geography essay competition 2023

Essay  COMPETITION

2024 global essay prize, registrations are now open all essayists must register  here  before friday 31 may, 2024.

The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum.

Entering an essay in our competition can build knowledge, and refine skills of argumentation. It also gives students the chance to have their work assessed by experts. All of our essay prizes are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities including Oxford and Princeton, under the leadership of the Chairman of Examiners, former Cambridge philosopher, Dr Jamie Whyte.

The judges will choose their favourite essay from each of seven subject categories - Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law - and then select the winner of the Grand Prize for the best entry in any subject. There is also a separate prize awarded for the best essay in the junior category, for under 15s.

Q1. Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition?

Q2. Do girls have a (moral) right to compete in sporting contests that exclude boys?

Q3. Should I be held responsible for what I believe?

Q1. Is there such a thing as too much democracy?

Q2. Is peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip possible?

Q3. When is compliance complicity?

Q1. What is the optimal global population?  

Q2. Accurate news reporting is a public good. Does it follow that news agencies should be funded from taxation?

Q3. Do successful business people benefit others when making their money, when spending it, both, or neither?

Q1. Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century and why did this change?

Q2. Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?

Q3. Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger?

Q1. When, if ever, should a company be permitted to refuse to do business with a person because of that person’s public statements?

Q2. In the last five years British police have arrested several thousand people for things they posted on social media. Is the UK becoming a police state?

Q3. Your parents say that 11pm is your bedtime. But they don’t punish you if you don’t go to bed by 11pm. Is 11pm really your bedtime?

Q1. According to a study by researchers at four British universities, for each 15-point increase in IQ, the likelihood of getting married increases by around 35% for a man but decreases by around 58% for a woman. Why?

In the original version of this question we misstated a statistic. This was caused by reproducing an error that appeared in several media summaries of the study. We are grateful to one of our contestants, Xinyi Zhang, who helped us to see (with humility and courtesy) why we should take more care to check our sources. We corrected the text on 4 April. Happily, the correction does not in any way alter the thrust of the question.

Q2. There is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. Can we fix this? How?

Q3. What is the difference between a psychiatric illness and a character flaw?

Q1. “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” What could the speaker mean by “spiritual”?

Q2. Is it reasonable to thank God for protection from some natural harm if He is responsible for causing the harm?

Q3. Does God reward those who believe in him? If so, why?

JUNIOR prize

Q1. Does winning a free and fair election automatically confer a mandate for governing?

Q2. Has the anti-racism movement reduced racism?

Q3. Is there life after death?

Q4. How did it happen that governments came to own and run most high schools, while leaving food production to private enterprise? 

Q5. When will advancing technology make most of us unemployable? What should we do about this?

Q6. Should we trust fourteen-year-olds to make decisions about their own bodies? 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & FURTHER DETAILS

Please read the following carefully.

Entry to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition 2024 is open to students from any country.

Registration  

Only candidates who registered before the registration deadline of Friday, 31 May 2024 may enter this year's competition. To register, click here .  

All entries must be submitted by 11.59 pm BST on  the submission deadline: Sunday, 30 June 2024 .  Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on that date. (Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on that date.)

Entry is free.

Each essay must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration). 

The filename of your pdf must be in this format: FirstName-LastName-Category-QuestionNumber.pdf; so, for instance, Alexander Popham would submit his answer to question 2 in the Psychology category with the following file name:

Alexander-Popham-Psychology-2.pdf

Essays with filenames which are not in this format will be rejected.

The candidate's name should NOT appear within the document itself. 

Candidates should NOT add footnotes. They may, however, add endnotes and/or a Bibliography that is clearly titled as such.

Each candidate will be required to provide the email address of an academic referee who is familiar with the candidate's written academic work. This should be a school teacher, if possible, or another responsible adult who is not a relation of the candidate. The John Locke Institute will email referees to verify that the essays submitted are indeed the original work of the candidates.

Submissions may be made as soon as registration opens in April. We recommend that you submit your essay well in advance of th e deadline to avoid any last-minute complications.

Acceptance of your essay depends on your granting us permission to use your data for the purposes of receiving and processing your entry as well as communicating with you about the Awards Ceremony Dinner, the academic conference, and other events and programmes of the John Locke Institute and its associated entities.  

Late entries

If for any reason you miss the 30 June deadline you will have an opportunity to make a late entry, under two conditions:

a) A late entry fee of 20.00 USD must be paid by credit card within twenty-four hours of the original deadline; and

b) Your essay must be submitted  before 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 10 July 2024.

To pay for late entry, a registrant need only log into his or her account, select the relevant option and provide the requested payment information.

Our grading system is proprietary. Essayists may be asked to discuss their entry with a member of the John Locke Institute’s faculty. We use various means to identify plagiarism, contract cheating, the use of AI and other forms of fraud . Our determinations in all such matters are final.

Essays will be judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force. The very best essays are likely to be those which would be capable of changing somebody's mind. Essays which ignore or fail to address the strongest objections and counter-arguments are unlikely to be successful .

Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible.

The writers of the best essays will receive a commendation and be shortlisted for a prize. Writers of shortlisted essays will be notified by 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 31 July. They will also be invited to London for an invitation-only academic conference and awards dinner in September, where the prize-winners will be announced. Unlike the competition itself, the academic conference and awards dinner are not free. Please be aware that n obody is required to attend either the academic conference or the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London.

All short-listed candidates, including prize-winners, will be able to download eCertificates that acknowledge their achievement. If you win First, Second or Third Prize, and you travel to London for the ceremony, you will receive a signed certificate. 

There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US$2000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute's website. Prize-giving ceremonies will take place in London, at which winners and runners-up will be able to meet some of the judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute. Family, friends, and teachers are also welcome.

The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship, which comes with a US$10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools and/or visiting scholars programmes. 

The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

R egistration opens: 1 April, 2024.

Registration deadline: 31 May, 2024. (Registration is required by this date for subsequent submission.)

Submission deadline: 30 June, 2024.

Late entry deadline: 10 July, 2024. (Late entries are subject to a 20.00 USD charge, payable by 1 July.)

Notification of short-listed essayists: 31 July, 2024.

Academic conference: 20 - 22 September, 2024.

Awards dinner: 21 September, 2024.

Any queries regarding the essay competition should be sent to [email protected] . Please be aware that, due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, we cannot guarantee to answer every query. In particular, regrettably, we are unable to respond to questions whose answers can be found on our website.

If you would like to receive helpful tips  from our examiners about what makes for a winning essay or reminders of upcoming key dates for the 2024  essay competition, please provide your email here to be added to our contact list. .

Thanks for subscribing!

The John Locke Institute's Global Essay Prize is acknowledged as the world's most prestigious essay competition. 

We welcome tens of thousands of submissions from ambitious students in more than 150 countries, and our examiners - including distinguished philosophers, political scientists, economists, historians, psychologists, theologians, and legal scholars - read and carefully assess every entry. 

