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The Winners of Our 3rd Annual Personal Narrative Essay Contest for Students

Eight short, powerful essays from teenagers about the moments, big and small, that have shaped them.

By The Learning Network

For a third year, we invited students from 11 to 19 to tell us short, powerful stories about a meaningful life experience for our Personal Narrative Writing Contest . And for a third year, we heard from young people across the globe about the moments, big and small, that have shaped them into who they are today: a first kiss that failed to meet expectations, a school assignment that led to self-acceptance, an incident at airport security that made the world look much less sweet, and more.

Our judges read more than 11,000 submissions and selected over 200 finalists — eight winners, 16 runners-up, 24 honorable mentions and 154 more essays that made it to Round 4 — whose stories moved us and made us think, laugh and cry. “I’m always blown away by the vulnerability and tenderness so many of these stories hold,” one judge commented.

Below, you can read the eight winning essays, published in full. Scroll to the bottom of this post to find the names of all of our finalists, or see them here in this PDF .

Congratulations, and thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us.

(Note to students: We have published the names, ages and schools of students from whom we have received permission to do so. If you would like yours published, please write to us at [email protected] .)

The Winning Essays

“the best friend question”.

• “504 Hours”
• “T.S.A. and Cinnamon Buns”
• “Lips or Slug?”
• “The Bluff”
• “Autocorrect”
• “Purple Corn”

By Blanche Li, age 13, Diablo Vista Middle School, Danville, Calif.

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Fall 2024 Admissions is officially OPEN.  Sign up for the next live information session here .

Discourse, debate, and analysis

Cambridge re:think essay competition 2024.

This year, CCIR saw  over 4,200 submissions  from more than 50 countries. Of these 4,200 essays, our jury panel, consists of scholars across the Atlantic, selected approximately 350 Honourable Mention students, and 33 award winners. 

The mission of the Re:think essay competition has always been to encourage critical thinking and exploration of a wide range of thought-provoking and often controversial topics. The hope is to create a discourse capable of broadening our collective understanding and generating innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. This year’s submissions more than exceeded our expectations in terms of their depth and their critical engagement with the proposed topics. The decision process was, accordingly, difficult. After  four rigorous rounds of blind review  by scholars from Cambridge, Oxford, Stanford, MIT and several Ivy League universities, we have arrived at the following list of award recipients:

Competition Opens: 15th January, 2024

Essay Submission Deadline: 10th May, 2024 Result Announcement: 20th June, 2024 Award Ceremony and Dinner at the University of Cambridge: 30th July, 2024

We welcome talented high school students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Entry to the competition is free.

About the Competition

The spirit of the Re:think essay competition is to encourage critical thinking and exploration of a wide range of thought-provoking and often controversial topics. The competition covers a diverse array of subjects, from historical and present issues to speculative future scenarios. Participants are invited to engage deeply with these topics, critically analysing their various facets and implications. It promotes intellectual exploration and encourages participants to challenge established norms and beliefs, presenting opportunities to envision alternative futures, consider the consequences of new technologies, and reevaluate longstanding traditions. 

Ultimately, our aim is to create a platform for students and scholars to share their perspectives on pressing issues of the past and future, with the hope of broadening our collective understanding and generating innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. This year’s competition aims to underscore the importance of discourse, debate, and critical analysis in addressing complex societal issues in nine areas, including:

Religion and Politics

Political science and law, linguistics, environment, sociology and philosophy, business and investment, public health and sustainability, biotechonology.

Artificial Intelligence 

Neuroengineering

2024 essay prompts.

This year, the essay prompts are contributed by distinguished professors from Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT.

Essay Guidelines and Judging Criteria

Review general guidelines, format guidelines, eligibility, judging criteria.

Awards and Award Ceremony

Award winners will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony and Dinner hosted at the King’s College, University of Cambridge. The Dinner is free of charge for select award recipients.

Registration and Submission

Register a participant account today and submit your essay before the deadline.

Advisory Committee and Judging Panel

The Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition is guided by an esteemed Advisory Committee comprising distinguished academics and experts from elite universities worldwide. These committee members, drawn from prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT, bring diverse expertise in various disciplines.

They play a pivotal role in shaping the competition, contributing their insights to curate the themes and framework. Their collective knowledge and scholarly guidance ensure the competition’s relevance, academic rigour, and intellectual depth, setting the stage for aspiring minds to engage with thought-provoking topics and ideas.

We are honoured to invite the following distinguished professors to contribute to this year’s competition.

The judging panel of the competition comprises leading researchers and professors from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford, engaging in a strictly double blind review process.

Keynote Speeches by 10 Nobel Laureates

We are beyond excited to announce that multiple Nobel laureates have confirmed to attend and speak at this year’s ceremony on 30th July, 2024 .

They will each be delivering a keynote speech to the attendees. Some of them distinguished speakers will speak virtually, while others will attend and present in person and attend the Reception at Cambridge.

The Official List of Re:Think 2024 Winners​

Gold Recipients

• Ishan Amirthalingam, Anglo Chinese School (Independent), Singapore, Singapore
• Arnav Aphale, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
• Anchen Che, Shanghai Pinghe School, Shanghai China
• Chloe Huang, Westminster School, London, United Kingdom
• Rose Kim, MPW Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
• Jingyuan Li, St. Mark’s School, Southborough, United States
• Michael Noh, Korea International School, Pangyo Campus, Seoul, Korea
• Aarav Rastogi, Oberoi International School JVLR Campus, Mumbai, India
• Yuseon Song, Hickory Christian Academy, Hickory, United States
• Aiqi Yan, Basis International School Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China

Silver Recipients

• John Liu, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, United States
• Sophie Reason, The Cheltenham Ladies College, Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Peida Han, Nanjing Foreign Language School, Nanjing, China
• Thura Linn Htet, Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar School, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
• Steven Wang, Radley College, Headington, United Kingdom
• Rainier Liu, Knox Grammar School, Sydney, Australia
• Anupriya Nayak, Amity International School, Saket, New Delhi, India
• Ming Min Yang, The Beacon School, New York City, United States
• Anna Zhou, Shanghai YK Pao School, Shanghai, China
• Yuyang Cui, The Williston Northampton School, Easthampton,United States

Bronze Recipients

• Giulia Marinari, Churchdown School Academy, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
• Christina Wang, International School of Beijing, Beijing, China
• Chuhao Guo, Shenzhen Middle School, Shenzhen, China
• Isla Clayton, King’s College School Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom
• Hanqiao Li, The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
• He Hua Yip, Raffles Institution, Singapore, Singapore
• Wang Chon Chan, Macau Puiching Middle School, Macau, Macau, China
• Evan Hou, Rancho Cucamonga High School, Rancho Cucamonga, United States
• Carson Park, Seoul International School, Seongnam-si, Korea
• Sophie Eastham, King George V Sixth Form College, Liverpool, United Kingdom

The Logos Prize for Best Argument

• Ellisha Yao, German Swiss International School Hong Kong, Mong Kok, Hong Kong, China

The Pathos Prize for Best Writing

Isabelle Cox-Garleanu, Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School, Frontenac, United States

The Ethos Prize for Best Research

Garrick Tan, Harrow School, Harrow on the Hill, United Kingdom

Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Is gene therapy better than traditional medicines? What are the pros and cons of using gene therapy as a medicine? Is gene therapy justifiable?

Especially after Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, gene therapy is getting more and more interesting approach to cure. That’s why that could be interesting to think about. I believe that students will enjoy and learn a lot while they are investigating this topic.

The Hall at King’s College, Cambridge

The Hall was designed by William Wilkins in the 1820s and is considered one of the most magnificent halls of its era. The first High Table dinner in the Hall was held in February 1828, and ever since then, the splendid Hall has been where members of the college eat and where formal dinners have been held for centuries.

The Award Ceremony and Dinner will be held in the Hall in the evening of  30th July, 2024.

