essay writing competitions 2021 uk

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.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is now closed for entries

Find out more about this year’s theme

'Our Common Wealth'.

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.

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Sarmed Hyder

August 14th, 2021, essay competition 2021.

10 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Our Annual Essay Competition has returned!

Essay Question 2021:

To what extent have emerging social movements caused politicians to respond with effective social change .

• £100 Amazon Voucher
• Certificate signed by Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey, Head of the LSE Department of Government
• Essay published in the LSEUPR blog
• The opportunity to attend and to present your essay at the LSEUPR Annual Conference
• £50 Amazon Voucher
• £25 Amazon Voucher
• Exploration:  this is a chance to engage with the topic and to explore your ideas and thoughts in a new way, outside the confines of academic stress from examinations and grades.
• Experience:  for those of you wishing to apply to university, this essay competition is a chance to produce an evidence-based, long form piece of writing. This is exactly the kind of work you will be regularly asked to produce at university, LSE or elsewhere!
• Prestige:  taking part in this competition is an achievement in itself and something that you can discuss in interviews, on your CV, and your personal statement for university.

Eligibility

• You must be yet to complete your A-Level studies, IB or equivalent, i.e. about to begin year 12 or 13 of secondary school or equivalent.
• Students from any country are allowed to enter, the competition is not limited to the UK, but is limited by level of study.

How to Enter:

Submission specifics:.

• Must be written in English.
• Please note: any in-text citations, footnotes and headings are included in the word count, but the title, bibliography and appendix, if applicable, are not included.
• Arial font, sized 12.
• Standard 1-inch margins.
• Submit essay as a PDF.
• It is extremely important to cite your sources. You are free to use any established referencing style (APA, Chicago, Harvard), as long as its use is consistent.
• Ensure that the PDF essay entry is completely anonymised, there should not be any personal details such as name or school attended included within the PDF.
• This is an independent piece of work. While you are free to discuss the topic with your peers/teacher, the final submission ultimately needs to be your own work. Plagiarism is a serious case of academic misconduct and will be met with disqualification.
• Submissions that are explicitly biased, agenda-fuelled, or without strong supporting evidence, are discouraged – scholarly essays are not columnist opinion pieces.

Essay Writing: 

• General guidance on academic essay writing: https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/lse-life/resources/podcasts/academic-writing-basic-principles
• Developing your essay thesis: https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/developing-thesis

Structuring your essay:

• https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/essay-structure
• https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/lse-life/resources/podcasts/essay-writing-planning-and-structure

Writing a clear introduction:

• https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/lse-life/resources/podcasts/essay-writing-the-introduction

Ensuring your essay is clear and easy to follow:

• https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/topic-sentences-and-signposting
• https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/transitioning-beware-velcro

Writing an impactful conclusion:

• https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions

Editing your essay:

• https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/editing-essay-part-one
• https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/editing-essay-part-tw
• https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/developing-thesis

Referencing your Essay

General overview:   https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing

• Chicago: Chicago Manual of Style (17 th Edition): https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/chicago_manual_of_style_17th_edition.html
• https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_a
• https://student.unsw.edu.au/apa
• Harvard : Harvard style https://student.unsw.edu.au/harvard-referencing
• Footnotes & bibliographies: https://student.unsw.edu.au/footnote-bibliography-or-oxford-referencing-system

Topic Specific Resources:

The study of social movements is vast and it can be difficult to know where to start. If you are unsure of where to begin, here are some resources that can kick off your research:

LSE Research on Social movements 

• https://www.lse.ac.uk/middle-east-centre/research/smpm/papers ]
• http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/88297/1/Ishkanian_Social%20Movements_Accepted.pdf
• http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/29695/1/__Libfile_repository_Content_Campbell,%20C_Heeding%20the%20push_Heeding%20the%20push%20(lsero).pdf

Background on social movements and effective change: 

• https://hbr.org/2017/01/how-protests-become-successful-social-movements
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-lsquo-good-rsquo-social-movements-can-triumph-over-lsquo-bad-rsquo-ones/

Background on specific examples of critical social movements: 