I encourage you to register for this competition, not only for the hope of winning a prize or commendation, and not only for the chance to join the very best contestants at our academic conference and gala ceremony in London, but equally for the opportunity to engage in the serious scholarly enterprise of researching, reflecting on, writing about, and editing an answer to one of the important and provocative questions in this year's Global Essay Prize. 

We believe that the skills you will acquire in the process will make you a better thinker and a more effective advocate for the ideas that matter most to you.

I hope to see you in September!

Best wishes,

Jamie Whyte, Ph.D. (C ANTAB ) 

Chairman of Examiners

Q. I missed the registration deadline. May I still register or submit an essay?

A. No. Only candidates who registered before 31 May will be able to submit an essay. 

Q. Are footnote s, endnotes, a bibliography or references counted towards the word limit?

A. No. Only the body of the essay is counted. 

Q. Are in-text citations counted towards the word limit? ​

A. If you are using an in-text based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit.

Q. Is it necessary to include foo tnotes or endnotes in an essay? ​

A. You  may not  include footnotes, but you may include in-text citations or endnotes. You should give your sources of any factual claims you make, and you should ackn owledge any other authors on whom you rely.​

Q. I am interested in a question that seems ambiguous. How should I interpret it?

A. You may interpret a question as you deem appropriate, clarifying your interpretation if necessary. Having done so, you must answer the question as directly as possible.

Q. How strict are  the age eligibility criteria?

A. Only students whose nineteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. In the case of the Junior category, only students whose fifteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. 

Q. May I submit more than one essay?

A. Yes, you may submit as many essays as you please in any or all categories.

Q. If I am eligible to compete in the Junior category, may I also (or instead) compete in another category?

A. Yes, you may.

Q. May I team up with someone else to write an essay?  

A. No. Each submitted essay must be entirely the work of a single individual.

Q. May I use AI, such as ChatGPT or the like, in writing my essay?

A. All essays will be checked for the use of AI. If we find that any content is generated by AI, your essay will be disqualified. We will also ask you, upon submission of your essay, whether you used AI for  any  purpose related to the writing of your essay, and if so, you will be required to provide details. In that case, if, in our judgement, you have not provided full and accurate details of your use of AI, your essay will be disqualified. 

Since any use of AI (that does not result in disqualification) can only negatively affect our assessment of your work relative to that of work that is done without using AI, your safest course of action is simply not to use it at all. If, however, you choose to use it for any purpose, we reserve the right to make relevant judgements on a case-by-case basis and we will not enter into any correspondence. 

Q. May I have someone else edit, or otherwise help me with, my essay?

A. You may of course discuss your essay with others, and it is perfectly acceptable for them to offer general advice and point out errors or weaknesses in your writing or content, leaving you to address them.

However, no part of your essay may be written by anyone else. This means that you must edit your own work and that while a proofreader may point out errors, you as the essayist must be the one to correct them. 

Q. Do I have to attend the awards ceremony to win a prize? ​

A. Nobody is required to attend the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London. But if we invite you to London it is because your essay was good enough - in the opinion of the First Round judges - to be at least a contender for First, Second or Third Prize. Normally the Second Round judges will agree that the short-listed essays are worth at least a commendation.

Q. Is there an entry fee?

A. No. There is no charge to enter our global essay competition unless you submit your essay after the normal deadline, in which case there is a fee of 20.00 USD .

Q. Can I receive a certificate for my participation in your essay competition if I wasn't shortlisted? 

A. No. Certificates are awarded only for shortlisted essays. Short-listed contestants who attend the award ceremony in London will receive a paper certificate. If you cannot travel to London, you will be able to download your eCertificate.

Q. Can I receive feedba ck on my essay? 

A. We would love to be able to give individual feedback on essays but, unfortunately, we receive too many entries to be able to comment on particular essays.

Q. The deadline for publishing the names of short-listed essayists has passed but I did not receive an email to tell me whether I was short-listed.

A. Log into your account and check "Shortlist Status" for (each of) your essay(s).

Q. Why isn't the awards ceremony in Oxford this year?

A. Last year, many shortlisted finalists who applied to join our invitation-only academic conference missed the opportunity because of capacity constraints at Oxford's largest venues. This year, the conference will be held in central London and the gala awards dinner will take place in an iconic London ballroom. 

TECHNICAL FAQ s

Q. The system will not accept my essay. I have checked the filename and it has the correct format. What should I do?  

A. You have almost certainly added a space before or after one of your names in your profile. Edit it accordingly and try to submit again.

Q. The profile page shows my birth date to be wrong by a day, even after I edit it. What should I do?

A. Ignore it. The date that you typed has been correctly input to our database. ​ ​

Q. How can I be sure that my registration for the essay competition was successful? Will I receive a confirmation email?

A. You will not receive a confirmation email. Rather, you can at any time log in to the account that you created and see that your registration details are present and correct.

TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR SUBMISSION

If you are unable to submit your essay to the John Locke Institute’s global essay competition, your problem is almost certainly one of the following.

If so, please proceed as indicated.

1) PROBLEM: I receive the ‘registrations are now closed’ message when I enter my email and verification code. SOLUTION. You did not register for the essay competition and create your account. If you think you did, you probably only provided us with your email to receive updates from us about the competition or otherwise. You may not enter the competition this year.

2) PROBLEM I do not receive a login code after I enter my email to enter my account. SOLUTION. Enter your email address again, checking that you do so correctly. If this fails, restart your browser using an incognito window; clear your cache, and try again. Wait for a few minutes for the code. If this still fails, restart your machine and try one more time. If this still fails, send an email to [email protected] with “No verification code – [your name]” in the subject line.

SUBMITTING AN ESSAY

3) PROBLEM: The filename of my essay is in the correct format but it is rejected. SOLUTION: Use “Edit Profile” to check that you did not add a space before or after either of your names. If you did, delete it. Whether you did or did not, try again to submit your essay. If submission fails again, email [email protected] with “Filename format – [your name]” in the subject line.

4) PROBLEM: When trying to view my submitted essay, a .txt file is downloaded – not the .pdf file that I submitted. SOLUTION: Delete the essay. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “File extension problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

5) PROBLEM: When I try to submit, the submission form just reloads without giving me an error message. SOLUTION. Log out of your account. Open a new browser; clear the cache; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Submission form problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

6) PROBLEM: I receive an “Unexpected Error” when trying to submit. SOLUTION. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If this resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Unexpected error – [your name]” in thesubject line. Your email must tell us e xactly where in the submission process you received this error.

7) PROBLEM: I have a problem with submitting and it is not addressed above on this list. SOLUTION: Restart your machine. Clear your browser’s cache. Try to submit again. If this fails, email [email protected] with “Unlisted problem – [your name]” in the subject line. Your email must tell us exactly the nature of your problem with relevant screen caps.

READ THIS BEFORE YOU EMAIL US.

Do not email us before you have tried the specified solutions to your problem.

