geography essay competition

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.

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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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

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Anil-Menon,N

September 13th, 2022, lseupr school essay competition 2022.

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Essay Questions 2022 (Choose 1 question to answer): 

1. “Russia’s war on Ukraine provides the European Union with a chance to reunite its member states.” To what extent do you agree with this claim?”

2. The outbreak of the pandemic and the escalation of geopolitical tensions have cast a shadow over the world’s economic development.   

(a) To what extent do you agree that the impending recession is inevitable and irreversible? 

(b) What policies should we adopt to address global economic problems?

Answer with reference to one question.

3. “The global balance of power is shifting from the West to the East.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

We are living in a world filled with uncertainty. Since February 2022, the Russia-Ukraine Conflict has lasted more than 6 months, bringing turbulence and destruction to the people of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the energy crisis induced by it added fuel to the global economic decline that has been going on since the beginning of the pandemic. Some viewed the current chaos as a result of the fall of U.S. hegemony, global geopolitical landscape has changed radically entering the 2020s. It is the responsibility of political scientists to help people understand this rapidly changing world. Please choose 1 question from the above to answer.

1st Place Prize:

• £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

2nd Place Prize:

• £50 Amazon Voucher

3rd Place Prize:

• £25 Amazon Voucher

As well as the prospect of winning a prize, this competition presents a unique opportunity for:

• 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:

To enter, fill out the form below with your personal details and please ensure to attach your essay submission as a PDF.

Click here to enter: https://forms.gle/wALoGj3EzDcWWogF9

1st October 2022, 23:59 BST

Submission Specifics:

• Must be written in English.
• The word limit is 1000 words, any submission that is longer than this will be automatically disqualified.
• 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.
• Essays should be concise, analytical, imaginative, and impartial.
• 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 (17th 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
• APA: APA Style (6th Edition):
• 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:

Some of these readings will be quite challenging but they reflect the sort of things you will be expected to read at LSE. If you have any trouble understanding do not worry and please email any queries or questions to [email protected].

LSE Russia-Ukraine Dialogue Series 

• https://www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/podcasts/russia-ukraine-dialogues

LSE Expertise: Ukraine and the global response: 

• https://www.lse.ac.uk/Research/ukraine-lse-research-and-commentary
• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2022/03/14/russias-invasion-of-ukraine-signals-new-beginnings-and-new-conflicts-for-the-european-union/
• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/2022/03/18/russia-ukraine-war-who-is-winning-the-info-war/

Background on Economic Declines: 

• Energy Crisis (EU and Global)
• https://www.ft.com/content/49552516-0788-46a1-9c0a-d906fd8d6388
• https://www.ft.com/content/f7990162-395f-488e-9d23-13f3cce83e24
• https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/08/30/europe-energy-crisis-bad-winter-russia-ukraine-gas/
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-27/global-energy-crisis-spurs-a-revival-of-nuclear-power-in-asia
• Inflation and Recession
• https://www.ft.com/content/6f7ea222-f21c-4879-8787-5188b93c129c
• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/ukraine-war-niesr/
• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2022/09/06/reforming-pensions-to-protect-adequate-and-sustainable-benefits/
• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2022/09/02/sunak-truss-what-should-the-next-uk-prime-minister-do/

Global Balance of Power/Geopolitics

• https://www.ft.com/content/004f0d5a-0eca-4ea0-a423-0184481d033c
• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/cff/2022/08/02/pelosi-lands-in-taiwan-a-cross-strait-crisis-or-continuation/
• https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202209/1274707.shtml
• https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202209/1274690.shtml
• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/08/19/will-academic-cooperation-facilitate-frances-new-deal-with-african-countries/
• https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/the-boons-of-the-rcep-for-china-the-statesman

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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.

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Privacy overview.

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

Watch our Explainer Video

How Our Essay Competition Works

Submit your entry.

Research and write your essay and then submit it, along with your references, via our short form below.

Entries close at 9pm UK time on 15th April 2024 !

Awards Ceremony

All shortlisted entrants and their parents and teachers will be invited to attend our Awards Ceremony in May 2024, where the winners will be announced.