• https://harvardpolitics.com/rhodes-must-fall/
• https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/rhodes-must-fall-founder-racist-statues/
• https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/BLM
• https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/08/15/the-hashtag-blacklivesmatter-emerges-social-activism-on-twitter/
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-51004204
• https://thewire.in/law/jnu-sedition-case-umar-khalid-kanhaiya-kumar-delhi-court
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-51005444
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47952787
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-34592527
• https://globalclimatestrike.net/

Examples of responses to protests: 

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-57189928
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-57175057
• https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jcpy.1201

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10 Comments

Hi, when will results be announced? Before Oct. 15th which is oxbridge application deadline?

Hi there! Thank you so much for your interest in the essay competition. We are aiming to complete the review process before the 15th October deadline for the benefit of Year 13 students but we cannot guarantee that this will happen. However, we would still strongly recommend that you submit a piece as partaking in prestigious essay competitions (such as this!) can add a lot to your personal statement.

I hope this helps!

Hi, there! May I ask whether I have to focus on BLM movement as stated below the question, or can come up with totally new social movements that I want to deal with? Thank you:)

Thank you for your question! You absolutely do not have to focus on the BLM movement. You can choose to talk about any social movement you like: such as the Climate Strikes or the student-led gun control movement in the USA (March for Our Lives). You may even want to talk about a few! Do look at our ‘Topic Specific Resources’ section for more pointers on different types of social movements you could discuss. However, do remember to choose the social movements carefully and ensure they are relevant to the question and give you enough material to talk about.

Can the word count go a little over 1000 words?

Hi there! You should ensure that is it under 1000 words. Cutting down your essay is a very important skill and something you will have to do many times if you decide to go to university! Look for unnecessary words and sentences which are too long.

I have completed my essay on the Nirbhaya movement which occurred in 2012-2013. I couldn’t find any specific date details other that it needing to be recent . Is this okay? Thank you !

Hi there! That’s absolutely fine, we’re looking forward to reading your work soon!

Is a bibliography required?

Yes, when you cite a source in-text you must include it in a bibliography. Please look over the referencing resources above for more guidance on how to do citations and how to keep a bibliography properly.

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PRME Writing Competition 2021/22 

Launch of our 2022 Responsible Business and Management Writing Competition

This year with an optional COP26 special theme This is the launch of our sixth Responsible Business and Management Writing Competition. As in recent years, our tried and tested categories of entry remain. We also continue to experiment with offering the option to focus entries on a specific theme – this year it is COP26.  Once again the competition is brought to you by the PRME Chapter UK & Ireland in collaboration with the organisers at Oxford Brookes Business School.

Our first five years of the competition have led to some inspiring contributions and some winning entries from last year can be found here.

Please see full details here of the competition leaflet.

Please share the competition leaflet and/or this website link with relevant subject, programme, course, unit and module leaders as well as interested students. The first page of the leaflet is also designed to function as a stand-alone poster. The competition in brief:

The competition has three categories - undergraduate essays and reports, postgraduate essays and reports, and an Alternative Media category open to both PG and UG students.

In response to judging panel feedback, this year we have adjusted the Judging Criteria to make our higher expectations of postgraduate entries more explicit.

The competition is open to a wide variety of disciplines - marketing, economics, accounting, leadership and management etc. In all cases there needs to be a clear link to responsible business, management and leadership themes.

It is designed to accept work already written and submitted by students at their home institution i.e. it does not require specially written essays or other artefacts. But students can also choose to address our optional theme of COP26.

There are three prizes in every category, jointly sponsored by the Chapter and Oxford Brookes University: first prize (£500), second prize (£250) and third prize (£100).

You can use the competition to create local publicity for PRME and your related initiatives.

Entrants can be from PRME and non PRME signatory business schools - this competition is part of our outreach to the wider sector.

Please encourage your students and colleagues to participate. If you have any questions, just get in touch with Oxford Brookes via the details on the competition leaflet or directly on [email protected]

The deadline for submissions is 23:59 on 28th February 2022.