Do not email us more than once about a single problem. We will respond to your email within 72 hours. Only if you have not heard from us in that time may you contact us again to ask for an update.

If you email us regarding a problem, you must include relevant screen-shots and information on both your operating system and your browser. You must also declare that you have tried the solutions presented above and had a good connection to the internet when you did so.

If you have tried the relevant solution to your problem outlined above, have emailed us, and are still unable to submit before the 30 June deadline on account of any fault of the John Locke Institute or our systems, please do not worry: we will have a way to accept your essay in that case. However, if there is no fault on our side, we will not accept your essay if it is not submitted on time – whatever your reason: we will not make exceptions for IT issues for which we are not responsible.

We reserve the right to disqualify the entries of essayists who do not follow all provided instructions, including those concerning technical matters.

THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION

Since 1883, we have delivered The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, the world's oldest international schools' writing competition. Today, we work to expand its reach, providing life-changing opportunities for young people around the world.

ENTER THE QCEC 2024

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is now live!

Find out more about this year’s theme

'Our Common Wealth' and make sure to enter by 15 May 2024!

140 years of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools and has been proudly delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. 

ABOUT THE COMPETITION 

An opportunity for young Commonwealth citizens to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences on key global issues and have their hard work and achievement celebrated internationally.

Frequently Asked Questions for the Competition. Before contacting us please read these.

MEET THE WINNERS 

In 2023 we were delighted to receive a record-breaking 34,924 entries, with winners from India and Malaysia. Read their winning pieces as well as those from previous years.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Terms and Conditions for entrants to The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition. Please ensure you have thoroughly read them before submitting your entry.

• Undergraduate
• Short Courses
• Online Courses
• Masters/Postgraduate
• Postdoctoral
• Study in Africa
• Study in Asia
• Study in Australia
• Study in Europe
• Study in USA
• Fellowships
• Internships
• Volunteering
• OD Live Series
• Young Person of the Month
• Success Stories
• General Tips
• ODIC 2023 Application
• ODIC Judges
• ODIC 2022 Winners
• ODIC 2021 Winners
• ODIC 2019 Winners
• ODIC 2018 Winners
• ODIC 2017 Winners
• ODIC 2016 Winners
• Australia and Oceania

St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition 2023 (CHF 20,000 prize)

Deadline: February 1, 2023

Applications are open for the St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition 2023 . Compete in the Global Essay Competition and qualify for participation as a Leader of Tomorrow in the world’s premier opportunity for cross-generational debates: The St. Gallen Symposium.

Meet 300 of society’s brightest young minds. Present and debate your ideas with 600 senior leaders. Be inspired by some of the world’s most impressive speakers. Gain a unique and new perspective on this year’s topic. Become a member of a unique global community. Participate in the symposium.

Topic Questions

For this year’s St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition on the theme A New Generational Contract , they are calling for students worldwide to provide their perspective on one of the following two questions:

What’s the best legacy your generation has inherited from those before you? And how can we preserve it?

• Choose and briefly describe a major accomplishment which has only become possible through the efforts of older and previous generations. This can be from the realm of political governance, economic development, social norms and ethics, education, health, technology, ecology, arts or any other area you deem relevant. Of particular interest are ideas, institutions, technologies or norms which you believe are challenged by current developments. Describe how current developments challenge this major achievement by older and previous generations and offer a concrete and actionable idea of how it can be preserved for your generation as well as future ones.

What’s the worst legacy your generation has inherited from those before you? And how can we replace it?

• Choose and briefly describe a major problematic legacy which has been passed on from older and previous generations to yours. This can be from political governance, economic development, social norms and ethics, education health, technology, ecology, arts or any other area you deem relevant. Of particular interest are ideas, institutions, technologies or norms at the core of how our world currently works. Describe a concrete and actionable idea of how we can get rid off this problematic legacy left by older and previous generations and what should replace it.
• Win prize money of CHF 20,000 split amongst the three winners.

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

• Enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university.
• Born in 1993 or later.

Requirements

• Individual work expected, no group work allowed. The essay must be written exclusively for this contest. The idea must be the author’s own.
• All sources must be cited and referred to the respective part in the essay. All contributions will be tested for plagiarism.
• Your name, e-mail address, university, or any identifying details must not be mentioned anywhere in the contribution file.
• Essay (max. 2,100 words, excl. abstract, bibliography, and footnotes)

Application

Make sure you can provide the following documents:

• Copy of passport or other identification (in English for non-Roman languages).
• Confirmation of matriculation/enrolment from your university which proves your enrollment in a graduate/postgraduate level programme as of February 1, 2023 (download sample document here).
• Your contribution file with no indication of your name in the file name, the file metadata or the file itself.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit St. Gallen Symposium Essay Competition .

Jude Ogar is an educator and youth development practitioner with years of experience working in the education and youth development space. He is passionate about the development of youth in Africa.

Related Posts

Ashoka young african climate changemakers challenge 2024, world bank ifc mas growafrica intern program 2024, nobellum innovator program 2024 for startups.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

The following pages contain information about our Essay Prizes run for Lower and Upper 6th Students internationally, including how to apply.

The Robson History Prize will not run in 2024 but we are expecting to run it again in 2025.

Gould Prize for Essays in English Literature

Languages and Cultures Essay Prize

Linguistics Essay Prize

Philosophy Essay Prize

R.A. Butler Politics Prize

Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law

• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share via email
• previous post: Information for Offer Holders
• next post: Gould prize for essays in English Literature

Access and Outreach Hub

Privacy overview.

• Application Process
• Open Days – 26th and 27th June 2024
• The Tutorial System
• Living in College
• Our Undergraduates
• Undergraduate Courses
• Fellows and Lecturers 2023-24
• Graduate Accommodation
• Graduate Funding
• Graduate Life
• Middle Common Room
• Apply for the Visiting Student Programme
• Working with teachers

Essay Competitions

• Kent Coast Runs & Other Events
• Quick Contact – The College Office
• Dates of Term & Move-in Dates
• Academic Feedback Form
• Degree Ceremonies
• Academic Transcripts, Letters & Certificates
• Academic Awards & Prizes
• Learning Development & Support Tutor
• Accessibility Guide
• Accident and Near-Miss Report Form
• Accommodation, Grounds & Facilities
• Discipline & Deans
• Chapel & Faith
• Health & Welfare
• IT Services
• Undergraduates
• Being at St Hugh’s
• Studying at St Hugh’s
• Making the most of St Hugh’s
• Emergencies
• Discover St Hugh’s
• The Buildings
• The Gardens
• The College Archive
• Whom to contact about……?
• Visiting the College
• The Lady Ademola Project
• Work For Us
• Our Community
• Staff Facilities
• The College Lodge
• Privacy & Data Protection
• Freedom of Information
• Accessibility Statement
• St Hugh’s College Shop
• Update Your Details
• Your Development Team
• Supporting the College
• Forthcoming Alumni Events
• Alumni Association
• 100 Years of Oxford Degrees for Women
• 2024 Telethon Campaign
• Alumni Communications
• Alumni News
• Celebration Events
• Meetings & Conferences
• Private Dining
• Accommodation
• The Conference & Events Team
• College Events

Home → Study Here → Outreach → Essay Competitions

St Hugh’s essay competitions are open to Sixth Formers from the UK and across the world. These are a fantastic opportunity to explore a topic of interest in a particular subject in more depth, whether something you have studied at school has inspired you, or whether you are keen to broaden your horizons in a new academic discipline.