Over £100,000 Worth of Academic Prizes

Free Conference place

The first thousand students who are successfully shortlisted will be awarded a free place at one of our OxBright Conferences (worth £95) in the autumn. Alternatively, you can put this credit towards an Online Course or Online Internship .

All shortlisted entrants and their parents and teachers will be invited to attend our online Awards Ceremony in May 2024, where the winners will be announced.

Matilda Winner, History, 2023

I’m both thrilled and flabbergasted at the outcome of the competition.

Winning this competition undoubtedly made me feel much more confident in researching and writing in my field from now on, opening a lot of new doors for me!

Regina Winner, Psychology, 2023

I’m very happy and grateful to win such a meaningful competition. I truly learned a lot.

My advice to anyone considering entering is to try to think deeper and further about your chosen topic.

Alex Winner, Philosophy, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

Entering the essay competition, how will entering the oxbright essay competition help me in the future, why do you run an essay competition.

OxBright is about giving students the edge to help them to succeed, find their purpose and make a difference in the world.

We think it’s the greatest time to be alive, but we’re aware that young people face challenges their predecessors didn’t. We’re passionate about encouraging students to be optimistic about the future by being active thinkers interested in collaborating to create a better future for the long-term. You can read more about this in our Worldview .

Our essay competition combines these two elements – encouraging students to think actively about the future, and giving them tools to help them to succeed.

Who can enter?

Anyone can enter – the only eligibility criteria is that you must be aged between 15-18. You don’t need to have previously joined an OxBright programme in order to take part.

Kindly be aware that to be eligible to take up any of the free places offered as prizes, such as our online courses/internships, winning students must be between the ages of 15 and 18 at the commencement of the programme.

Can I write more than one essay?

Sorry, we only accept one essay per student in each Essay Competition. This is due to the volume of essays we receive.

Can I enter jointly with a friend?

No, we can only accept entries from individuals, and it’s important to make sure that your work is entirely your own.

Is there a fee to enter the OxBright Essay Competition?

No, the essay competition is completely free to enter.

When is the entry deadline?

The deadline has been extended, and is now the 15th April 2024, at 9pm.

Are you connected to any university?

No, OxBright is an independent education organisation which is not connected to any university.

Where can I see the results of the Essay Competition 2023?

You can see the results of our previous Essay Competition, including the winning essay in full, here .

Writing Your Essay

What are the subject categories i can enter for, how long should my essay be.

There are three parts to the essay:

• Essay title: the title of your essay can be up to 100 characters long, including spaces
• Essay: your essay can have up to 3,800 characters , including spaces (this is about 500 words). This includes everything you write, like the main text and in-text citations. In-text citations are little notes you put in your essay to show where your information came from. For example, if you quote something from a book by John Smith, you would add (Smith, 2010, p. 50) right after the quote. These citations are part of your word count, so make sure to include them
• References: as for references, there’s no word limit – you can include as many as you need! These are important for showing where your information came from. Please use the Harvard Referencing Style for your references (you can find how to do this in the guidelines provided here ). This won’t count towards your essay character limit, so please list all the sources you used

What are the evaluation criteria?

We’ll be assessing essays on the following criteria:

• Fluency of written English
• Relevance to the question
• Creativity and originality of ideas
• Use of evidence or examples
• Relevance to the OxBright Worldview

Should I use references?

Please make sure to include references to your sources, using the Harvard Referencing Style (guidelines here ).

What makes a good essay?

Make sure to read our criteria carefully (you can find it in the FAQ above).

We want essays that are thoroughly researched, packed with examples and solid evidence. What really catches our attention are essays with unique analysis. So, we’re not just interested in essays that simply describe things – we want your thoughts, analysis, and fresh ideas.

Don’t forget, it’s crucial to use and mention trustworthy sources for the evidence you provide.

Do you accept personal or descriptive essays?

We’re looking for clear, concise and compelling answers to the question above, written and formatted in an academic style. Please don’t submit personal essays or creative writing samples.

What Happens Next?

When will i hear the results.