Stretching out down to the River Cam, the Back Lawn has one of the most iconic backdrop of King’s College Chapel. 

The early evening reception will be hosted on the Back Lawn with the iconic Chapel in the background (weather permitting). 

King’s College Chapel

With construction started in 1446 by Henry VI and took over a century to build, King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and is a splendid example of late Gothic architecture. 

Attendees are also granted complimentary access to the King’s College Chapel before and during the event. 

Confirmed Nobel Laureates

Dr Thomas R. Cech

The nobel prize in chemistry 1989 , for the discovery of catalytic properties of rna.

Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, suggesting that life might have started as RNA. He found that RNA can not only transmit instructions, but also that it can speed up the necessary reactions.

He also studied telomeres, and his lab discovered an enzyme, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is part of the process of restoring telomeres after they are shortened during cell division.

As president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he promoted science education, and he teaches an undergraduate chemistry course at the University of Colorado

Sir Richard J. Roberts

The nobel prize in medicine 1993 .

F or the discovery of split genes

During 1969–1972, Sir Richard J. Roberts did postdoctoral research at Harvard University before moving to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was hired by James Dewey Watson, a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and a fellow Nobel laureate. In this period he also visited the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology for the first time, working alongside Fred Sanger. In 1977, he published his discovery of RNA splicing. In 1992, he moved to New England Biolabs. The following year, he shared a Nobel Prize with his former colleague at Cold Spring Harbor Phillip Allen Sharp.

His discovery of the alternative splicing of genes, in particular, has had a profound impact on the study and applications of molecular biology. The realisation that individual genes could exist as separate, disconnected segments within longer strands of DNA first arose in his 1977 study of adenovirus, one of the viruses responsible for causing the common cold. Robert’s research in this field resulted in a fundamental shift in our understanding of genetics, and has led to the discovery of split genes in higher organisms, including human beings.

Dr Aaron Ciechanover

The nobel prize in chemistry 2004 .

F or the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation

Aaron Ciechanover is one of Israel’s first Nobel Laureates in science, earning his Nobel Prize in 2004 for his work in ubiquitination. He is honored for playing a central role in the history of Israel and in the history of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Dr Ciechanover is currently a Technion Distinguished Research Professor in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute at the Technion. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Russian Academy of Sciences and is a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was a visiting Distinguished Chair Professor at NCKU, Taiwan. As part of Shenzhen’s 13th Five-Year Plan funding research in emerging technologies and opening “Nobel laureate research labs”, in 2018 he opened the Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen campus.

Dr Robert Lefkowitz

The nobel prize in chemistry 2012 .

F or the discovery of G protein-coupled receptors

Robert Joseph Lefkowitz is an American physician (internist and cardiologist) and biochemist. He is best known for his discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family G protein-coupled receptors, for which he was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Brian Kobilka. He is currently an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University.

Dr Lefkowitz made a remarkable contribution in the mid-1980s when he and his colleagues cloned the gene first for the β-adrenergic receptor, and then rapidly thereafter, for a total of 8 adrenergic receptors (receptors for adrenaline and noradrenaline). This led to the seminal discovery that all GPCRs (which include the β-adrenergic receptor) have a very similar molecular structure. The structure is defined by an amino acid sequence which weaves its way back and forth across the plasma membrane seven times. Today we know that about 1,000 receptors in the human body belong to this same family. The importance of this is that all of these receptors use the same basic mechanisms so that pharmaceutical researchers now understand how to effectively target the largest receptor family in the human body. Today, as many as 30 to 50 percent of all prescription drugs are designed to “fit” like keys into the similarly structured locks of Dr Lefkowitz’ receptors—everything from anti-histamines to ulcer drugs to beta blockers that help relieve hypertension, angina and coronary disease.

Dr Lefkowitz is among the most highly cited researchers in the fields of biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical medicine according to Thomson-ISI.

Dr Joachim Frank

The nobel prize in chemistry 2017 .

F or developing cryo-electron microscopy

Joachim Frank is a German-American biophysicist at Columbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson. He also made significant contributions to structure and function of the ribosome from bacteria and eukaryotes.

In 1975, Dr Frank was offered a position of senior research scientist in the Division of Laboratories and Research (now Wadsworth Center), New York State Department of Health,where he started working on single-particle approaches in electron microscopy. In 1985 he was appointed associate and then (1986) full professor at the newly formed Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University at Albany, State University of New York. In 1987 and 1994, he went on sabbaticals in Europe, one to work with Richard Henderson, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the other as a Humboldt Research Award winner with Kenneth C. Holmes, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. In 1998, Dr Frank was appointed investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Since 2003 he was also lecturer at Columbia University, and he joined Columbia University in 2008 as professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of biological sciences.

Dr Barry C. Barish

The nobel prize in physics 2017 .

For the decisive contributions to the detection of gravitational waves

Dr Barry Clark Barish is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves.

In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”. He said, “I didn’t know if I would succeed. I was afraid I would fail, but because I tried, I had a breakthrough.”

In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university’s second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.

In the fall of 2023, he joined Stony Brook University as the inaugural President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics.

In 2023, Dr Barish was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Biden in a White House ceremony.

Dr Harvey J. Alter

The nobel prize in medicine 2020 .

For the discovery of Hepatitis C virus

Dr Harvey J. Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis” caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.

Dr Alter has received recognition for the research leading to the discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award conferred to civilians in United States government public health service, and the 2000 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.

Dr Ardem Patapoutian

The nobel prize in medicine 2021 .

For discovering how pressure is translated into nerve impulses

Dr Ardem Patapoutian is an Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterising the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature. Dr Patapoutian is a neuroscience professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with David Julius.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I participate in the Re:think essay competition? 

The Re:think Essay competition is meant to serve as fertile ground for honing writing skills, fostering critical thinking, and refining communication abilities. Winning or participating in reputable contests can lead to recognition, awards, scholarships, or even publication opportunities, elevating your academic profile for college applications and future endeavours. Moreover, these competitions facilitate intellectual growth by encouraging exploration of diverse topics, while also providing networking opportunities and exposure to peers, educators, and professionals. Beyond accolades, they instil confidence, prepare for higher education demands, and often allow you to contribute meaningfully to societal conversations or causes, making an impact with your ideas.

Who is eligible to enter the Re:think essay competition?  

As long as you’re currently attending high school, regardless of your location or background, you’re eligible to participate. We welcome students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Is there any entry fee for the competition? 

There is no entry fee for the competition. Waiving the entry fee for our essay competition demonstrates CCIR’s dedication to equity. CCIR believes everyone should have an equal chance to participate and showcase their talents, regardless of financial circumstances. Removing this barrier ensures a diverse pool of participants and emphasises merit and creativity over economic capacity, fostering a fair and inclusive environment for all contributors.

Subscribe for Competition Updates

If you are interested to receive latest information and updates of this year’s competition, please sign up here.

Home › Essay Competition

Essay Competition: Win a 100% Scholarship With Immerse Education

Participate in the Immerse Education Essay Competition for a chance to win a full or partial scholarship to our university and career preparation programmes. Since 2020, the competition has offered ambitious students the opportunity to win a full or partial scholarship on our award-winning programmes.

• Submission Deadline:
 12th September 2024
• Free for 13-18 year old students worldwide
• Including 10 full and up to 75% partial Immerse Education scholarships to any location
• £1000 (residential), £500 (online 1:1), £250 (online group) voucher for every entry

Alumni globally

Participants would recommend Immerse

What Is the Essay Competition?

The Immerse Education Essay Competition provides the opportunity for students aged 13-18 to submit essay responses to a question of their choice relating to a subject of interest. Immerse annually updates its questions to inspire students to delve deeper into their favourite subjects. There are over twenty questions to choose from which can be found in our full Essay Competition Guide. 10 winners will receive a 100% scholarship to study with us at a world-leading university of their choosing. Outstanding runners-up also receive partial scholarships.