All four competitions are now open: the deadline for submissions is 5pm (GMT) on Friday 26th July 2024.

To find out more about these competitions please click on the links below:

Mary Renault

Kavita singh, gwyneth bebb, privacy overview.

Geography competitions

Here is an ongoing list of geography competitions for students to enter - some many not necessarily jump out as 'geography' but what's stopping your students entering science and english competitions when using a geographical theme, geography , teaching , secondary education.

Yep This is a list of geography competitions that you may want to enter with your students. There is also a further section at the end of this document for opportunities for writing from students that is not a competition. Current competitions highlighted in yellow.

Name of competition

Description of competition

UK (or wider)

ENTRY DEADLINE

The solstice prize 2022

The Solstice Prize is our annual showcase for young writers, seeking imaginative short stories and provocative poems, with prizes on offer for winners in three age groups: 7-11, 12-14, and 15-17. The 2022 theme of the Solstice Prize for Young Writers, Fight for Flight, can be interpreted in any number of ways.

7-17 year olds

UK residents living in the UK

https://writingeastmidlands.co.uk/young-writers-groups/solstice-prize/

Immerse education

Different age categories available. A range of essay titles

international

https://www.immerse.education/essay-competition/

Trust for sustainable living

“How can young people be better supported to thrive in green jobs?”

Range of ages

https://trustforsustainableliving.org/take-part/international-schools-essay-competition-and-debate

National poetry day competition

wRITE AN ACROSTIC POEM

https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/the-lost-words-competition/

Northeastern University London Essay Competition

Our selection of essay titles engages across a broad range of humanities and social sciences topics and we look forward to receiving entries from talented and intellectually curious students who show passion and academic potential in the humanities and social sciences.

International

https://www.nchlondon.ac.uk/pre-university-programmes/essay/

RGS2022 Essay Competition, organised in partnership with the Financial Times

What are the environmental costs of current consumer trends, behaviours and purchasing decisions?

There are three sub-themes. Choose 1 of the themes only

A level or equivalent

3rd October 2022

https://www.rgs.org/schools/competitions/school-essay-competition/

Where, how and why

For this year’s Young Geographer of the Year competition we are asking young people where might they want to travel to, how would they get there and why there.

All key stages

https://www.rgs.org/schools/competitions/young-geographer-of-the-year/2022-competition/

StationHall Hearne Hill

The theme for our fourth Stepping Into Stories Story-Making Competition is 'ALL ABOARD!' - whatever that might mean to you! A new departure? A journey of discovery? A daydream that takes you somewhere imaginary? A camel ride? A piggy back? A steam train at the fairground? A baby duckling perching on its mum? The possibilities are endless!

6th Jan 2023

https://www.stationhallhernehill.org/stepping-into-stories-competition

Young Muslim writer’s Award

https://ymwa.org.uk/2022-competition-now-open/

The Geospatial Scholarship fund - Black geographers

Undergraduate Award of £30,000 to study geography or geoscience (£10,000/yr). The award can be spent on fees or maintenance.​

Upper sixth - year 13

https://geospatialscholarshipfund.com/scholarships/esri-uk-and-black-geographers/

The Nation­al Com­pe­ti­tion in Food, Farm­ing and Nat­ur­al Envi­ron­ment 2023

'Farming is about working with the natural environment'

Opens December 2022

https://leaf.eco/education/the-national-food-farming-and-environment-competition

BBC Young reporter competition

Submit an idea for a news story

https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u97931309

Student blog competition

“UK Parliament doesn’t look or sound like the rest of the country: should this change and, if so, how?”

https://www.psa.ac.uk/student-blog-competition-2022

Christ Church Oxford

This is Geography - submit a short video entry (2 – 5 minutes at most) on a geographical issue or phenomenon that is local to you.

UK State Schools

https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/admissions/geography-0?fbclid=IwAR16XNMh8w9yol4zqJaXRnKRwWzKTjyGLCX16eBo-VW_x36fKemTC9yBElo

Orwell Youth Prize

COMING UP FOR AIR: WRITING THE CLIMATE CRISIS

This year, we want you to think and write critically and creatively about how the climate crisis affects the people, places, and things around you. How will our impact on the environment affect the places you know? What will the impact be on human beings around the world?

22nd April 2022

https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-youth-prize/2018-youth-prize/introduction/

Geography Essay Competition.

Competition provides students with an opportunity to engage in university-level research, hone their writing skills and contribute to the climate discussion. Entrants must choose one question to answer.

Aimed at Year 12 but will accept younger submissions (from 14 years old)

Submission Deadline: 31 March 2022.

https://www.mindsunderground.com/geography-competition

British Science week

Poster competition - this year’s theme is ‘growth’

5pm on the 15 April 2022

https://www.britishscienceweek.org/plan-your-activities/poster-competition/

Primary Awards for Green Education in Schools

Various opportunities

Primary Schools

Ongoing but closing date 4th May 2022

https://primaryawards4greeneducation.org.uk/

Maggie Bowden Award

This year’s theme: ‘make the world better’

essay competition

under 12-25

www.liberation.org

Oxford University

Various competitions throughout the year

https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/teachers/academic-competitions-schools-and-colleges

David W. Smith Memorial Prize

https://www.rgs.org/schools/competitions/

Young geographer of the year 2022

The Young Geographer of the Year is the Society’s annual competition which recognises the outstanding work of the next generation of geographers. With its age ranges spanning the primary years to A Level, the competition encourages thoughtful and creative answers to the competition’s theme which is set each year.

https://www.rgs.org/schools/competitions

Geographical Association photography competition

Annual photo competition

Secondary and post 16

https://www.geography.org.uk/Get-Involved-1/Student-activities

RGS and FT Schools essay competition

Different theme each year

GA WorldWise International competition

Held in a different country each year

https://www.geography.org.uk/GA-WorldWise-international-competition

Robinson College

Essay competition

TBA - Register interest here: https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5AXJQ8EuxUphLNA

https://www.robinson.cam.ac.uk/prospective-students/essay-prize

Warwick University

Year 11 and 12

TBA annually

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/schoolforcross-facultystudies/gsd/engagement/gsdcompetition/

Institute of Economic Affairs Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize

A level and IB

Usually announced in April

https://iea.org.uk/essay-competition/

YES competition

YES! is a competition for secondary school students dealing with global problems in the realm of economy, policy, society and environment. Your task is to identify and work on a core problem important to you. Look at all possible issues on this topic and develop a solution that has the potential to solve the problem. You can present your solution in a one-page essay or be creative with a video, podcast or something else .