We’ll be in touch within two weeks of your entry to let you know whether or not you’ve been shortlisted (all entrants who meet our core standards of relevance and coherence will be shortlisted).

All shortlisted entrants and their parents and teachers will be invited to our Awards Ceremony in May 2024, when the winners in each subject category will be announced.

How are essays assessed?

You can read about the criteria we use to assess your essay in the FAQ above (“What are the evaluation criteria?”).

Essays are assessed using our proprietary system which combines a mixture of technology and personal assessment. Essays which are deemed to be plagiarised or be written by AI will be rejected and our decision on this is final.

There are two stages to our assessment process:

Shorlisting Our first stage assessment reviews whether the essay is relevant and coherent. If so, your essay will be shortlisted, you will be offered a free place at an OxBright Conference and you will be invited to the Awards Ceremony.

Awards Shortlised essays are then given further assessment by our panel. This includes a review of the References. In the application form, we ask for a the name of a teacher who is familiar with your academic work. If your essay is nominated for an Award, we will ask this teacher to confirm that the essay was genuinely written by you.

What are the prizes?

Please click here for more information about the prizes and awards.

Why is the overall prize a place at Oxford Scholastica in 2025, not 2024?

Will i receive feedback.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of entries received, we are unable to provide feedback on essays.

Does everyone who enters get a free place at a Conference?

The first thousand students to who make a valid submission and are shortlisted will be invited to attend an OxBright Conference of their choice, free of charge (worth £95). Conference subjects include Business, Medicine, Law and Psychology. It is optional to attend a Conference.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to choose to apply the £95 credit toward another programme with us.

Does everyone receive a certificate?

Only students who win one of the awards receive a certificate. Certificates are issued in online format.

Do you publish the names of the award winners?

Yes, award winners will be published on our website after the Awards Ceremony.

How can I pass on some feedback about the essay competition?

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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

The Documentary “A Thousand Roads” by Chris Eyre Essay (Movie Review)

A thousand roads, A million faces. A million fates, A million places. A sacred land, Through generations. Ancestral strength, The Native Nation.

I remembered my unsatisfactory experience with Prey before watching A Thousand Roads, another film assignment for the American Indian course. Due to this reason, I decided to watch this short film blindly, without seeing the scores awarded by the critics and the public. Therefore, I had no hopes and expectations; my mind was perfectly clear, and I was ready to pass judgment without additional considerations.

In the end, I was amazed by how a short, low-budget movie accomplished the goal of representing Native nations significantly better than a heavily advertised prequel to a famous Hollywood franchise. I criticized Prey for insufficient authenticity and the lack of focus on Native American characters, except for plot-armored Naru. A Thousand Roads produced the opposite effect, as the film looked like a documentary depicting the real life of ordinary Native people across the Americas. I can compare A Thousand Roads to a dart thrown into the bullseye because the film achieved its two goals with surgical precision. Given the short yet meaningful form of A Thousand Roads, I composed my impressions in two accordingly short stanzas.

Firstly, the film did a brilliant job of demonstrating the diversity of Native American people, the vast geography of their living, and the variety of their lifestyles. Amanda Cook, a Mohawk stockbroker from Manhattan (Alexa Rice), leads an intense life of a successful modern-day l Western woman. Dawn Nageak (Riana Malabed) is a 13-year-old Inupiat girl who had to move to her relatives from Alaska. Johnny Chee (Jeremiah Bitsui), a 17-year-old Navajo teenager, plays a gangster on the streets of Albuquerque and listens to hip-hop. Finally, Don Santos Condori (Honorato Ninantay), a wise healer from the Quechua nation, lives in the regal Andes mountains in Peru. The calm narrator’s speech shows the viewer that Native Americans are not shackled by the borders, as they walk a thousand roads and live in many communities and countries.