Submission timeline

Feb 23, 2024.

Competition opens

Sept 12, 2024

Competition closes

Oct 17, 2024

Results announced

January, July & August 2025

Programme dates

Any student who submits a full-length essay , but doesn’t receive a scholarship, will be eligible for the option of a £1000 voucher for our residential programmes, a £500 voucher for our Online Research Programmes, or a £250  voucher for our Group Online Research Programme.

And Many Other Benefits...

Enhance your academic profile for university applications. Partial winners receive completion certificates – and those who write outstanding essays also receive comments from our remarkable guest judges.

University interviewers want you to discuss the subject you’re applying for with genuine enthusiasm. They look for depth of understanding and the ability to articulate your thoughts clearly. Writing an essay deepens your knowledge and improves your ability to present complex ideas.

Our essays are assessed against a mark scheme designed by academic experts. Completing an essay allows you to experience academic writing, promoting related skills like research, critical thinking and editing. Immerse provides support every step of the way.

Competition Details

You’re not on your own. To help your essay shine, Immerse Eduction provides guides, tips and support.

Open to 13-18 year old students

Students can submit an essay if they will be 13-18 years old when the programmes for which the scholarships are valid begin.

500-word academic essay

Register interest to access the Essay Competition Guide with all the questions, tips and guidance on plagiarism, AI & referencing. You can also attend one of our regular essay writing webinars to level-up your writing.

Graded by experts and guest judges

Expert judges assess the essays based on their content, quality of research and critical analysis. Elements like word choice and structure, evidence and inference, as well as vocabulary spelling, grammar and punctuation are also assessed. Student age groups are also taken into consideration.

A chance to win a scholarship for any programme you like

If you win a scholarship, you can use it toward one of our renowned online programmes or one of our award-winning residential courses in any of our locations including Oxford Cambridge, London, Sydney and New York to name a few.

Programmes Our Scholarship Can Be Redeemed Against

Participants will learn to explore the world around them with an architect’s eye, analysing their environment and identifying how each building, structure, and feature influenced by Britain’s long history with urban design.

Choose from a range of subjects to study in the historic city of Oxford. Embrace each college’s unique atmosphere and stunning surroundings, enjoy the vibrant cultural offerings, and feel your subject mastery blossom. Whilst the sun’s out, explore the city’s winding river on a punt.

Choose from a number of industries to explore in this densely packed capital. Experience the pulse of sectors like finance, fashion, and media, immersing yourself in key London hubs, from Canary Wharf’s financial centre to the West End’s theatre scene. Learn directly from industry professionals and get a sense of your future career.

Study in the vibrant city of Sydney, where modern skyscrapers meet iconic landmarks like the Sydney Opera House. Dive into one of many  subjects, explore the bustling markets, and relax on the world-renowned beaches whilst supercharging your subject mastery.

In New York, the city that never sleeps, engage with an industry-led programme —embracing iconic industry hotspots, from Wall Street finance to Broadway entertainment. Gain hands-on experience and network with professionals in the Big Apple, all while taking in the unmatched skyline and culture.

Study in the cosmopolitan city of Toronto, offering a rich tapestry of cultures, explore one of our career-led programmes. Experience the buzz of city life, skyscrapers, and historic districts. In your downtime, escape to nearby natural wonders like Niagara Falls whilst you accelerate your subject expertise.

In San Francisco, delve into the world of tech and innovation to explore one of our industry-focused programmes. Work alongside startups in Silicon Valley, or explore the sustainable practices of the city’s green businesses. The city offers a window into cutting-edge industries, all set against a backdrop of scenic natural beauty.

Singapore is a great summer programme destination for its vibrant multicultural atmosphere, cutting-edge educational institutions, and its status as a global hub for innovation and technology. With its blend of academic excellence, cultural richness, and modern amenities.

Tokyo offers a unique blend of tradition and modernity, providing students with a rich cultural experience and endless opportunities for learning and exploration, making it a great summer school destination. A summer programme in Tokyo means diving into the heart of Japanese culture and innovation.

Boston is an ideal summer programme destination due to its rich historical significance, vibrant cultural scene. Home to top-ranked universities, and offering an array of activities ranging from exploring Freedom Trail to enjoying performances at renowned theatres.

This online programme sees students work in a 1-1 or a group session with tutors from renowned institutions like Cambridge, Oxford, and Ivy League schools. Each student undertakes advanced research in a topic of their interest, culminating in a full-length academic research paper.

Our Guest Judges

Our guest judges and markers are chosen for their exceptional subject matter knowledge and the prominence of their organisation in industries aligned with our essay topics. Many of them come from a teaching or academic background with advanced degrees in political science, English, business, physics, medicine, creative writing and more. This diverse expertise ensures that our judging process is both rigorous and insightful. 

The essay competition assessment criteria look at academic writing qualities like research and evidence, word choice and critical analysis, in addition to spelling, grammar & punctuation. Student age groups and are also considered in this assessment.

Business & Economics Judge

Pamela O’Brien

Humanities Judge

Christina Bunce

Medicine Judge

Arnold Longboy

Business Management Judge

Tom Ireland

Biology Judge, Editor of The Biologist

Hear from our previous winners, register interest for these essay-writing resources, how to enter, essay questions, writing tips, referencing guide, submission guidelines, judging criteria, winning essays.

The Immerse Education Essay Competition is open to entries from young people aged 13-18 interested in all subjects, from Architecture to Medicine, Creative Writing to Film Studies. However, students aged 18 should only submit an essay if they will still be 18 when the programmes the scholarships are valid for begin.

Any scholarships or vouchers awarded during the current round of the essay competition will only be valid for 2025 Immerse Education Programmes

Immerse provides a full essay-writing guide which is sent to your email address once you register your interest in the competition. This guide includes a full list of essay questions, our essay specification, top tips for writing an academic essay, referencing guidance, our terms and conditions and guidance on plagiarism! Registering interest also ensures that you’re on track to submitting your essay on time, through a series of helpful reminder prompts. To support further you can register for our  webinars , which offer top tips and guidance with essay writing from our experts. You are also welcome to explore our  creative writing resources .

Funded scholarship to study abroad:  Our essay competition offers students like you the chance to win a full or partial scholarship to one of our Online Programmes or residential programmes in locations such as Oxford, Cambridge, Sydney, London and more.

Ongoing support from Immerse while you write:  Full support from our team as you write your essay, with free guides and top tips to help you along the way. Sign up to receive our full Essay competition Guide and free tips and tricks as you write. You can also follow us on Instagram and Tik Tok to get more useful essay writing tips.

Demonstrate what you know:  The competition is a chance for you to demonstrate your content knowledge by answering advanced university-style questions.

Build your skills and knowledge:  The opportunity to apply and advance your essay writing skills. You will likely learn something new in the process!

Develop your self-discipline:  A chance to strengthen your self-discipline as you commit to a challenging project and complete it from start to finish.

Essays are graded by expert markers and guest judges who assess the essays across the following criteria:

• – Content
• – Research & Critical analysis
• – Word choice & structure
• – Evidence and inference
• – Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation

Scholarship offers depend on the grades that students achieve. The higher the grade a student receives, the higher the likelihood of achieving a 100% or high partial scholarship. 

The essay competition receives thousands of entries each year, and with the vast number of high-standard entries, we acknowledge the efforts of all participants who have dedicated their time to completing an essay. As such, beyond our full and high-partial scholarships we provide further offers to entrants to facilitate access to our transformative programmes.

If you win a scholarship via the Essay Competition 2024/2025 you can use it toward any residential course in any of our locations. Use your scholarship to enrol on one of our renowned online programmes or enriching in-person/residential summer school programmes in cultural melting pots such as Cambridge, Oxford, London, New York, Toronto, Sydney and more.

No, there is no entry fee and you do not need to have already enrolled onto any of our programmes to take part in the essay competition.

