croydon Candles. The other shortlisted authors, chosen from 151 entries, were Sophie Brown for Postcards , Tomara Garrod for Understanding Eleanor , Rio Matchett for Fire is Not a Metaphor , Emilia Ong for Another Happy Day and Abhinav Ullal for The Raman Effect .

The 2024 Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & LeWitt Studios Essay Prize, an annual competition for unpublished writers, was open to submissions from 8 January until midnight on 17 March 2024. The judges will be looking for essays that explore and expand the possibilities of the essay form, with no restrictions on theme or subject matter. Initially made possible by an Arts Council Grant in 2015, the prize awards £3,000 to the best proposal for a book-length essay (minimum 25,000 words) by a writer resident in the UK & Ireland who has yet to secure a publishing deal. In addition to the £3,000 prize the winner will have the opportunity to spend up to two months in residency at the Mahler & LeWitt Studios in Spoleto, Italy, to work on their book. The book will then be published by Fitzcarraldo Editions.

The prize aims to find the best emerging essay writers and to give them a chance to develop and showcase their talent. It also provides the winner with their first experience of publishing a book, from the planning, research and writing of it through to the editing, production and publicity stages. The prize is judged by Joanna Biggs, Brian Dillon, Joanna Kavenna, Max Porter and Jacques Testard. Full submission guidelines can be found below.

In 2023, Ghalya Saadawi was awarded the Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & LeWitt Studios Essay Prize for her proposal Between October and November , an essay on time and loss under an extended, capitalist modernity, on what we keep and what is taken away. The essay has its beginnings in a letter to a friend, in which Saadawi explored political family histories, fashion and music’s retromania, postponement of writing, and the eruption of the past in the present. Written in fragments and digressions that thread cultural criticism, family memoir and life writing, the essay continues to think through the continued cultural obsession with the past and the future, foreclosed revolutionary legacies, the contradictions of destruction and tradition, mourning and the mediation of memory. The other shortlisted authors, chosen from 107 entries, were Luke Allan for There is another world, but it is this one , Toby Chai for Embryos Denied Mitosis , Pete Kowalczyk with Time is a Border , Matthew Porges for The Balkan Bridge by Matthew Porges, and Asa Serezin with The Divorce Plot . The 2023 Essay Prize was judged by Joanna Biggs, Brian Dillon, Joanna Kavenna, Max Porter and Jacques Testard.

Marianne Brooker won the 2022 Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & LeWitt Studios Essay Prize for her proposal I ntervals , an essay about choice, interdependence and end-of-life care, to be published in February 2024. Blending memoir, polemic and feminist philosophy in order to transform grief into a resource for politics, Intervals explores the space between proximity and complicity, charting the author’s care for her mother as she refused food and water at the end of her life, determined to end her suffering from Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Intervals was published by Fitzcarraldo Editions in February 2024 . The other shortlisted authors, chosen from 124 entries, were Chloe Evans for Elastic Bands , Holly Isard for Molecular Visions , Benoit Loîseau for Fast , Oliver Shamlou for Shabaneh and Radio Silence by Stephanie Y. Tam. The 2022 Essay Prize was judged by Joanna Biggs, Brian Dillon, Joanna Kavenna, Max Porter and Jacques Testard.

Heather McCalden was awarded the 2021 Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & LeWitt Studios Essay Prize with The Observable Universe , a prismatic account of grief conveyed through images, anecdotes and Wikipedia-like entries, calibrated specifically for the Internet Age. Centred on the loss of her parents to AIDS in the early ’90s, The Observable Universe questions what it means to ‘go viral’ in an era of explosive biochemical and virtual contagion. The Observable Universe was published by Fitzcarraldo Editions in March 2024 . The other shortlisted entries were Q is for Garden by Jenny Chamarette, The Report by Joshua Craze, Terra Nullius by Joanna Pidcock, The Raven’s Nest by Sarah Thomas, and Broken Rice by April Yee. The 2021 Essay Prize was judged by Joanna Biggs, Brian Dillon, Joanna Kavenna, Max Porter and Jacques Testard.