However, the film does not lower the bar and portrays its second idea with equal power and precision. In the corresponding stanza, I portrayed that thought — despite their diversity and sheer difference in lifestyles, Native Americans are united by culture, spirit, and blood. From a well-educated Mohawk stockbroker in New York to a troubled young man from New Mexico, Native Americans share similar values and ideas, the wisdom of generations that preserves their boundless Nation. The Indians draw power from ancestral lands and spiritual connections to overcome their crises. Amanda copes with stress by moving little tribal stones on her desk. Johnny strengthens his body and spirit in his native land, which should let him escape the life of crime. Dawn eventually bonds with her Alaskan relatives, and Don Santos overcomes the grief from not being able to save a sick boy by visiting ancient ruins, the legacy of his people. As long as this connection stands strong, the great Native American Nation will not fall.

In summary, A Thousand Roads filled me with a full spectrum of emotions, from sorrow and anxiety initially experienced by all main characters to hope and inspiration as they stood strong in the face of troubles. The calm narrator’s voice and the beautiful nature scenes from Alaska, Peru, and New Mexico added to this spectacular experience. Ultimately, I can recommend A Thousand Roads to everyone who would like to know Native American culture better. In my opinion, this short film should be considered a textbook example of how to represent a culture or a nation in the media.

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IvyPanda. (2024, May 28). The Documentary "A Thousand Roads" by Chris Eyre. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-documentary-a-thousand-roads-by-chris-eyre/

"The Documentary "A Thousand Roads" by Chris Eyre." IvyPanda , 28 May 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/the-documentary-a-thousand-roads-by-chris-eyre/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'The Documentary "A Thousand Roads" by Chris Eyre'. 28 May.

IvyPanda . 2024. "The Documentary "A Thousand Roads" by Chris Eyre." May 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-documentary-a-thousand-roads-by-chris-eyre/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Documentary "A Thousand Roads" by Chris Eyre." May 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-documentary-a-thousand-roads-by-chris-eyre/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Documentary "A Thousand Roads" by Chris Eyre." May 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-documentary-a-thousand-roads-by-chris-eyre/.

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Three northern region students top 2023 national essay competition

By Rosemary Wayo

Tamale, May 24, GNA – Three Senior High School (SHS) students in the Northern Region have taken the top spots in the 2023 national essay writing competition organised by the Bible Society of Ghana (BSG).

The first position was secured by Gladys Turomwine Dakura, an alumnus of the Tamale Girls SHS, who participated in the competition last year while in school.

The second and third positions were taken by Benedict Angsema from St. Charles Minor Seminary SHS and Benedicta Bayor from Ghana SHS respectively.

The first-place winner received a brand-new laptop for personal use and a printer for her school while the second and third place winners received a Samsung tablet and a Bible each.

The prizes were presented to them in Tamale at the launch of this year’s essay writing competition.

The top three winners excelled out of many applicants to the competition across SHSs in the country.

They were required to write a 1,000-word essay incorporating biblical references, of which they distinguished themselves in their submissions.

The BSG introduced the essay writing competition in 2016 with the objective to engage the youth with scripture towards enriching biblical literacy amongst them.

Reverend Charles Anaara, Northern Regional Manager, BSG, mentioned that it was the first time northern schools emerged winners in the competition since its inception.

He said it was also the first time a female won the overall title highlighting the need for all students to participate in the competition irrespective of gender and religious background.

Gladys Turomwine Dakura, the overall winner, speaking after receiving the award, gave thanks to God for her victory and expressed gratitude to her teachers for their nurturing support.

She further extended appreciation to the BSG for the recognition and encouraged other students to take such opportunities to shine.

Madam Christine Agana, Head of Tamale Guidance and Counseling Unit at the Tamale Girls SHS, on behalf of the Headmistress, congratulated all winners, particularly Gladys, who is the school’s alumnus.

She said Gladys’ academic abilities were undoubtable and indicated that she was a good student, who demonstrated excellence and resilience.

She urged students to utilise mobile phones for exceptional academic benefits.

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Northern Region SHS students sweep top spots in national essay competition

Three Senior High School (SHS) students in the Northern Region have taken the top spots in the 2023 national essay writing competition organized by the Bible Society of Ghana (BSG).

The first position was secured by Gladys Turomwine Dakura, an alumnus of the Tamale Girls SHS, who participated in the competition last year while in school.