The deadline for the Immerse Essay Competition falls in early September and early January each year. The deadline for the next round is on Thursday 12th September .

Register to receive free Essay Competition guidance

The Immerse Education Essay Competition provides the opportunity for students aged 13-18 to submit essay responses to a pre-set question relating to their chosen subject. Register interest to receive your guide with the comprehensive list of questions including:

• A list of all topics and questions
• Essay Specifications
• Top Tips for Writing an Academic Essay
• Referencing Guide
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Kudos to the 2023 Essay Contest Winners

November 20, 2023

The winners of our 2023 Essay Contest have been revealed, and their  outstanding entries  have been published here on our website. The results of this year's competition demonstrate once again that the study and appreciation of Jane Austen is alive and well among new generations of readers, fans, and scholars.

This was a banner year for JASNA's Essay Contest. We received more entries than ever from students in the US, Canada, and 25 other countries—the most submissions and the widest reach to date. Some of the finalists were from China, South Africa, the UK, Turkey, and India, and students from the latter two countries placed second and third in the High School Division.  

The students who received top honors are:

High School Division

•  First Place:  Jessica T. Liu "Like Aunt, Like Niece: Generational Patterns of Marriage in  Pride and Prejudice "
•   Second Place:   Almila Dükel "'What Are Men to Rocks and Mountains?' Examining Environment in the Proposals and Courtships of  Pride and Prejudice"
• Third Place:  Nisha Ramakrishnan "'In the Quest For Some Amusement': The Role of Card Games, Dancing, and Walks as Precursors, Metaphors, and Measurements of Compatibility in  Pride and Prejudice

 College/University Division 

•   First Place:   Kiri L. Kenman "Love, Convenience, and the Pursuit of Happiness for Austen’s Spinsters"
• Second Place:   Emily K. Aycrigg "'An Active, Useful Sort of Person': Mr. Bennet, Charlotte Lucas, and Want of Sense in a Marriage Partner
• Third Place:   Rylee C. Thomas "Passion Mired in Pragmatism: The 'Maneuvering Business' of Marriage in  Pride and Prejudice  and  Mansfield Park "

Graduate School Division      

• First Place:   Katherine Tencza "The Relationship Road to Self-Awareness"
• Second Place:   Linne E. Marsh "Growing into Love: A Comparison of Adolescent Marriage in  Pride and Prejudice  and  Sense and Sensibility"
• Third Place:   Amy R. Eversole "Character, Contemplation, and Counteraction: Jane Austen’s Three Keys to Extraordinary Marriages"

Inspired by the 2023 AGM's Pride and Prejudice theme, this year's essay topic was Marriages and Proposals. In Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austen's other novels, we see proposals and marriages that are motivated by love, as well as those that are better described as arranged marriages or marriages of convenience. Many cultures today also expect arranged marriages. Students were asked to compare and discuss the different types of marriages or courtships found in the novels, whether those relationships are new or longstanding. High school students could focus on Pride and Prejudice only or bring in other Austen works as well. Undergraduate and graduate students were asked to discuss at least two Austen novels of their choice.

The entries were evaluated in two rounds by 34 judges, and the top 3 essays in each division were selected for scholarship awards. The first-place winners were also invited to attend this year's Annual General Meeting in Denver, CO.

All nine winning essays have been published on our website, and you can read them   here .  A list of the students awarded  Honorable Mention  is also posted online. 

Congratulations to our winners, and many thanks to all the contest participants and judges!

JASNA sponsors the Essay Contest each year to foster the study and appreciation of Jane Austen's works in new generations of readers. The 2024 contest topic and rules will be   published in late November , and we will begin accepting submissions in February 2023.

The JASNA Post

About jasna.

The Jane Austen Society of North America is dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing. JASNA is a nonprofit organization, staffed by volunteers, whose mission is to foster among the widest number of readers the study, appreciation, and understanding of Jane Austen’s works, her life, and her genius.  We have over 5,000 members of all ages and from diverse walks of life. Although most live in the United States or Canada, we also have members in more than a dozen other countries.

©2024 The Jane Austen Society of North America, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Essay  COMPETITION

2024 global essay prize, the short list for the 2024 global essay prize was released on wednesday, 31 july..

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.

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 the deadline to avoid any last-minute complications.  To submit your essay, click here .  

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.

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2024 2024: UMassD Believes essay contest winners announced

The Corsair tradition highlights the narratives of incoming first-year students as they embark on their collegiate journey

UMass Dartmouth recently announced the winners of the UMassD Believes Provost Writing Contest. Modeled after NPR's This I Believe, the contest recognizes four notable incoming students for their 500-word belief statements about what matters most to them. The incoming Class of 2028 wrote blog posts and engaged with each other through thousands of comments that allowed students to reflect on themselves, learn about and from one another, and join the conversation about student life at UMassD. 

Students could submit their belief statements to be judged in a competitive, anonymous review selection process. The following students received the honor of having their essays selected for first, second, and third place, respectively:

First place - "A World of Success" by Anna Sturdahl

First-year Chemistry student from Warwick, Rhode Island

"I learned that hard work is truly the stepping stone and backbone of success. It doesn't matter what your strong suits are, or what your last name is. It doesn't even matter if you grew up as a so-called "gifted student," In the end, hard work and ambition are the deciding factors of success."

Second place - "Guilt & Religion" by Grace Kelley

First-year Illustration student from Lebanon, Connecticut 

"When people live in guilt, not only do they destroy their own lives a little at a time, but they also continue the stupid game of telephone that Christianity has become subject to. Religion isn't supposed to hurt, and I'm done putting myself through hell to become worthy of heaven."

Third place - " Beneath the Surface" by Shae-Ann Millett

First-year Nursing student from Taunton, Massachusetts

"I want to share and hopefully change this belief that foster care youth are bad, because most of us are not. Help us thrive among others, and encourage us to be the best version of ourselves that we can be, even under the extenuating circumstances we didn't ask to be placed upon us."

UMassD Believes, formerly titled This We Believe, began in 2015 by Academic Affairs and Student Affairs to engage new students in UMass Dartmouth's values. Professor Meghan J. Fair has run the program since 2016.

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Aug 23, 2024 Are you ready for the fall semester at UMassD?

Aug 23, 2024 UMassD Believes essay contest winners announced

Aug 19, 2024 Tagus Press publishes Leaving Pico

Aug 14, 2024 UMass Dartmouth to deploy $8M in state funding to support Blue Economy Initiatives

Categorized as

2024 Kohl Competition winners announced

Polarization has become a significant concern in American politics, limiting citizens’ ability to compromise and debate with civility on pressing issues. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, many scholars seek ways to study or even remedy this concerning trend.  

La Follette School Director Susan Webb Yackee aims to address this issue through an innovative research project examining how small conversations across partisan divides can reduce polarization. She is one of three winners this year of the La Follette School’s annual Herb Kohl Public Research Competition , which awards funding to faculty research projects that advance evidence-based policymaking.  

“The American public is split between red and blue in ways that are crippling our ability to tackle critical public policy problems,” Yackee says. “The Kohl Competition support for my project is designed to address political polarization in society by getting people to talk in civil and productive ways.” The discussions in Yackee’s project will mirror those held among civil society groups, which have demonstrated how short, guided conversations can defuse hostility or anger and even promote respect and empathy. While this impact is widely acknowledged, Yackee will be the first to test it through randomized-control trials. She will host community conversation events in four different Wisconsin communities that include pre and post-tests of polarization and voter turnout.  

These events are also a part of the school’s Main Street Agenda Community Conversations, an outreach campaign in partnership with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel raising awareness about issues important to Wisconsinites leading up to the election. Yackee’s project aims to   provide empirica l evidence of the efficacy of citizen conversations. Additionally, sharing these findings throughout the state will promote civil discourse and inform future efforts to defuse partisan tension.  