Thea Lenarduzzi was awarded the 2020 Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & LeWitt Studios Essay Prize with her proposal for Dandelions , a family memoir and social history about two women piecing together themselves and each other from the fragments of four generations’ worth of migration between Italy and England, and the stories scattered along the way. Dandelions was published by Fitzcarraldo Editions in September 2022. The other shortlisted entries were Not Revolving by Rashed Aqrabawi, Black Space in the Basement by Elliot C. Mason, Which As You Know Means Violence by Philippa Snow, We Blew Them Into Shards of Dust by Sean Stoker and Mrs Gargantua: Cuba, the United States and the New Man by JS Tennant. The 2020 Essay Prize was judged by Joanna Biggs, Brian Dillon, Joanna Kavenna, Paul Keegan and Jacques Testard.

In 2019, Polly Barton was awarded the fourth iteration of the Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & LeWitt Studios Essay Prize for Fifty Sounds , an attempt to exhaust her obsession with the country she moved to at the age of 21, before eventually becoming a literary translator. From min-min, the sound of air screaming, to jin-jin, the sound of being touched for the very first time, from hi’sori, the sound of harbouring masochist tendencies, to mote-mote, the sound of becoming a small-town movie star, Fifty Sounds is a personal dictionary of the Japanese language, recounting her life as an outsider in Japan. Fifty Sounds was published by Fitzcarraldo Editions in April 2021. The other four shortlisted entries were On Lunar Thinking by Amy Budd, There is California Champagne: Dignity and Work at the End of the World by Michael Docherty, Tender as Memory by Maria Howard, and Common Periwinkle by Bryony White. The 2019 Essay Prize was judged by Joanna Biggs, Brian Dillon, Joanna Kavenna, Paul Keegan and Jacques Testard.

In 2018, Joanna Pocock won the prize for Surrender , a narrative non-fiction work on the changing landscape of the West and the scavenger, rewilder and Ecosexual communities, inspired by a two-year stay in Montana. Surrender was published by Fitzcarraldo Editions in May 2019 . The other five shortlisted entries were A Woman’s Place by Rachel Andrews, Oliver Basciano’s Tichileşti , Felix Bazalgette’s Natural Magic , Gay Bar by Jeremy Atherton Lin, and Rebecca Perry’s Four Invocations . The 2018 Essay Prize was judged by Joanna Biggs, Brian Dillon, Joanna Kavenna, Paul Keegan and Jacques Testard.

In 2017, Katy Whitehead was awarded the prize for Adventures in Synthetic Fun , an essay exploring the concept of ‘synthetic fun’ coined in the 1960s by Jeremy Sandford, and the changing nature of fun in an era of increasing automation, disputed oppression, widespread affective labour, illusory meritocracy, costly social mobility, divisive politics, and a degraded imagination. The other four shortlisted entries were Wolf: An Anatomy of an Illness by Elinor Cleghorn; English as a Foreign Language by Evan Harris; Other, Mixed by Will Harris; and Possession by Rebecca Ley. The 2017 Essay Prize was judged by Joanna Biggs, Brian Dillon, Joanna Kavenna, Paul Keegan and Jacques Testard.

In 2016, Matthew McNaught was awarded the inaugural Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler & LeWitt Studios Essay Prize for Immanuel , an essay about faith, doubt and radical religion, inspired in part by his experiences growing up in an evangelical Christian community in the south of England. Immanuel was published by Fitzcarraldo Editions in June 2022. The other four shortlisted entries were Corona by Felix Bazalgette; Bad For You by Alice Hattrick; Growing up Modern by Jennifer Kabat; and Double-Tracking by Rosanna Mclaughlin. The 2016 Essay Prize was judged by Joanna Biggs, Brian Dillon, Paul Keegan, Ali Smith and Jacques Testard.

THE MAHLER & LEWITT STUDIOS

The Mahler & LeWitt Studios are established around the former studios of Anna Mahler and Sol LeWitt in Spoleto, Italy. The residency programme provides a focused and stimulating environment for artists, curators and writers to develop new ways of working in dialogue with peers and the unique cultural heritage of the region. For more information please visit mahler-lewitt.org .

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Joanna Biggs is a writer and editor at Harper’s and co-founder of Silver Press. Her book about the way we work, All Day Long , was published by Serpent’s Tail in 2015. Her second book, A Life of One’s Own , was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in May 2023.