This year we're asking teams of 5 students to create a solution to any of the following problems:

* Facing the challenges of discrimination and migrant integration

* How can we set Taxes, instead of Lockdowns, in order to Reduce Deaths during Pandemics?

* Paris climate targets–how can negative emissions and climate engineering help limiting temperature rise?

* Project 100% – How Can We Make the COVID Vaccination Campaign Successful?

* Sharing the Future – Growing Sustainable Communities: How can Local Networks help Exchange Information and Support Sustainable Living

* The future of aviation – Sustainable flight with hydrogen?

UK but competition to be held in Germany

18th February 2022

https://www.young-economic-summit.org/en/bridge/

Essay writing

Wales, Cornwall, and the South West of England.

16th February 2022

https://outreachonlineblog.wordpress.com/2022/01/06/the-big-oxplore-essay-competition-returns/

UN GLobal Social Leaders

start a social action project that contributes towards addressing the United Nations’ Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

Secondary schools

register your school and team by Monday 31 January 2022 to take part in this year's competition.

https://www.globalsocialleaders.com/ggcompetition/

Young writers Competition

Various writing competitions you can tailor to geographical ideas e.g. secondary is ‘empowered’

Various dates some the 11th Feb

https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/competitions

Ron Cooke Award

A level best NEA

Friday 26 February 2022.

https://www.rgs.org/geography/news/ron-cooke-award-2022-for-the-a-level-independent-i/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Orlo

Life after conflict

Share your thoughts on how people, c

A Collection of World Games (TWGfU)

• Skip to main content
• Skip to secondary menu
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Geographical

Official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

Young Geographer of the Year 2023

1 June 2023 2 minutes

This year’s Young Geographer of the Year competition is now open for entries

The national competition encourages pupils to engage with geographical issues and recognises the outstanding work of the next generation of geographers. This year’s theme, A blueprint for the future, gives students the opportunity to explore their ideas for how a sustainable future could be achieved.

We’re looking for innovative ideas to address problems in areas such as food production and supply, energy and sustainability, water security, resources, population growth, economic stability, transport, travel, urbanisation, risk management, trade and environmental and biodiversity management.

There are four categories for entrants: 

Ks2 (pupils aged 7–11) ks3 (pupils aged 11–14) ks4 or gcse or equivalent (pupils aged 14–16) ks5 or a level or equivalent (pupils aged 16–18).

The first three categories require pupils to submit an A3-size poster, which can be hand drawn or produced digitally, while A Level students should submit an Esri StoryMap or write an essay – both of which should contain no more than 1,500 words. All entries must adhere to the entry criteria for the relevant age category.

In students’ blueprints for the future, we want to see the problems of today solved by the geographers of tomorrow.

Last year’s competition asked students to discuss a place they’d like to visit, how they’d get there and why they want to go for the theme Where, how and why? – which encouraged pupils to widen their geographical horizons. The category winners were Aryan Shekar (7–11 years), Tomohiro Oxborrow (11–14 years), Esther Morris (14–16 years) and Boe Kilshaw (16–18 years). The winning and highly commended entries all explored the key physical and human features of the selected location, the reasons for the chosen mode of transport and what made the chosen place geographically interesting, important or meaningful to the entrant. 

The Young Geographer of the Year competition is run by the Society in conjunction with  Geographical  and is kindly supported by Esri UK, Ordnance Survey, Philip’s and Cotswold Outdoor.

The deadline for entries is 5pm on Monday 2 October; they can be submitted by individual students or teachers.

For more information on how to enter this year’s competition, and to see last year’s entries, visit our website: www.rgs.org/YGOTY  

Published in the UK since 1935, Geographical is the official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) . Informative, authoritative and educational, this site’s content covers a wide range of subject areas, including geography, culture, wildlife and exploration, illustrated with superb photography.

Click Here for SUBSCRIPTION details

Want to access Geographical on your tablet or smartphone? Press the Apple, Android or PC/Mac image below to download the app for your device

More from Geographical

• Subscriptions
• Get our Newsletter
• Advertise with us
• Privacy policy
• Terms & Conditions

Cambridge Essay Competitions

Essay competitions are brilliant for a number of reasons!

You can use them to:

The essay competitions usually become open for submissions after the winter holidays. Be sure to check any eligibility criteria, requirements and deadlines. This page will be updated when new competitions are announced, and when deadlines are passed, so check back regularly! All essay competitions and events at Cambridge (both online and in-person) can be found here 🔗 🌟.

Magdalene College Arts and Humanities Essay Competition 2024 🔗 🌟 Any student in their penultimate year at a state school can enter this competition, which will open in early 2024. Last year, there were 12 questions covering a variety of topics within the arms and humanities - you can read the winning entries here 🔗. To register your interest in this competition for 2024, fill in this form 🔗.

Fitzwilliam College Essay Competitions: various subjects 🔗 🌟 Fitzwilliam College runs a variety of competitions in Ancient World and Classics, Archaeology, History, Land Economy, Medieval World, Architecture, and Economics (this last one is for state-school UK students only). All competitions are open to Year 12 students and are designed to encourage students to pursue their interests in subjects they might not be able to study in depth at school. Last year, the deadline for all competition entries was the 1st of March, so make sure to check back in early 2024 for updates.

Newnham College Woolf Essay Prize 🔗 🌟 The Woolf Essay Competition is focussed on women in literature, history, society and culture. There are also competitions for other subjects - more information these will be coming soon. Webinars to help support your entry can be found here 🔗 . The deadline for the Woolf Prize last year was the 14th of July.

Girton College Humanities Writing Competition 🔗 An opportunity for students interested in pursuing any humanities subject to write creatively! Year 12 students may enter with an essay or piece of creative writing using an object from Girton College’s small antiquities museum, the Lawrence Room, as their prompt.

Robinson College Essay Prize: various subjects 🔗 Year 12 students may submit an essay of up to 2,000 words in response to one of the set questions, which cover a wide variety of academic subjects. The prize did not run in 2023, but may in 2024.

Trinity College Essay Prizes 🔗 These competitions give entrants the opportunity to write an essay of up to 2,000 words in response to the set question/(s). Last year there were competitions for English Literature, Launguages, Linguistics, Philosophy, Politics, Law, and History.

Did you spot a typo or formatting issue? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] .

World Historian Student Essay Competition

Congratulations to Joshua Hangartner of La Jolla Country Day School, the winner of the 2023 World Historian Student Essay Competition for his essay, "World History: A Vehicle for Understanding Ourselves."