La Follette School Professors Greg Nemet and Jason Fletcher were also awarded funding through the Kohl Competition.  

Nemet will use this award to fund research for the second edition of his book, “ How solar energy became cheap: A model for low carbon innovation .” Since his influential book was published in 2018, there have been significant advances in low-carbon technology and the use of renewable energy.  

“There is much data to update and new themes to cover,” Nemet says. “One in particular is to examine the implications of solar energy moving from an add-on at the periphery of a fossil fuel-focused system to the central position in the global energy system.”  

Nemet’s findings will have major implications for U.S. and international energy policy, as he will focus his outreach on policymakers and influential spokespeople.  

Fletcher will document how early life conditions and policies shape U.S. longevity. This research will inform his new book, which uses extensive data from the early 20th century to link exposures to specific laws, programs, or policies to long-term health outcomes.  

“My book project does not suggest a new miracle drug or a new lifestyle change but instead proposes that we need to look to the past to understand the present and speculate about the future,” Fletcher says. He previewed his research earlier this year during La Follette’s Advances in Social Genomics Conference , which brings together researchers from across the world to discuss advances in the social genomics field.  

The Herb Kohl Public Research Competition is funded by the Kohl Initiative , a $10 million gift from former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl. Created in 2016, the Kohl Competition has funded numerous groundbreaking research projects that advance equitable, evidence-based policy making.  

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2024 Grand Prize

She had a body that reached out and slapped my face like a five-pound ham-hock tossed from a speeding truck.

Lawrence Person, Austin, TX

Grand Panjandrum's Special Award

Mrs. Higgins’ body was found in the pantry, bludgeoned with a potato ricer and lying atop a fifty-pound sack of Yukon golds, her favorite for making gnocchi, though some people consider them too moist for this purpose.

Joel Phillips, West Trenton, NJ

As Nils Nordgrund struggled mightily treading water to stay afloat, while grimly watching from a distance the Norwegian oil tanker he captained slowly sink in the treacherously dark and stormy seas off Murmansk—he gave no thought to whether the Giants had any chance at a pennant win this year.

Rex Allen, San Rafael, CA

Dishonorable Mentions

It had seemed a good idea at the time, the first night of my two-week all-inclusive vacation, spent with an affable stranger in a tapas bar oiled by an excess of Corona Extra and tequila shots, but now, in fancy dress holding a red cape, under a pitiless noonday sun, while 1000 pounds of snorting horned beefsteak eyed me malevolently, hoofing a hole in the dirt, the packed spectators oléing for all their worth, I, a junior sales rep in kitchen utensils from Milwaukee, wasn’t so sure.

David Hynes, Bromma, Sweden

As he mustered the platoon for another patrol on a moonlit Mekong night, Lieutenant John “Hoseman” Walker, Jr., USMC, remembered what his dad—a fellow devildog who survived the previous generation’s island-hopping campaign against Japan that had sealed the Corps’s legend—had told him as he shipped out from Coronado fourteen months earlier:  son, when you’re a Marine, rank is what you smell, not what you pull.

G. Andrew Lundberg, Los Angeles, CA

However unlikely an event, Lucy’s flight had made a water landing, and as she clutched her seat cushion, which was useable as a flotation device, she waited patiently for the lifeboats to pick up first the Plutonium-class members, active service personnel, parents traveling with small children, and those passengers with special needs.

The grappling hook caught, and Dirk hoisted himself hand-over-hand to the balcony, where to his surprise stood Dr. Darpa, a banana sandwich in one hand and a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard M&P 380 in the other—a pistol more suited to the delicate hand of a femme fatale, he thought—though he kept this observation to himself.

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream, and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish, but as fish tend to live in the sea rather than in a skiff, he really had only himself to blame.

Sam Wallington, London, England

Crime & Detective

She was poured into the red latex dress like Jello poured into a balloon, almost bursting at the seams, and her zaftig shape was awesome to behold, but I knew from the look on her face and the .45 she held pointing at me, that this was no standard client of my detective agency, but a new collection agency tactic to get me to pay my long-overdue phone bill.

Jack Harnly, Sarasota, FL

Magnus was in a tough spot...the Icelandic Police were pressing him to cough up the name of the top capo in each of the 3 main cities in which the Mafia operated—Reykjavik, Akureyri, and Middelf—threatening to lock him away for life if he didn't, but he knew that if he ratted out the Reykjavikingur or the Akureyringur the Mob would kill him for sure—so he just gave them the Middelfingur.

Mark Meiches, Dallas, TX

That sweltering Friday evening she not so much walked but slithered into my shabby strip mall P.I. office, showing off all her curves, and I knew then I was in for a weekend of trouble because Dave’s Reptile Emporium next door, from which the ball python had escaped, was closed until Monday.

Douglas Purdy, Roseville, CA

Staring unblinkingly into the pleading, tear-filled eyes of yet another dame looking for me to solve all her problems, I sighed, stretched, scratched my whiskers, stuck my hind leg in the air and bent my spine at a 45-degree angle to reach down and lick my butt clean, then donned my fedora—Taco, Cat Detective, was officially on the case.  

Gwen Simonalle, Grenoble, France

Dark & Stormy

The inspiration.

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.  

Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford

It was a dark and stormy night, or more specifically, a Tuesday afternoon in Ireland.

Owen Roherty, Colborne, Canada

It was a dark and stormy night, which makes perfect sense when you realize we’re on Neptune, with a mean distance from the Sun of 4.5 billion kilometers (or 30 astronomical units), and winds that howl at 100 meters per second, composed of mostly hydrogen and helium (and only trace amounts of methane), which is way better than Uranus, which stinks to high heaven.

Jon A. Bell, Porto, Portugal

“It’s a dark and stormy night, ladies and gentlemen, just the perfect atmosphere for the Monsters’ Ball, and look, here comes Mr. and Mrs. Dracula, both looking quite debonair and mysterious, and there’s Frank, the big guy himself, his neck bolts glinting during the lightning flashes, but I do have one piece of bad news and that is we probably won’t be seeing the werewolf tonight because, after all, it is a dark and stormy night.”

Randy Blanton, Murfreesboro, TN

It was a dark and stormy roast; the baristas filled the cups in black torrents—except at occasional intervals when customers asked for non-fat milk (for it is Starbucks where our scene lies) or perhaps pumpkin spice, their faces puckered at the bitterness, the inflated prices, and the unspoken obligation to tip.

Judd Hampton, Grimshaw, Canada

It was a bright and sunny day; the heat beat down, with some relief from passing clouds which drifted gently across the sky (for it is in Southern California where our narrative takes place), bouncing off the rooftop solar panels and inciting the anger of passing conservatives continuing to deny the reality of climate change.

Mary Laiuppa, San Diego, CA

It was a dark and stormy night; the cats fell in torrents—except at occasional intervals, when they were checked by a violent gust of dog which swept up the streets (for it is in an extended metaphor that our scene lies).

Lucy Petersen, Brisbane, Australia

Fantasy & Horror

Sir Arthur Pendragon, High King of the Britons, son of King Uther Pendragon, nephew of King Aurelius Ambrosius, who was in turn the son of a long list of people who weren’t kings and thus don’t matter, only slept with his sister once, but boy did it come back to bite him in the ass.

Diana Murtaugh, Baltimore, MD

Harry Potter was a happy eleven-year-old wizard who lived with two kind and supportive parents in Godric's Hollow because his parents hadn't been wimps and they had used the Killing Curse on Voldemort as soon as he stuck his big noseless face in their house.    

Ray Smith, Crowley, TX

Not even my last hope, the herpetologist, was willing to officiate my marriage to my beloved Frog Prince, with his bulging overripe-tomato eyes, covered in milky film not unlike phlegm, his slimy appendages reminiscent of a toddler's sucked-on toes, and his lovely love-bites lovingly laved upon both my fingers and my houseflies without prejudice.