The second and third positions were taken by Benedict Angsema from St. Charles Minor Seminary SHS and Benedicta Bayor from Ghana SHS respectively.

The first-place winner received a brand-new laptop for personal use and a printer for her school, while the second and third place winners received a Samsung tablet and a Bible each.

The prizes were presented to them in Tamale at the launch of this year’s essay writing competition.

The top three winners excelled out of many applicants to the competition across SHSs in the country.

They were required to write a 1,000-word essay incorporating biblical references, of which they distinguished themselves in their submissions.

The BSG introduced the essay writing competition in 2016 with the objective to engage the youth with scripture towards enriching biblical literacy amongst them.

Reverend Charles Anaara, Northern Regional Manager, BSG, mentioned that it was the first time northern schools emerged winners in the competition since its inception.

He said it was also the first time a female won the overall title, highlighting the need for all students to participate in the competition, irrespective of gender and religious background.

Gladys Turomwine Dakura, the overall winner, speaking after receiving the award, gave thanks to God for her victory and expressed gratitude to her teachers for their nurturing support.

She further extended appreciation to the BSG for the recognition and encouraged other students to take such opportunities to shine.

Madam Christine Agana, Head of Tamale Guidance and Counselling Unit at the Tamale Girls SHS, on behalf of the Headmistress, congratulated all winners, particularly Gladys, who is the school’s alumnus.

She said Gladys’ academic abilities were undoubtable and indicated that she was a good student, who demonstrated excellence and resilience.

She urged students to utilize mobile phones for exceptional academic benefits.

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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:

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Commendation certificate 2023

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The Legacy of Louis XIV: Architect of Absolute Monarchy

This essay is about the accomplishments of Louis XIV, the Sun King of France. It explores his efforts to centralize power, diminishing the influence of the nobility, and his belief in the divine right of kings. The construction of the Palace of Versailles symbolized his reign and helped control the nobility. Louis XIV’s military campaigns expanded France’s borders, while his finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, implemented economic reforms that strengthened France’s financial position. Culturally, Louis XIV was a patron of the arts, fostering a French cultural renaissance. His religious policies aimed at enforcing Catholic unity led to the persecution of Protestants. Despite criticisms, his reign profoundly shaped French history and left a lasting legacy.

How it works

Louis XIV, acknowledged as the Sun Monarch, governed France from 1643 to 1715 and is frequently hailed as the quintessential example of an absolute ruler. His sovereignty, one of the lengthiest in European annals, was distinguished by notable feats that profoundly molded France and left an enduring impression on the globe. Comprehending Louis XIV’s accomplishments necessitates an in-depth exploration of his political, military, economic, and cultural ventures.

One of Louis XIV’s most salient achievements was the consolidation of authority in the monarchy, effectively curtailing the influence of the nobility.

Upon ascending to governance at the youthful age of 23, following the demise of his principal minister, Cardinal Mazarin, he famously proclaimed, “L’État, c’est moi” (“I am the state”). This assertion underscored his belief in the divine right of kings, a doctrine positing that the king’s authority was directly bestowed by God, rendering him answerable solely to the divine. Louis XIV’s absolutist policies encompassed the systematic enfeeblement of the nobility’s sway. He achieved this by mandating the aristocracy to devote a substantial segment of the year at his opulent court in Versailles, where they became embroiled in courtly rites and intrigues, thereby diminishing their capacity to contest his dominion.

The erection of the Palace of Versailles stands as an emblem of Louis XIV’s sovereignty and his endeavors to exalt the monarchy. Initially a modest hunting lodge, Versailles underwent a transformation into a resplendent palace that showcased the opulence, might, and cultural preeminence of France. The palace emerged as the political, cultural, and social nucleus of France, replete with its elaborate gardens, lavish chambers, and the Hall of Mirrors, where momentous treaties, such as the Treaty of Versailles (1919), were subsequently ratified. The palace also served as a mechanism for overseeing the nobility, affording Louis XIV the means to keep his most formidable subjects in close proximity and under surveillance.