Brian Dillon is a writer and critic. His books include Suppose a Sentence (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2020), Essayism (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2017), The Great Explosion (Penguin, 2015), Objects in This Mirror: Essays (Sternberg Press, 2014), Sanctuary (Sternberg Press, 2011), Tormented Hope (Penguin, 2009) and In the Dark Room (Penguin, 2005; Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2018). He teaches creative writing at the Queen Mary. Affinities , a book about the intimate and abstract pleasures of reading and looking, was published by Fitzcarraldo Editions in February 2023.

Joanna Kavenna is the author of The Ice Museum (Viking, 2006), Inglorious (Faber & Faber, 2007), The Birth of Love (Faber & Faber, 2011), Come to the Edge (riverrun, 2012), A Field Guide to Reality (riverrun, 2017) and Zed (Faber & Faber, 2019). Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker , Guardian, Observer , Telegraph , Spectator , London Review of Books and New York Times and she has held writing fellowships at St Antony's College Oxford and St John's College Cambridge. In 2011 she was named as one of the Telegraph ’s 20 Writers Under 40 and in 2013 was listed as one of Granta ’s Best of Young British Novelists. She lives in Oxfordshire.

Max Porter is the author of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers (Faber & Faber, 2016), winner of the International Dylan Thomas Prize and shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Goldsmiths Prize; Lanny (Faber & Faber, 2019), longlisted for the Booker Prize; and an essay, The Death of Francis Bacon (Faber & Faber, 2021). His latest novel, Shy , was published in April 2023 by Faber & Faber.

Jacques Testard is the publisher of Fitzcarraldo Editions and a founding editor of The White Review .

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Please read these eligibility and entry rules carefully before submitting. Submission of an entry is taken as acceptance of the entry rules. For any queries not covered below, please email [email protected].

1) The competition is open to unpublished writers residing in Great Britain and Ireland only.

2) Entrants should submit a proposal for a book-length essay (over 25,000 words) to [email protected]. The proposal itself should be no longer than 5,000 words. Entrants may also submit a separate writing sample of up to 5,000 words. Proposals and samples should be double-spaced, 12pt.

3) Each proposal should outline the subject matter, scope, style and structure of the proposed essay, and include a word count, delivery date and biographical note.

4) The proposals must be original, not previously submitted to a publisher. The writing sample may be previously published work.

5) Entries can also be sent by post to Fitzcarraldo Editions, A103, 8-12 Creekside, London SE8 3DX.

6) Only submissions received by email or by post by midnight on 17 March 2024 (GMT) will be considered.

7) Entries that are incomplete, are corrupted or submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

8) The entry must be the entrant’s own original creation and must not infringe upon the right or copyright of any person or entity.

9) Co-authored entries will not be accepted.

10) Writers who have existing contracts, or who have previously held contracts, with publishers for books of fiction or non-fiction are not eligible to enter.

11) Writers who have published writing (fiction or non-fiction) in magazines and journals are eligible to enter.

12) Writers who have published books of poetry are eligible to enter.

13) Writers may submit only one proposal per iteration of the prize.

14) The proposed essay must be written in English (no translations).

15) Submissions must be made by the author of the proposal.

16) There are no age restrictions.

17) When submitting, please include a short covering letter including your contact details, your name and the title of your proposed essay. The covering letter should be in the same document as your submission. Entrants should also submit a separate one-page cover letter on how they propose to use the residency at the Mahler-LeWitt Studios.

18) Submissions from writers residing outside of Great Britain and Ireland will not be considered.

19) All submissions should include page numbers.

20) The essay must be original and should not have been previously published anywhere in full or in part. Published work is taken to mean published in any printed, publicly accessible form, e.g. anthology, magazine, newspaper. It is also taken to mean published online, with the exception of personal blogs and personal websites.

21) A meeting will be organised with all shortlisted writers to discuss their book proposal before the award of the prize.

22) Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted.

23) No editorial feedback will be provided to unsuccessful entrants.

24) The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the judging process.

25) Fitzcarraldo Editions will have the exclusive right to publish the winning essay once it has been written, but reserves the right not to publish.

26) Only submissions which meet all Terms and Conditions will be considered.