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For the 2021 Writing Prize, we invited writers to submit their imaginative visions, creative ideas and practical steps for societal change, with pieces of writing that responded to the question: “How do we achieve meaningful social changes in the UK to tackle the climate crisis and develop a fairer society?“

Written entries were asked to look at both climate change and fairness in society. we were interested in suggestions for how to challenge existing structures and achieve wider behavioural, social, cultural and/or systems changes in a constructive and practical way. the writing prize was open to all living british writers and international writers living, working, or studying in the uk, over the age of 18 years. the winning writer received a prize of £1000, with £500 for second prize and £300 for third prize., we brought together a high profile panel of judges spanning writing and sustainability, including:, james cameron – climate advisor and friend of cop baneska kayembe – freelance writer and founder and director of naked politics serayna solanki - climate and environmental justice advocate selina nwulu – writer, former young poet laureate for london and independent consultant in social and climate justice nicola shaw – president, uk networks, national grid, the judging criteria included: relevance to the theme; creativity, style and clarity; key issues; action; and evidence. the competition rules are available here for reference., eight essays were selected for the shortlist of the sustainability first writing prize 2021, shortlisted writers 2021.

Jacob Ashton, Eels and Reeds (First Prize) - Eels and Reeds is a creative, short story set in the future from the perspective of a narrator who fishes for eels in the Fens. The narrator recounts changes in the environment, biodiversity, and community that have resulted from a carbon sequestration project that has changed the local landscape and livelihoods from farming to fishing. The narrator appraises the project and accompanying models of collective land ownership and the impacts for local people, nature, and land. Read here

Lola grundmann, a case for community (second prize) - a case for community is an essay advocating that building strong and purposeful communities is core to achieving meaningful social changes in the uk to tackle the climate crisis and develop a fairer society. the essay proposes solutions and ideas including: the introduction of a nation-wide community service scheme, strengthening welfare systems and tax reform, community-centred planning and urban design, and greater involvement of communities in decision making and policy formation. read here, sally cairns, the wrong solution (third prize) - the wrong solution is a short story set in a courtroom in the future. it is a cautionary tale in which established economies are being tried on three counts: that they were fully aware of the potential threat of climate change; that there was sufficient evidence that they should have taken more action; and that they could have prevented what has happened by doing so. the story imagines a future facing severe impacts from climate change and suggests actions that should have been taken to mitigate those impacts, from green jobs to nature-based solutions. read here, claire pickard, hydromancy (highly commended) - hydromancy is a personal account of the lived experience of flooding in the uk. the account starts with the rain falling and after the destruction of the flood it follows the story of those affected - from coming together as a community to support one another, to responding to the flood plans of local authorities and environment agencies, to the building of new flood defences, and ending in more flooding. enriching the account are references to indigenous cultures and philosophies, folklore, and how rain is regarded in cultures around the world. read here, kate pellegrini, twelve (it's about time) (highly commended) - this is a poem of 12 verses, of 12 lines each, listing selected global and weather events in terms of ecological and climate collapse. each verse refers to a year when named storms, wildfires, record heatwaves etc hit parts of the globe between 2015, when the paris agreement was signed, and 2020. for the years 2021 to 2027 an alternative scenario unrolls when sustainable and regenerative practices replace carbon intensive industries, creating a new global economy of mitigation through cooperation and hope for the future. read here, susie fox may, feeling flat - feeling flat is a short story that imagines a conversation from the perspective of two cars and a bicycle in a car park. through the vehicles' conversation, the story touches on multiples issues concerning transport, carbon emissions and fairness, such as who should pay to subsidise measures like electric cars, and whether adaptations to individual behaviour change should be the focus compared to wider systemic and infrastructural change. read here, rachel gorry, small change - small change is short story about two old friends meeting over coffee. the story introduces the two characters, their lifestyles, and their different financial situations. from the perspective of the character cathy, the story looks at the different ways both characters are changing their behaviours to be 'greener', their motivations for doing so, and the types of changes that are accessible to both characters e.g. 'expensive reusable cups may be out of reach of her time and budget, [but] she could still try to make some smaller changes'. read here, janice ng, how do we achieve meaningful social changes in the uk to tackle the climate crisis and develop a fairer society - this essay delves into the two issues of (1) transport decarbonisation and (2) the unequal impacts of heat to answer the prize question about achieving meaningful changes in the uk to tackle the climate crisis and develop a fairer society. in the area of transport, the essay puts forward ideas for emissions reductions, including behaviour and social changes to support the transition to electric vehicles and promoting active travel. in the area of heat, the essay sets out why heat is a fairness issue, proposing policy measures to support those disproportionately impacted by the consequences of extreme heat. read here, project partners.