2023 World Historian Student Essay Competition Winner: Joshua Hangartner (La Jolla Country Day School)

• The WHA is pleased to announce that Joshua Hangartner of La Jolla Country Day School (La Jolla, CA) is the winner of the 2023 World Historian Essay Competition for his outstanding essay, "World History: A Vehicle for Understanding Ourselves." Focusing on its broad and deep complexities, Mr. Hangartner ably demonstrates how World History's vast and complex scope connects us personally to the sweeping historical themes that shaped the present day and serves as a "uniquely powerful tool" that allows us to discover ourselves in an incredibly complicated world. Congratulations, Joshua!

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades  K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. Membership in the World History Association is not a requirement for submission. Past winners may not compete in the same category again.  Finalist essays will be checked against AI internet components and will be automatically disqualified should stock answers be detected.

The World History Association established this $500 prize to recognize young scholars. A one-year membership in the WHA will also be included with each prize.

Each competitor will submit an essay that addresses one of the following topics and discuss how it relates to you personally and to World History:  Your view of a family story related to a historical event or your personal family cultural background, or an issue of personal relevance or specific regional history/knowledge, such as "My ancestor walked with Abraham Lincoln from Illinois to fight in the Black Hawk War of 1832." 

The committee will judge papers according to the following criteria:

• clear thesis;
• elaboration on the thesis with specific, concrete, personal example(s);
• evidence of critical-thinking, such as synthesis and evaluation, when reflecting on the essay question;
• organization and fluency; and
• overall effectiveness of the student’s ability to communicate his or her personal connection with the study of world history—in other words, how well has the student described the experience of being changed by a better understanding of world history?

To view some of our past winning essays, please click on the links below.

2023 Paper Prize Winner

2019 Paper Prize Winner

2018 Paper Prize Winner

2017 Paper Prize Winner

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Length & format.

Length:  Submissions for the  K–12  World Historian Award should be approximately 1,000 words.

Formatting:  Number all pages except for the title page. All pages are to be double-spaced. Use 12-point Times New Roman Font. Margins are to be 1 inch left and right, and top and bottom.

Submissions must be composed in Microsoft Word.

The author’s identity is to appear nowhere on the paper.

A separate, unattached page should accompany the paper, identifying the author, title of paper, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, and name of school.

Papers that do not adhere to these guidelines will be disqualified.

Entries must be emailed or postmarked by the annual deadline of 1 May.

Winning papers will be announced during the summer.

The  WHA  reserves the right to publish in the  World History Bulletin  any essay (or portion thereof) submitted to the competition. It will do so solely at its discretion, but full acknowledgment of authorship will be given. If someone’s essay is published in whole or in part, the author will receive three (3) copies of the  Bulletin.

E-mail submission

Send the following materials as separate attachments (formatted in  MS  Word) in the same e-mail, with the subject line  World Historian Student Essay :

• the paper, and
• a page with identifying information (author, title of paper, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, and name of school).

E-mail to:  Susan Smith <[email protected]> .

Postal submission

Send five copies of the paper and five copies of the page with identifying information. In the lower left hand corner on the front of the envelope write:  World Historian Student Essay.

Susan Smith Maple Grove Senior High 9800 Fernbrook Lane  N. Maple Grove,  MN  55369-9747

WORLD HISTORIAN STUDENT ESSAY COMPETITION COMMITTEE:

• Susan Smith, chair
• Paul Richgruber

PAST WINNERS

• Joshua Hangartner, La Jolla Country Day School (La Jolla, CA) "World History: A Vehicle for Understanding Ourselves"
• Amanda Zhao, Pacific Ridge School (Carlsbad, CA) “History: An Ode to the Bricks of Progress”
• Akram Elkouraichi, Yonkers Middle High School (Yonkers, NY) “The Realization of Impermanence: Ephemerality in World History as a Conceptual Framework”
• Steven Chen, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (Vancouver, BC, Canada) “A Human Story: World History as an Optimist”
• Juliana Boerema, Cary Christian School (Cary, North Carolina) “Brilliant Painting: How the Study of World History Changes Perspective”
• Ahmad Aamir, Lahore Grammar School (Lahore, Pakistan) “Learning from History: Cooperation, Belief, Scholarship, & Words”
• Vivian Liu, International School of Beijing (Beijing, China) “History: Bread of the World”
• Vanessa Yan, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School (Bradenton, Florida) “World History: The Great Macroscope”
• Rachel Hughes, Webber Academy (Calgary, Canada), “Fostering a Universal Understanding of World History is the Key to a Brighter Tomorrow”
• Campbell Munson, The Episcopal School of Dallas, “How History Has Affected My Worldview: Economies, Migration, Causality and Disease”
• Jacob Cooper, North Oconee High School (Bogart, Georgia), “World History: The Basis for Self-Determination, Democracy, and Religion“
• Luke J. Hamilton, Sword Academy (Bridgeport, Nebraska), “The Present: Living History”
• David Kim, Wydown Middle School ( St.  Louis), “History: The Shadow of the World”
• Elizabeth Mello, Dartmouth High School (Dartmouth, Massachusetts), “Out of Many Threads, One Cloth”

Awards Sample banner

Awards Sample banner EXCERPT

Essay Competitions Deadline

Each year, Fitzwilliam College runs essay competitions in a variety of subjects, allowing talented pupils to explore their interests beyond the school curriculum.

The University of Cambridge seeks out students with a passion for their subject and who have investigated it outside the classroom. Our essay competitions provide students with an opportunity to engage with their interests in this way, allowing them to demonstrate their enthusiasm for their subject.

2024 Competitions

This year we will be running essay competitions in Ancient World and Classics, Archaeology, Economics, History, Land Economy, Medieval World and Slavonic Studies. We will additionally be running an Architecture design competition. Further particulars and this year's questions can be found at the links below. Please read the competition rules and submission guidelines carefully before entering a competition.

Ancient World and Classics

Archaeology

Economics (for state-school UK students only - please see link for details on eligibility)

Land Economy

Medieval World

Slavonic Studies

Architecture – students wishing to enter the Architecture Design Competition may find this plan of Fitzwilliam College and information on the history of Fitzwilliam’s buildings useful

The deadline for all competitions is  6pm on  Friday 1st March 2024 .

Competition rules

These essay competitions are exclusively for students in their penultimate year of education (Year 12 in England and Wales, S5 in Scotland, Year 13 in Northern Ireland). They are open to students in any country but submissions must be written in English.

Submissions should strictly adhere to the word limit set out in the subject brief (2500 words for Archaeology, Classics & Ancient World, History, Land Economy, Slavonic Studies and Medieval World; 1500 words for Economics; 500 words for the Architecture narrative), and contain a bibliography at the end. The word count should exclude the bibliography, but include any footnotes. Each page should be numbered and contain the applicant's full name.

We understand that not all students will have previous experience of writing a bibliography, and may not have equal access to advice on doing so. We therefore include this link to guidance on how to correctly use the Harvard referencing system. Anyone who wishes to use a different referencing system is free to do so.