27) By entering this competition, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

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The Stephen Jay Gould Prize

Note: ***This award is being moved to once every three years. The next competition will be announced in 2026.***

2023 Recipient: James T. Costa

The SSE Gould Prize Committee is pleased to announce Dr. James T. Costa as the 2023 recipient of the Stephen Jay Gould Prize. Dr. Costa was selected for his work to advance the public understanding of evolution and the history of evolutionary thinking, and for his work to promote biodiversity education and conservation through outreach and community engagement. Dr. Costa is the author of several books and other publications on the history of evolutionary biology focusing on the contributions of Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin, including "The Annotated Origin," the popular science book "Darwin's Backyard: How Small Experiments Led to a Big Theory," and his most recent book "Radical by Nature: The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace." For more than 17 years, Dr. Costa has served as the executive director of Western Carolina University's Highlands Biological Station, which is located in a southern Appalachian biodiversity hotspot and has provided experiential learning opportunities, research support, and outreach programming for students and professionals at all levels since 1927. Dr. Costa is professor of biology at Western Carolina University, where he teaches courses on biogeography, Darwin’s Origin of Species, and a comparative temperate-tropical ecology field course taught at Highlands Biological Station and Wildsumaco Biological Station in Ecuador. He is also adjunct professor in the Department of Biology and Institute for the Environment at UNC-Chapel Hill, and research associate in entomology at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology. He is a recipient of the Alfred Russel Wallace medal, serves as a Trustee of the Charles Darwin Trust, and has held research fellowships at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study of Harvard University, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, LuEsther T. Mertz Library of the New York Botanical Garden, and the DFG-Centre for Advanced Study at the University of Hamburg. Dr. Costa will present the Gould Prize plenary at the Evolution 2023 meeting on June 21 in Albuquerque, NM.

Text: Society for the Study of Evolution, 2023 Gould Prize to recognize individuals who have increased public understanding of evolutionary biology. Nominations due January 15, 2023. Background is blue with out of focus tan circles.

The Stephen Jay Gould Prize is awarded annually to recognize individuals whose sustained and exemplary efforts have advanced public understanding of evolutionary science and its importance in biology, education, and everyday life in the spirit of Stephen Jay Gould.

The award will include a cash prize of $5,000 and the expectation that the recipient will present the Public Outreach Seminar at the Evolution Meeting (expenses for travel/lodging and registration are covered by SSE). Awardees will be encouraged to submit an accompanying article to Evolution (primary research, review, insight or commentary, fast-tracked through review and made freely available) within 2 months of the conference. Published articles would highlight the prize obtained. The awardee should be a leader in evolutionary thought and in public outreach who can deliver an inspiring lecture for both professionals and the broader public at the annual Evolution meeting .

How to apply

Nominations should include the CV of the nominee along with a 1-2 page letter describing why this individual is worthy of the award. Nominations will be accepted via our online awards platform. All nominations will be treated confidentially and will be evaluated by members of the Committee and the Council for the Society. An awardee will be announced in early February. Please contact communications [at] evolutionsociety.org with any questions.

Or click here to access the application .

Note: Be sure to hit “Complete” after filling out the nomination form in order to submit your nomination!

You may be prompted to log in after clicking “Complete”, but that is not necessary. Rest assured that your application has been submitted.

DEADLINE: January 15, 2023

Stephen J. Gould Prize recipients and presentations:

Gould Essay Prize

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The R.A. Butler Prize for essays in Politics and International Studies is a competition that can be entered by students in Year 12 or the Lower 6th. Candidates are invited to submit an essay on a topic to be chosen from a list of general questions announced in March each year, and to be submitted in August.

The Prize is jointly organised by Trinity College Cambridge and Cambridge University’s Department of Politics and International Studies. The Prize was established in memory of the former Master of Trinity College, Lord Butler, who most famously served as Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and who was responsible for the introduction of free secondary education for all students in the UK.

The objectives of the R.A. Butler Prize are twofold. Firstly, it aims to encourage students with an interest in modern politics and world affairs to think about undertaking university studies in Politics, International Studies or a related discipline; it is not limited to those already studying these subjects or indeed other social sciences. Secondly, its intention is to recognise the achievements both of high-calibre students and of those who teach them.

The questions for the 2024 competition are available here .