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Essay writing competition, site search, “we cannot tell the history of britain without including people of colour”. discuss..

Word count: 1,000 words Deadline: 16 April 2021

Eligibility: 15-18 year olds Prize: £100 Amazon Voucher and a certificate

Send submissions to: [email protected] & please include a short 50-word bio (name, age, school)

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Writing Competition 2021

The winners of the Science Writing Competition 2021 were,

• People’s Choice Award: Kanya Alifia , MSc Student, Chemical Engineering, Insect Cell Versus mRNA: Which Vaccine is Better?
• 1 st Place: Anjali Wijnhoven , MSc Student, School of Public Health, The Dangers of Superspreading – A Conversation with a 5-Year Old
• 2 nd Place: Federica Raguseo , PhD Student, Chemistry, Tears and raindrops make the same sound when they hit the ground
• 3 rd Place: Alice Brown , PhD Student, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Parasitic Worms: Master Manipulators in Disguise

Click here to start your application. Apply now

2021 Northeastern University London Essay Competition Awards

Congratulations to all of our essay winners!

This year we had over 6000 entries with many outstanding and thought-provoking pieces. Well done to everyone to entered, it was a tough decision. The winners should be proud of themselves for producing such exemplary work.

You can find this year’s questions and a list of all the winners with their essays attached here:

Essay Questions

Art History:  Should the West return cultural artefacts to their former colonial territories?

Creative Writing:  It is 2120. There is no longer any such thing as poetry, or poets. What happened?

Data Science:  What is the importance of ethics in data science?

Economics:  How relevant is economics during a pandemic and in what way might economists make things better?

English:  Is literature always a force for good?

History:  Will the Covid-19 pandemic change human history?

Law:  When, if ever, should one be criminally liable for infecting another person with a disease?

Philosophy:  Should robots have rights? Why or why not?

Politics and International Relations:  Is democracy experiencing a setback worldwide?

Psychology:  Discuss the sources of mental health issues in the modern world

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First place: John Chang Read John’s essay

Second place: Mia Mack Read Mia’s essay

Third place: Hanna Johal Read Hanna’s essay

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First place: Alexander Archer Read Alexander’s essay

Second place: Nancy Connor Read Nancy’s essay

Third place: Adriana Garcia Alumbreros Read Adriana’s essay

Data Science

First place: Shaun Pexton Read Shaun’s essay

Second place: Emma Chandler Read Emma’s essay

Third place: Rabiah Ahmad Read Rabiah’s essay

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Second place: Scarlett Westbrook Read Scarlett’s essay

Third place: Aman Sultan Read Aman’s essay

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Second place: George Oates Read George’s essay

Third place: Grace Middlemas, Layal Muhtadi Read Grace’s essay Read Layal’s essay

First place: Juliet Donajgrodzki Read Juliet’s essay

Second place: Joseph Andrews Read Joseph’s essay

Third place: Libby Stone Read Libby’s essay

First place: Kate Taylor Smith Read Kate’s essay

Second place: Gabriella Deegan, Kashvi Grover Read Gabriella’s essay Read Kashvi’s essay

Third place: Scott Lee Read Scott’s essay

First place: Jodie Strutt Read Jodie’s essay

Second place: Amy Young Read Amy’s essay

Third place: Oscar Burstal Read Oscar’s essay

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First place: Frances Rigby Read Frances’ essay

Second place: Alma Talbot Read Alma’s essay

Third place: Daniel Hidalgo-Anguera Read Daniel’s essay

First place: Fynn Hoffman Read Fynn’s essay

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