Louis XIV’s military aspirations were equally momentous. He aspired to enlarge France’s frontiers and augment its hegemony in Europe through a series of conflicts, including the War of Devolution, the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the Reunions, and the War of the Spanish Succession. Under his aegis, France emerged as the paramount military force in Europe, boasting the most extensive and sophisticated army of the epoch. These military endeavors, though exorbitant, initially yielded territorial expansions and bolstered France’s sway. However, the latter years of his reign were characterized by fiscal strain and military overextension, contributing to the kingdom’s eventual decline.

Economically, Louis XIV enacted reforms to fortify France’s fiscal position. His finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, played a pivotal role in revitalizing the economy through mercantilist policies. Colbert advocated for the advancement of industries, ameliorated infrastructure, and instituted state monopolies to augment exports and curtail imports. These endeavors engendered the burgeoning of the French economy and the consolidation of France as a major commercial force. However, the onerous taxation necessitated to fund Louis XIV’s military campaigns and the extravagant courtly lifestyle imposed a considerable burden on the peasantry and the nascent bourgeoisie, engendering economic discontent.

Culturally, Louis XIV emerged as a benefactor of the arts and wielded a pivotal influence in fostering the French cultural renaissance. His patronage extended to literature, music, theater, and the visual arts, all of which flourished under his auspices. The establishment of institutions such as the Académie Française and the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture served to standardize and propagate French culture. This cultural munificence not only burnished France’s prestige but also set benchmarks for European artistic and cultural expression. Luminaries such as Molière, Racine, and Lully thrived under his patronage, bequeathing works that endure in acclaim to this day.

Louis XIV’s religious policies bore significant repercussions as well. An ardent Catholic, he endeavored to enforce religious homogeneity in France, precipitating the persecution of Protestant Huguenots. In 1685, he revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had conferred religious tolerance upon Protestants. The revocation precipitated the shuttering of Protestant places of worship and schools, coerced conversions, and the emigration of hundreds of thousands of Huguenots, many of whom were skilled artisans and merchants. This mass exodus inflicted a deleterious blow to the French economy and exacerbated social discord.

Despite his myriad accomplishments, Louis XIV’s reign was not devoid of criticism and adversity. The exorbitant costs of his military campaigns and the construction of Versailles depleted the royal coffers and exacted a heavy toll on the populace. The centralization of authority and repression of dissent laid the groundwork for future conflicts, including the French Revolution. Nonetheless, Louis XIV’s vision of a potent, centralized state and his munificence toward the arts bequeathed a legacy that endures in modern France.

In summation, Louis XIV’s reign constituted a period of momentous metamorphosis for France. His consolidation of power, military campaigns, economic reforms, cultural patronage, and religious policies charted the trajectory of French history. While his pursuit of absolute monarchy bore both favorable and adverse consequences, the profundity of his achievements remains indisputable. Louis XIV endures as an illustrious figure in history, emblematic of the complexities and contradictions inherent in absolute rule.

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The Legacy of Louis XIV: Architect of Absolute Monarchy. (2024, May 28). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-legacy-of-louis-xiv-architect-of-absolute-monarchy/

"The Legacy of Louis XIV: Architect of Absolute Monarchy." PapersOwl.com , 28 May 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/the-legacy-of-louis-xiv-architect-of-absolute-monarchy/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Legacy of Louis XIV: Architect of Absolute Monarchy . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-legacy-of-louis-xiv-architect-of-absolute-monarchy/ [Accessed: 29 May. 2024]

"The Legacy of Louis XIV: Architect of Absolute Monarchy." PapersOwl.com, May 28, 2024. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/the-legacy-of-louis-xiv-architect-of-absolute-monarchy/

"The Legacy of Louis XIV: Architect of Absolute Monarchy," PapersOwl.com , 28-May-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-legacy-of-louis-xiv-architect-of-absolute-monarchy/. [Accessed: 29-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Legacy of Louis XIV: Architect of Absolute Monarchy . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-legacy-of-louis-xiv-architect-of-absolute-monarchy/ [Accessed: 29-May-2024]

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