Format: Essays can be up to 3,000 words, including all footnotes and references but excluding the bibliography. It’s worth considering the use of examples in your essays: the best essays often use a diverse selection of contemporary, historical or literary examples. We encourage you to provide references to your sources of information, and to include a bibliography at the end of the essay. There is no recommended referencing or bibliographic style – use whatever format you think works best. Please include your name on the document and save the file as “Surname, First name”.

Eligibility: The Prize is for students in Year 12 or Lower 6th at the time the questions are released in March. Students based abroad are most welcome to participate. To be eligible, you must be in your penultimate year of school. That is, to be eligible for the 2024 competition, you should be expecting to receive your final school results in the year from September 2024 to August 2025. This condition is held to strictly and, to be fair to the participants, no exceptions are made. Each entrant to the competition is allowed to submit only one essay.

Submissions: Essays must be submitted by 12 noon (UK time) on Thursday 1 August 2024. Please submit essays using the form below.

Prize: The competition carries a First Prize of £600, to be split equally between the candidate and his or her school or college (the school or college’s portion of the prize to be issued in the form of book tokens), and a Second Prize of £400, which again is to be shared equally between the candidate and his or her school or college. We award on average 8 special commendations each year and 40 additional commendations. Winners and recipients of special commendations will be announced in September, and will be invited to visit the College to meet some of the teaching staff.

Contact: Any queries from students who may be interested in submitting work for the prize, or their teachers, should be directed to Dr Glen Rangwala by email to: [email protected] .

About your school

Past prize-winners.

1st Prize: John Paul Cheng (Winchester College, Winchester) 2nd Prize: Fela Callahan (Harris Westminster Sixth Form, London)

1st Prize: Eunju Seo (North London Collegiate School Jeju, Republic of Korea) 2nd Prize: Luke Grierson (High Storrs School, Sheffield)

1st Prize: Saumya Nair (Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Gloucestershire) 2nd Prize (joint): Liyana Eliza Glenn (Home-schooled, UK) 2nd Prize (joint): Amr Hamid (St Paul’s School, London)

1st Prize: Lydia Allenby (Gosforth Academy, Newcastle upon Tyne) 2nd Prize: Louis Danker (City of London School, London)

1st Prize: Matthew Gursky (Hall Cross, Academy, Doncaster) 2nd Prize: Evie Morgan (Ipswich School, Ipswich)

1st Prize: Gergely Bérces (Milestone Institute, Budapest, Hungary) 2nd Prize (joint): Tatyana Goodwin (Varndean College, Brighton) 2nd Prize (joint): Eloise George (Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge)

1st Prize: Folu Ogunyeye (Aylesbury High School) 2nd Prize: Eve McMullen (Minster School, Southwell)

1st Prize: Silas Edwards (St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Bristol) 2nd Prize: Eliza Harry (Greene’s Tutorial College, Oxford)

1st Prize: Stephen Horvath (Westminster School, London) 2nd Prize: Grace Elshafei (Sevenoaks School, Kent)

1st Prize: Oscar Alexander-Jones (St Paul’s School, London) 2nd Prize: Sam Maybee (King Edward VI Five Ways School, Birmingham)

1st Prize: Eleanor Shearer (Westminster School) 2nd Prize (joint): Stephanie Clarke (Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School) 2nd Prize (joint): Will Barnes (Manchester Grammar School)

1st Prize: Kiah Ashford-Stow (King Edward VI School, Southampton) 2nd Prize: Jamie Sproul (Stamford School)

1st Prize: Aman Rizvi (Winchester College) 2nd Prize: Frans Robyns (Kings College School, Wimbledon)

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next post: Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law

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File Count 1. Create Date 05/05/2021. Last Updated 14/05/2021. Download. Description Attached Files. Find details about how to get in touch on our contact page. If you require any information provided on this website in an alternative format, please contact us on 01223 338400 or email [email protected].
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If you require any information provided on this website in an alternative format, please contact us on 01223 338400 or email [email protected]. The R.A. Butler Prize for essays in Politics and International Studies is a competition that can be entered by students in Year 12 or the Lower 6th. Candidates.

Camden Conference essay contest winners announced

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What Are Academic Competitions?

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STEM Academic Competition Types

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Why Should Students Take Part In Academic Competitions?

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