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 Acting Chairman of Examiners, Mr Robin Koerner.
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.
Location(s)
- Remote
- Winners will be invited to an awards conference in London, England; attendance is not mandatory
Schedule
- Registration must be completed by May 31st
- Entries are due no later than June 30th
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: May 31, 2025
- Essay deadline: June 30, 2025
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
Financial Aid Details
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
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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.