Sophia Wang, Nashville, TN

Cthulhu awoke from loathsome dreams of gangrenous decay and the foul stench of congealing viscera, lifting his pulpy, misshapen head to find what foolish supplicant had roused him to yet another age of fear and creeping dread, but found his bloodthirst unslaked, having been brought to consciousness not by horror-filled screams of human sacrifice but by his little sister’s overly dramatic wail of “Cthulhu’s touching me!” from her side of the family station wagon’s back seat.

Eric Williamson, Nine Mile Falls, WA

Historical Fiction

On an otherwise fine spring morning, Helga Tottentanz learned in an exceptionally hard way that, whatever they might’ve told you in hospitality school up in Cologne, as a serving wench in Mainz’s finest inn in 451 A.D., you don’t greet a battle-weary and obviously stressed general named Attila, fresh from crossing the Carpathians at the cost of ten thousand or so men, with an overly cheery “Hi, Hun.”

Zenta the Australopithecine woman gently placed the egg into her homemade reed basket (leaving behind two of her fingers bitten off by the mother Archaeopteryx) and silently wished that one day a harmless, delicious, abundant egg-laying bird would evolve.

Greg Homer, San Vito, Costa Rica

The year was 1302, and Richilde watched as her husband paused his work to take off his tunic, exposing his broad form, sweaty from his laboring in the heat—which would've been so much more exciting if her husband was something cool, like a ripped farmer, instead of a middle-aged balding scribe on his third attempt to write 'phenomenon' correctly.

Eline Lüschen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Had Mrs. Reed just offered: "I could whip up a quick buffalo stew, some corn cakes, and maybe toss together a dandelion salad" instead of remaining silent, perhaps George Donner never would have followed up his "Anyone have any thoughts on dinner?" query with "Don't be shy—no idea is a bad idea."

"The hell . . . ?" wondered Dread Lord Atunkhamen, awakening to find his sumptuous sarcophagus transformed into an airtight glass box and his hordes of groveling undead servants into a sea of snotty schoolchildren, bored museum staff, goggling tourists, and an endless sea of faceless smartphones.

Purple Prose

Hungover, Bethany walked out onto the deck of her Malibu Beach beachhouse, her pimento-less olive-green eyes scouring the sand below like two Brillo pads, while a thundering blitzkrieg continued hammering within her head like demolition wrecking balls repeatedly smashing against concrete walls while accompanied by the deafening salvos of the cannons from the 1812 Overture.

Robert Wolf, Pittsburgh, PA

Vera Windrush, ever the romantic, looked at the sea foam washed up on the shore, and imagined the life of some giant, seafaring marshmallow tragically cut short after being rammed by a Pacific Princess cruise liner.

Art Ellis, Ottawa, Canada

Chardonnay walked in with a swagger that could melt the chrome off a Studebaker (a pre-1954 one prior to the merger with Packard to form the Studebaker-Packard Corporation) and with a hip shrug that told everyone in the room that she meant business (not like the aforementioned failed merger); because she was, after all, the great-great granddaughter of Henry Studebaker (not one of his brothers Clement, John, Peter, or Jacob).

Scott M. Fitzpatrick, Eugene, OR

His burnt flesh sizzling like a burger on the grill, blood pouring from his wounds like an overshaken cola, and sweat as salty as French fries pouring down his face, John knew that after this mission was over, he was getting McDonald's for dinner.

Matthew Holmes, Doreen, Australia

Stepping outside just after dawn, Chef Billingsworth was pleased to discover that for once the morning fog was not as thick as pea soup—or even lobster bisque for that matter—but was more a chicken velouté, or perhaps a beef remouillage.

Alas," he thought to himself, careworn eyes flickering over a veritable charcuterie of limp meats festering with metaphor, "Is bologna simply a hot dog that has lost its backbone, its form, its very ilk—flattened, beaten down into this wretched shape, a mere flicker of what it once was?"

Annora McGarry, Granville, NY

If broken hearts were made of simple syrup, and shattered dreams were made from white rum, and agony and despair came from ¾ ounce of lime juice, freshly squeezed, and three mint leaves respectively, then Mary Lou just served up a mojito cocktail straight from the ninth circle of hell when she told Ricky the baby wasn’t his.

Tony Buccella, Allegany, NY

João Diogo Tiogo Pereira decided to walk down the cobblestone streets and past the azulejo-clad building façades to finally ask out the lovely Sara Catarina Custodio da Silva for coffees and pasteis de natas down at the local pasteleria, or maybe vinho do porto in a taberna swelling with fado music, with schist stone walls steeped in centuries of saudad . . . for our story begins in Portugal, which was probably not obvious.

Like looking for a missing needle in a haystack (a scenario Belinda had never quite grasped because of the absurdity of having a needle in a haystack in the first place since no one does needlepoint in a barn), the futility of searching for exemplary qualities in her ex left her exhausted and exasperated.

Ann Franklin, Lubbock, TX

Harvey’s eyes tracked the undulating sway of Betty’s hips, clad in hot pink leggings, clinging to her voluptuous thighs, each pocket of cellulite like magnetic orbs of fuschia-tinted bubble-wrap drawing him forward; gnarled hands poised to snatch just one glorious pop of forbidden flesh before Nurse Jones whisked him away for cribbage time at the Rough and Ready Nursing Home.

Debi Hassler, Central Point, OR

Jane Hammerlink’s mane of auburn hair blew in the morning breeze like Seabiscuit’s tail passing the quarter pole; her eyes sparkled like the finest cubic zirconia; and her snow-white apron and ruby-red lipstick gave me a tingling sensation in the extremities that I had theretofore associated only with Flo from Progressive.

After initially being cold and hard towards Jeremy, Sylvia finally began to thaw, and then slowly started to warm up to him, just a bit at first, but more and more the longer she basked in the heat of his yearning eyes; then, suddenly magically transformed, she  became steaming hot for him, melting at his touch, yielding her softness to his hungry hands—and so, he devoured her, savoring her oozing delights and consuming every morsel of her lusciousness—after which Jeremy leaned back, totally sated, and began to consider what he should  name his next batch of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough.

Her raven hair, ruby lips, sensuous jaw, and luminous pearly teeth would all be perfectly preserved—Jacques desperately hoped—by an expertly honed blade and carefully positioned guillotine basket.

Mark Watson, Chapel Hill, NC

Science Fiction

With the long-awaited legalization of human cloning and the availability of goodly amounts of the DNA of its founding fathers, America in 2035 found itself entering a new golden age—one in which Nathan Hale at last had more than one life to give for his country, Benjamin Franklin was on hand to get the freaking Post Office back on the rails, and Alexander Hamilton could finally play himself on Broadway eight shows a week.

G. Andrew Lundberg, Los Angeles, CA 

P’'gf'th wrestled with the controls of the ancient lightship, unlikely to survive the tachyon storm, but determined to deliver the cargo that would free the people of Cv'nkjh from their aeons-long vowel famine.

David Hart, Chesterfield, England

The representatives of the Galactic Explorer Chronozinium committed quite the faux pas among the ghosts when they landed their zincodozerite powered inter-dimensional cruiser in the pages of the haunted house novel after mistranslating the term séance fiction.

Robert Hilleman, Dallas, TX

To help maintain the spirit of the entire Apollo 15 crew during their lengthy and monotonous space journey, NASA scientists sent along fun snacks for everyone, including Space Food Sticks for the Lunar Astronauts and Space Food Milk-Bones for the Lunar Rover.

Colonel Pierre Monlune of L'Astroforce Francaise was the first person to explore the dark side of the Moon, and to say he was startled by a pile of empty Coors cans (with their beautiful Rocky Mountain waterfall) and a pair of black, gauzy size 4 panties would be, how you say, une understatement enormé.