Students are only permitted to enter one competition and may only submit one entry to that competition. There is a strict limit of five submissions per school for each competition. If more than five students from the same school enter the same competition, a teacher from that school will be contacted and asked to select the five entries; failure to do so will result in all submissions from the school to that competition being disqualified. Please note that this limit does not apply to Sixth Form Colleges where year groups are over 1000 students in size. When submitting an essay, the student will be asked to provide the name and email address of a teacher who may be contacted in order to verify the submission.

The submission must be entirely the individual student's work and must not be submitted or have been submitted to an exam board as part of any coursework or extended essay, either in part or in full.

Submission guidelines

Anyone who wishes to enter an essay competition must complete the online form .

Submissions can be uploaded to the online form in a PDF format. If the file size is too big to upload to the form, please email your submission to [email protected] . We can also accept entries by post. Please address postal submissions to: Schools Liaison Officer, Fitzwilliam College, Storey's Way, Cambridge, CB3 0DG.

You should receive an email confirmation after submitting the form. If you do not receive confirmation within 24 hours, please contact us at the email address below. Any technical difficulties will be dealt with on the next day, and students affected may be allowed to submit late in some circumstances.

Writing Webinars

Students preparing submissions who would like advice on essay writing may wish to seek advice from our two essay writing webinars:

•   Webinar 1 - Initial Preparation - 12th January 2024  at 6pm

**Please note, due to an issue with recording, this is last years webinar. All the information is the same bar these two changes**:

• The deadline for the competition is Friday 1 st of March 2024 at 6pm
• We are running a Slavonic studies competition this year, in addition to the competitions listed in this webinar
• Webinar 2 - Finalising your Essay - 16th February 2024 at 2pm

The webinars are delivered by the Schools Liaison Officer - the first webinar focuses on initial planning, research, and structuring of an academic essay, while the second provides advice on how to finalise arguments, edit, and reference your essays. Please email [email protected] with any questions about this event. 

If you have any questions relating to the competitions please contact us on  [email protected]

Bookings Open for Online Summer Courses

Essay Question 2023

Most outstanding essay 2023.

We are very pleased to announce that Hannah de Dombal has won the award for the Most Outstanding Essay 2023, with an essay on the subject of Philosophy. She has won a free place on the Oxford Scholastica Academy (our sister organisation) Oxford Summer School 2024, worth £6,995. Congratulations Hannah!

Her winning essay is available to read below.

Your Title Goes Here

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Longtermism: A Philosophy To Last A Lifetime (Or Two...)

This apocalyptic way of thinking will get us nowhere: it’s time for a change. Longtermism, according to Moorhouse (2021) ‘is the view that positively influencing the long-term future is a key moral priority of our time’. This philosophical idea isn’t a completely manufactured or rigid one either – it’s more of a collection of different understandings, agreeing upon the fundamental principle of looking after humanity’s future. MacAskill (2022) states, ‘if you could prevent a genocide in a thousand years, the fact that “”those people don’t exist yet”” would do nothing to justify inaction’, which encapsulates the underlying motif of this philosophy. In essence, longtermism is important simply because future people matter.

Thus, longtermism poses divisive questions of what or which is more important – future generations or our current one? Longtermists would argue that humanity has a ‘potential’ of its own, which surpasses the potential of each individual human being, and therefore there would be an ‘existential catastrophe’, should any event actually extinguish this potential. However, a clear criticism of longtermism would be its reliance upon utilitarian principles. Torres (2021), outlines this clearly when he explains that for longtermists, such as Ord, MacAskill or Hilary Greaves, a world in which 1 trillion people live a life barely worth living, ‘would be morally better’, than one in which 999 billion people live lives which are ‘extremely good’. The suggestion here from Torres being that longtermists tend to treat human beings as a means to an end, due to longtermism’s emphasis on total utilitarianism. However, whilst longtermists acknowledge that total utilitarianism very much favours longtermism, they would offer that one of Toby Ord’s accomplishments in ‘The Precipice’, is pointing out longtermism’s alignment with other ‘ethical traditions’, such as conservatism. Essentially, it’s possible for someone to endorse a whole host of ethical opinions and still support longtermism.

One of longtermism’s greatest merits is the way that it’s put into practice, and it is this element which allows it to foster such hope and optimism for the future. Longtermist thinking is responsible for the founding of various institutes such as the Future of Humanity Institute (FHI) and the Global Priorities Institute (GPI), as well as the Effective Altruism philosophical movement, with the EA movement now possessing $46 billion in dedicated funding (Torres, 2021). Famously wealthy figures such as Elon Musk, or Peter Thiel, have donated huge sums of money to longtermist institutes. Longtermism, through the work of Ord, has also crept into politics, ensuring that its core principles are being enveloped in current political policy. In recent years, Ord has been involved in a report from the Secretary General of the UN, which specifically mentioned ‘long-termism’.

Subject Category Winners

Prizes 2023

Prizes include:

• Most Outstanding Essay (prize: a place on our sister organisation, the Oxford Scholastica Academy’s residential Oxford summer school , worth £6,995)
• Best Essay for each subject category (prize: a place on an OxBright online course or internship , worth £995)
• Highly Commended (for the the top 20% of entries, who receive a Certificate of Achievement)

Become a member and discover where geography can take you.

• Competitions
• Young Geograph...

Young Geographer of the Year

The Young Geographer of the Year competition is run in partnership with Geographical and is kindly supported by Esri UK, Ordnance Survey and Philip’s.

The Young Geographer of the Year is the Society’s annual competition which recognises the outstanding work of the next generation of geographers. With its age ranges spanning the primary years to A Level, the competition encourages thoughtful and creative answers to the competition’s theme which is set each year.

The Society encourages schools to run their own in-house competition and then send their top 10 entries into the international competition. The Young Geographer competition has been running for over 20 years and every year thousands of children across the world take part.

2024 competition

The Young Geographer of the Year competition 2024 theme is:

Choose Geography

The Society invites you to create your own Choose Geography poster to promote the value of choosing geography at school, in further study and in the workplace, linking geographical skills to real people and jobs that make a difference. We are looking for eye catching, creative and informative posters that promote geography as an excellent choice, highlighting its relevance and demonstrating how studying geography can help you understand the world we live in and the ‘big issues’ that we face as a society.

Find out more and enter

2023 competition

The theme for the Young Geographer of the Year competition 2023 was 'A blueprint for the future'.

The Society invited you to create your own blueprint for the future. We were looking for innovative ideas to address problems in areas such as food production and supply, energy and sustainability, water security, resources, population growth, economic crisis, transport, travel, urbanisation, risk management, trade, environmental management, biodiversity and more. 

View the winners of the 2023 competition. 

For 2022's Young Geographer of the Year competition we asked young people ' Where, how and why':  where might they want to travel to, how would they get there and why there.

View the winners of the 2022 competition

The Young Geographer of the Year competition and Rex Walford Award are kindly supported by:

File name Files

Commendation certificate 2023

Back To Top

MAGDALENE COLLEGE

Primary tabs

• View (active tab)
• Latest version

Armstrong Arts and Humanities Essay Competition

2024 competition applications are closed.

