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. The judges will select the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizewinners from each of the ten subject categories: Economics, History, International Relations, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Public Policy, Science & Technology, and Theology. A Grand Prize for the best entry in any subject will then be selected. Junior contestants may answer any question from any category, and will be judged separately, against their age peers, within each category.
Location(s)
- Remote
- Winners will be invited to an awards conference in London, England; attendance is not mandatory
Schedule
- Competition opens in February, with registration due in March, essays due in May, and an optional conference in October
Cost/Compensation
Eligibility Requirements
- Students must be 18 or younger at the time of the submission deadline
- Entries are open to candidates from every country
Deadline
- Registration deadline: March 31, 2026
- Essay deadline: May 31, 2026
- Late entry deadline: June 7, 2026 (for the seven-day extension); June 21, 2026 (for the twenty-one-day extension)
Application or Entry Requirements
- A completed registration form
- 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
- 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.
Notifications of Decisions
- Notification of short-listed essayists: July 7, 2026
Financial Aid Details
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
- Registration opens: February 2, 2026
- Academic conference: October 2-4, 2026
- Awards dinner: October 3, 2026
Have other questions?
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. We work to embolden the best and brightest students to become more academically ambitious and more intellectually adventurous. Through our various programs - residential courses, revision seminars, essay competitions, and special events - we inspire students to aim high and we equip them with the skills they need in order to achieve their goals.