David S. Nelson, Falls Church, VA

Shrieking with revulsion, Glurch spewed spoiled zerps all over the cantina and immediately demanded to see the manager, who, he warned, better not give him any beak unless he fancied a blaster hole through his egg sack.

"I do enjoy turning a prophet," said Torquemada, as he roasted the heretic seer on a spit.

A. R. Templeton, Stratford, Canada

The Ad Exec licked his Cheops, contemplated his latest pyramid scheme to win this year's advertising award, “I am not in de-nile and deserve a Clio-patra on the back for this and tut tut to anyone who says otherwise."

Peter Buckley, Rockville, MD

Minnie was a short order cook with big ties to organized crime and sought respect within the Family, hoping to impress the Godfather, Don Knotz, with her signature dish, a succulent filet mignon, but the meat was stored on the top shelf of the massive walk-in freezer and, in the end, the steaks were just too high.

Donald J. Hicks, Manchester, NJ

As the sun broke the horizon on the windward coast of Kauai, Dave Barrett, pleased with himself for setting a 5:30 alarm even with the jet lag from the flight out of Newark the day before, parted the drapes and shouted “Dawn ho!,” alarming the legendary Hawaiian lounge singer who was brewing his morning cup of Kona in the condo below him.

After thousands of years ruling the netherworld, the Devil was starting to show his age . . . and though it honestly didn't bother him that his horns were a bit less pointy, his wings a bit more droopy, and his fangs a bit less sharp—if anyone mentioned he was losing his hair, there would be hell toupee. 

"My laddies may not be the fastest sugar cane harvesters," Fergus confessed, "but they're not as slow as my lasses..."

Even a lone ranger has to adapt to changing times, so with unemployment running below two percent, when Tonto announced that he was finally quitting the pro bono law enforcement game to get his real estate license, the closest an aging John Reid had been able to come to replacing his trusty Indian companion was Ganesh Sarvapindi, a fair shot and a so-so horseman with the annoying habit of referring to his new boss as “kemo sahib.”

Tucker Hughes was a cowboy born and bred—his grandfather free-grazing in the shadow of the Bitterroots, his father homesteading the Bar XZ east of Great Falls, and young Tucker barrel racing and running Angus from his grade-school days —but as he gazed across the prairie on this autumn day in 2031, the now grizzled rancher figured he was finally looking at the end of the American West, all thanks to the gnomes of Silicon Valley and their damned self-driving cattle.

Fighting injustice in the Southwest Italian dairy cow farming region fell to the cheese-rind masked man of mystery, the Provolone Ranger.

Durango knew the townsfolk were all peaceful, simple farmers, knew none of them could shoot a gun, knew Chaga's murderous gang was on its way, and knew defeating them was all but hopeless—but Durango also knew he had to stay, because he was moral, and he was brave, and he wasn't very bright.

Odious Outliers

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and it was precisely this questionable choice of paving material, combined with the ongoing flight of middle-class demons from the urban center of Pandaemonium proper to more spacious brimstone-lakefront homes in its suburbs, that had produced the mess of closures, detours, and gridlock that were making Azazel’s commute this morning a living . . .  well, you know.

Alexandro Strauss, New York, NY

As we unrolled our sleeping bags, the sickly-sweet notes of the old torch song “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” played in my mind and the smell of burning chocolate and liqueur wafted in a treacly cloud of smoke from the next campsite, where a vacationing confectioner had lit a smoldering bonbon-fire.

Bart King Bart King, Silverton, OR

Ralf Smalborgson kept a small shop in Direperil, Minnesota, and his goods consisted only of medieval stringed instruments, lanyards and backstays, and some limited apothecary supplies, giving the store its uninviting signage: Lute, Rope, and Pillage.

Ciarán McGonagle, Derry, Northern Ireland

Norman gazed searchingly into Susan's mesmerizing Windex-colored eyes, observing that her left eye was quite lighter than her right, more like a watered-down generic glass cleaner, probably at a dilution ratio of 1:3 which Norman predicted would definitely leave some streaks.

Leslie Muir,  Atlanta, GA

There were shadowy conspiracists behind every smoking volcano, and in all the dark corners of Washington, and hiding from the harsh glaring sunlight of the High Desert of California, but they were laughably easy prey when the Martian lizard people, the subterranean Vril-empowered mole-men, and the globalist pedophile Commies finally did show up.

David S Nelson, Falls Church, VA

Harald grew up In a small church in which his parents were unusually active, involving him at an early age with services and potlucks and productions and outreach ministries, and in stark contrast to his best mate Dustin, who grew up in a small veterinary office, in a kennel between a surrendered Rottweiler and a confiscated caiman.

Jonathan P. Sanford, Gilbert, IA

Did Jerod Mayo tip his hand on the winner of Patriots’ QB competition? 

"(maye) is our second-best quarterback on our roster right now.”.

By Conor Ryan

If one was to glance at the preseason numbers, the choice would seemingly be clear as to which Patriots QB should start Week 1 against the Bengals.

Even though veteran Jacoby Brissett entered camp as the odds-on favorite as a dependable stopgap who was already familiar in Alex Van Pelt’s system, the numbers haven’t been all that encouraging during preseason action. 

Even though Brissett’s snaps have been limited — while a shoulder injury suffered on Sunday further hindered any additional reps — the 31-year-old QB has only completed five of his 14 pass attempts through three games for 36 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. 

New England’s rookie QB Drake Maye boasts the highest ceiling among signal-callers on the roster, but the writing has been on the wall for months that the Patriots are opting for a cautious approach with their most valuable asset.

But even with Brissett in place as a bridge starter for the time being, Maye narrowed the gap between him and his teammate during preseason action.

After New England’s loss to the Commanders on Sunday, Maye finished out his three-game stretch this preseason completing 21 of 34 passes for 192 yards, two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing), and 32 rushing yards. 

Drake Maye on 3rd down this preseason pic.twitter.com/J4jT9CTXGI — Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) August 26, 2024

Maye’s strong play last week against the Eagles prompted Jerod Mayo to declare that the QB competition for Week 1 reps was far from over — with Sunday’s game against Washington standing as the final test for both Maye and Brissett.

Mayo added that a final decision on the winner of New England’s QB competition was likely coming on either Monday or Tuesday of this week once the film f rom Sunday’s 20-10 loss was combed over.  

But just minutes after the Patriots walked off the gridiron at Commanders Field, Mayo did reveal the current state of New England’s depth chart. 

Following the loss, Mayo was asked if Maye would be the one to replace Brissett in a game if the veteran was not healthy enough to play. 

“I would like to sit here and say 100%,” Mayo said. “(Maye) is our second-best quarterback on our roster right now.”

The question revolved around Brissett’s health moving forward, as he was deemed “questionable” to return in Sunday’s game after suffering a shoulder injury on his first (and only) drive of the night. 

. @thekjhenry wasted no time 💪 📺 #NEvsWAS NBC pic.twitter.com/55yfmeTGiW — Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 26, 2024

Mayo did opt to alleviate some of the concerns surrounding Brissett’s health, noting that the veteran felt “good” and could have continued to play had it not been a preseason game. 

However, Maye has made a pretty convincing case for himself to earn NFL reps out of the gate — regardless of Brissett’s health.

“I think I would feel ready,” Maye said when asked about potentially getting the nod in Week 1. “I think I’m ready for whatever this football team asks of me. Ready to get out there and try to help us beat the Bengals Week 1.”

Ultimately, the decision to stick with Brissett over Maye might have more to do with the supporting cast around both quarterbacks — especially after Sunday’s debacle in the trenches.

Given Maye’s high ceiling, New England’s porous O-line, and the reality facing a team starting at a multi-year rebuild, the right move out of the gate in 2024 could be covering Maye in bubble wrap and giving the ball to Brissett — at least to open the year. 

Giving Maye ample time to develop on the sidelines — and most importantly shield him from weeks of punishment — could be a prudent move by the Patriots.