The competition is open to students attending state-maintained schools in the UK, and who are in their penultimate year of education (Year 12 in England and Wales, S5 in Scotland, or Year 13 in Northern Ireland).

Essay Questions

The essay questions cover the breadth of arts and humanities subjects offered at undergraduate level at the University of Cambridge.

Questions are often multi-disciplinary, designed to encourage entries to consider the connections between various subjects, and to allow entries to approach the question from varying angles. Effective essays will present a clear argument supported by specific, relevant examples.

1. Are there some fundamental rights which legislation cannot remove?

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in Human, Social, and Political Sciences , and Law .

2. Is translation more like an art or more like a science?

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic ; Asian and Middle Eastern Studies ; Classics ; Modern and Medieval Languages ; and Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion .

3. “It's all about feeling. If you can play 1,000 notes a minute, and it just goes straight across the board and there’s no feeling, it doesn't mean anything.” – B. B. King (blues guitarist), The Life of Riley (2012 documentary film). Discuss the role of feeling in music-making, and answer the question ‘could a robot be a good guitarist?’

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in Music , and Philosophy .

4. ‘Crime does not exist. Only acts exist, acts are often given different meanings within various social frameworks.’ (Christie, 2004). Do you agree?

5. For studying literature, the selection of a canon should not only be based on quality of the texts but also on equal representation, in terms of age, gender and ethnicity, of its intended readers. Do you agree?

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies ; Classics ; Education ; English ; and Modern and Medieval Languages .

6. If aliens existed, would they have a concept of God?

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in Philosophy , and Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion .

7. ‘As one reads history . . . one is absolutely sickened not by the crimes the wicked have committed, but by the punishments the good have inflicted’ (Oscar Wilde, 1891). How should punishments be determined?

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in Education ; History, and Human, Social, and Political Sciences .

8. Does the power of multi-national corporations now exceed that of the nation state?

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in History; Human, Social, and Political Sciences ; and Law .

9. Why do languages change?

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic ; Asian and Middle Eastern Studies ; Classics ; Linguistics ; Modern and Medieval Languages ; and Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion .

10. "We are bored when we don't know what we are waiting for. That we do know, or think we know, is nearly always the expression of our superficiality or inattention. Boredom is the threshold to great deeds." (Walter Benjamin, The Arcades Project, 105). Write an essay in defence of boredom using this quotation as a starting point.

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in English ; Human, Social, and Political Sciences ; Philosophy ; and Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion .

11. What can the study of sexuality in the ancient world teach us about the formation of the modern self?

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in Archaeology ; Classics ; English ; History ; and Human, Social, and Political Sciences .

12. "A picture is worth a thousand words". What is the place of studying texts in a world that is increasingly dependent on visual communication?

If you are interested in this question, you may wish to explore Cambridge undergraduate courses in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies ; Classics ; English ; History of Art ; Linguistics ; and Modern and Medieval Languages .

The essay questions are available to view in PDF format here:

Submissions should adhere to the word limit of 2,000 words, which does not include footnotes or bibliographies. The word count should be stated at the end of the essay.

All sources should be cited and listed in a bibliography. We understand that entrants may not have prior experience of referencing and would recommend  Harvard referencing system website  for an explanation of the Harvard referencing system. Entrants are welcome to use alternative reference styles if they prefer.

Entrants should submit one essay only. The submission must be entirely the entrant’s own work, and should not contain any work generated by ChatGPT or other forms of artificial intelligence. The competition judges are mindful of the advancements in generative AI and will disqualify any submissions which demonstrate similarities to responses produced by AI tools. Entries must not be submitted or have been submitted to an exam board as part of any coursework, extended essay, or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), either in part or in full.

The deadline for submissions is 3 May 2024 at 18:00.

Essays should be submitted by the form at the link below.

First prize: £300 Second prize: £200 Third Prize £100.

Honourable mentions may also be awarded. Prize winners will be invited to visit Magdalene College in Summer 2024.

The webinars below, recorded in 2023, may provide some advice and inspiration for researching, writing, and refining your essay.

If you have any questions regarding the competition, please contact Natalie Thompson, Schools Liaison Officer, by emailing [email protected] .

Essay-writing Webinars

Magdalene College Schools Liaison Officer is delivering a series of webinars to provide advice on the stages of the essay-writing process.

Planning and Researching

The Writing Process

Refining and Referencing

Top login menu

Search form.

• Bell Burnell Society Essay Competition 2023
• She Talks Science

Main page content

The Murray Edwards College Bell Burnell Society is welcoming entries for its annual Essay Competition. The competition is open to any Sixth Form student (or equivalent). We encourage entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects who are eager to develop and showcase their independent study and writing skills.

Please answer one of the following questions:

• Is gene therapy the future of medical advancement?
• How do you define intelligence?
• Is technology to blame for the accelerated rate of global warming and the deterioration of our climate?
• How will quantum technology change our world by 2100?

Essays should be between 1,000 and 3,000 words, and should be referenced in a standard format. More information is available in the Terms and Conditions .

The deadline for essay submission is the 26th July, 12 Noon. Please send your essay as well as a completed Entry Form (including your full name, school address and email address) to [email protected] with the email subject 'Submission for Essay Competition 2023'.

We aim to decide on a winner by the end of August.

1st place- £50 2nd place- £30 3rd place- £20

Judging Criteria

• Your essay will be judged on the following criteria:
• Clear presentation of information and focus on answering the question
• Scientific accuracy of the essay
• Creativity and originality in approach to the question
• Demonstration of understanding beyond the AS/A level syllabus
• Use of examples and evidence
• Range, credibility and validity of sources used
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar  
• Plan your essay before you start and use a structure that is clear, coherent, and presents the information in an engaging way
• There is no need to meet the upper word limit — try to keep your points concise and highlight key pieces of evidence, rather than telling us everything you know about the topic
• Consider several different approaches to the question and try to include a range of ideas in your essay
• Use reliable scientific sources to back up your claims, such as textbooks, articles from New Scientist or BBC News Science & Environment , and scientific articles
• Feel free to use subheadings to help you structure your essay clearly
• You can use diagrams to illustrate key points — remember to include a caption and refer to your diagram in the essay
• Include a list of references at the end of your essay and make sure you keep your referencing style consistent — you can use this website as a guide: www.mendeley.com/guides/apa-citation-guide
• There is no need to cite facts from your AS/A level textbook
• Try to avoid colloquial language or a conversational tone
• Make sure your formatting is consistent throughout (e.g. same font)
• Make sure you proofread your work before submitting!  

Related posts

Murray edwards college franklin society: essay competition 2021, related information, caitlyn higgins: independent travel through spain, france and italy, murray edwards college to host baroness lawrence of clarendon obe, a portrait of dame barbara stocking, kirsty brocklehurst: trip to france.