But even before Sunday’s preseason finale, Van Pelt signaled that Brissett still had the edge over the rookie due to his experience in the NFL ranks.

“I’m sure there’s a chance (Maye could become the starter), but I think as you go in, there’s still a process of how you bring a rookie quarterback along,” Van Pelt noted on Thursday. “So I think that’s important to remember as well.

“There’s certain things in this offense that Jacoby, having played in this offense, understands some of the tools you can use to get you out of certain situations, pressure situations, things like that, that Drake is still learning.

“He has really been impressive the last two weeks in practice and in the game, and he’s moving in the right direction, for sure. But again, a rookie quarterback coming in and playing — obviously Jacoby has tons of experience, not just in the NFL but in this system, and we’ve won games with him in Cleveland, so I feel comfortable with his understanding (of the offense).”

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36th DAE All India Essay Contest

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THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION 2020

The 2020 competition attracted nearly 13,000 entries on the theme: Climate Action and the Commonwealth. 130 volunteer judges, drawn from 40 different countries across the Commonwealth, assessed the entries with the final judging decision taken by an expert panel of authors, journalists and poets, which included the writer Anthony Horowitz; written word poet Suli Breaks; journalist Matthew Parris; novelist Wendy Holden; award-winning YA author Zalika Reid-Benta; and the Commonwealth Writer's Prize winner and poet, Sia Figiel. 

The 2020 Winners and Runners-up were drawn from across the Commonwealth (Singapore, India, Canada and Ghana) and wrote inspiring poems, essays and narratives on the topic 'Climate Action and the Commonwealth'. 

In 2020 we were also delighted to host our first virtual Awards Ceremony. The virtual ceremony revealed the winners and featured readings of their award-winning pieces. The ceremony included notable literary figures, actors, and humanitarians from across the Commonwealth.

Ambassadors of the Royal Commonwealth Society, David Walliams and Alexandra Burke, were joined by British actor and writer, Stephen Fry, and Bollywood actress, Kareena Kapoor, to read extracts from the winning pieces during the ceremony.

The ceremony also featured highlights of workshops that the Winners and Runners-up had with the Society’s Ambassadors, Geri Horner (née Halliwell) and Lewis Pugh, to discuss their pieces on the theme of ‘Climate Action the Commonwealth.’

Senior Winner: Aditya Choudhury Singapore

Aditya Choudhury is a 14-year-old from Singapore. A ninth-grade student of GIIS, Singapore, Aditya is a fan of Star Wars, Marvel comics, Harry Potter, manga and graphic novels (not necessarily in that order!). He enjoys soccer, swimming and basketball, and credits the island’s National Parks for fostering his interest in the natural environment and wildlife welfare.

In his essay titled ‘Voices from the Blue World’, he imagined an underwater Commonwealth Conference of sea creatures in which the keynote speaker, a grouper, which is a native fish of Singapore, assures all the marine creatures of the Blue World that they have a bright future of coexistence with the human world – the Green World. Learning about the work done by Commonwealth nations to protect the oceans and browsing the Commonwealth Blue Charter website has been a hugely inspiring experience, which strengthened his belief that the Blue World of marine creatures and the Green World of humans can live like a wonderful brotherhood. The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition on ‘Climate Action’ has made him value the power of words to unleash change and shape our future!  

Senior Runner-Up: Ananya Mukerji India

Ananya is a student of Grade 11 doing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) at Dhirubhai Ambani International School. She has been writing creatively since she was 9 years old. Besides being passionate about writing, particularly poetry, she expresses herself through art and theatre.  She lives in Mumbai with her parents and her 2-year-old cocker spaniel, Tessa.

Junior Winner: Cassandra Nguyen Canada

Cassandra Nguyen is 13 years old and lives in Ontario, Canada. She is in Grade 8 and currently attends Ashton Meadows Public School in Ontario, Canada.

She has enjoyed both reading and writing stories since she was very young and literature has always been important to her because when she reads a poem or a book, it almost feels like you are being taken to the world that the author created.  

Junior Runner-Up: Eleni Bazikamwe Ghana

Eleni was born on 5 January 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya, and is the daughter of a Belgian mother and a Greek-Burundese father. She has spent the first years of her childhood in Kenya and moved to Accra at the age of 5 where her father is currently working for the EU Delegation to Ghana.

Eleni joined the Ghana International School where she has made lots of friends and got a wonderful academic education, especially last year with Mrs Amponsah-Tawiah who taught her a lot about how to write great stories.

Throughout her travels across the Kenyan savannahs and the beautiful Ghanaian coast, Eleni has had the opportunity to see how wonderful the environment is, but also how vulnerable it is, which is why she was so happy to participate in The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition. She’s very much inspired by Greta Thunberg, but also enjoys playing the piano, reading Jaqueline Wilson books, playing tennis and baking all sorts of goodies.

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‘Three Kilometers To The End Of The World’ heads winners at Sarajevo Film Festival

By Ben Dalton 2024-08-24T14:49:00+01:00

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Source: Cannes Film Festival

‘Three Kilometres To The End Of The World’

Emanuel Parvu’s Three Kilometers To The End Of The World took the Best Feature Film prize at the 30 th Sarajevo Film Festival, which gave out its awards yesterday (Friday, August 23).

The Romanian film, which debuted in Competition in Cannes earlier this year, received the €16,000 prize, co-funded by the Tourism Association of Canton Sarajevo.

Scroll down for the full list of feature winners  

Set in a conservative Danube Delta community, it follows a gay teenager’s journey of self-discovery, which clashes with the traditional values of his parents and neighbours.

Yorgos Zois won Best Director for Greece-Bulgaria-US co-production Arcadia , which is made in co-production with UK company Two & Two Pictures. The acting awards went to Anab Ahmed Ibrahim – Best Actress for Village Next To Paradise – and Doru Bem – Best Actor for Holy Week .

The Feature Film Competition awards were chosen by a jury of president Paul Schrader, Juho Kuosmanen, Noomi Rapace, Una Gunjak and Sebastian Cavazza.

In the Documentary Film Competition, Olga Chernykh’s A Picture To Remember took the Best Documentary Film prize, continuing the festival’s recent run of celebrating Ukrainian films and filmmakers. The essay film depicts a family’s journey through the war with Russia, told from a first-person perspective.

Anna Rubi’s documentary Your Life Without Me , in which a group of mothers join together to sue the state to secure a dignified future for their disabled adult children, took the Human Rights Award

Special awards were given to Zlatko Pranjic and Nanna Frank Moller’s The Sky Above Zenica , for Environmental Awareness; and Maja Doroteja Prelog’s Cent’anni , for promoting gender equality.

The festival’s CineLink Industry Days programme allocated its awards on Thursday, with winners including Big Women and Honey Bunny .

Previously announced honorary awards were presented during the festival to filmmakers Alexander Payne, Paul Schrader, Elia Suleiman, Meg Ryan, John Turturro and Philippe Bober, plus Christof Papousek, managing partner at Cineplexx International.

Sarajevo Film Festival 2024 awards

Competition programme – feature film.

Best Feature Film – Three Kilometers To The End Of The World (Rom) dir. Emanuel Parvu

Best Director – Yorgos Zois, Arcadia

Best Actress – Anab Ahmed Ibrahim, Village Next To Paradise

Best Actor – Doru Bem, Holy Week

Competition Programme – Documentary Film

Best Documentary Film – A Piccture To Remember (Ukr-Fr-Ger) dir. Olga Chernykh

Human Rights Award – Your Life Without Me (Hun-Swi) dir. Anna Rubi 

Special Environmental Awareness Award – The Sky Above Zenica (Den-Bos/Her) dirs. Zlakto Pranic, Nanna Frank Moller 

Special Award For Producing Gender Equality – Cent’anni (Slovenia-It-Pol- Ser-Austria)

Paul Schrader reveals new feature film The Basics Of Philosophy (exclusive)

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