is john locke essay competition prestigious

Essay  COMPETITION

2024 global essay prize, registrations are now open all essayists must register  here  before friday 31 may, 2024.

The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum.

Entering an essay in our competition can build knowledge, and refine skills of argumentation. It also gives students the chance to have their work assessed by experts. All of our essay prizes are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities including Oxford and Princeton, under the leadership of the Chairman of Examiners, former Cambridge philosopher, Dr Jamie Whyte.

The judges will choose their favourite essay from each of seven subject categories - Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law - and then select the winner of the Grand Prize for the best entry in any subject. There is also a separate prize awarded for the best essay in the junior category, for under 15s.

Q1. Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition?

Q2. Do girls have a (moral) right to compete in sporting contests that exclude boys?

Q3. Should I be held responsible for what I believe?

6591aadd752124.36008550.jpg

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?

AdobeStock_80176451.webp

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?

pri80631202.jpg

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?

woman praising.png

JUNIOR prize

Q1. Does winning a free and fair election automatically confer a mandate for governing?

Q2. Has the anti-racism movement reduced racism?

Q3. Is there life after death?

Q4. How did it happen that governments came to own and run most high schools, while leaving food production to private enterprise? 

Q5. When will advancing technology make most of us unemployable? What should we do about this?

Q6. Should we trust fourteen-year-olds to make decisions about their own bodies? 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & FURTHER DETAILS

Please read the following carefully.

Entry to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition 2024 is open to students from any country.

Registration  

Only candidates who registered before the registration deadline of Friday, 31 May 2024 may enter this year's competition. To register, click here .  

All entries must be submitted by 11.59 pm BST on  the submission deadline: Sunday, 30 June 2024 .  Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on that date. (Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on that date.)

Entry is free.

Each essay must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration). 

The filename of your pdf must be in this format: FirstName-LastName-Category-QuestionNumber.pdf; so, for instance, Alexander Popham would submit his answer to question 2 in the Psychology category with the following file name:

Alexander-Popham-Psychology-2.pdf

Essays with filenames which are not in this format will be rejected.

The candidate's name should NOT appear within the document itself. 

Candidates should NOT add footnotes. They may, however, add endnotes and/or a Bibliography that is clearly titled as such.

Each candidate will be required to provide the email address of an academic referee who is familiar with the candidate's written academic work. This should be a school teacher, if possible, or another responsible adult who is not a relation of the candidate. The John Locke Institute will email referees to verify that the essays submitted are indeed the original work of the candidates.

Submissions may be made as soon as registration opens in April. We recommend that you submit your essay well in advance of th e deadline to avoid any last-minute complications.

Acceptance of your essay depends on your granting us permission to use your data for the purposes of receiving and processing your entry as well as communicating with you about the Awards Ceremony Dinner, the academic conference, and other events and programmes of the John Locke Institute and its associated entities.  

Late entries

If for any reason you miss the 30 June deadline you will have an opportunity to make a late entry, under two conditions:

a) A late entry fee of 20.00 USD must be paid by credit card within twenty-four hours of the original deadline; and

b) Your essay must be submitted  before 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 10 July 2024.

To pay for late entry, a registrant need only log into his or her account, select the relevant option and provide the requested payment information.

Our grading system is proprietary. Essayists may be asked to discuss their entry with a member of the John Locke Institute’s faculty. We use various means to identify plagiarism, contract cheating, the use of AI and other forms of fraud . Our determinations in all such matters are final.

Essays will be judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force. The very best essays are likely to be those which would be capable of changing somebody's mind. Essays which ignore or fail to address the strongest objections and counter-arguments are unlikely to be successful .

Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible.

The writers of the best essays will receive a commendation and be shortlisted for a prize. Writers of shortlisted essays will be notified by 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 31 July. They will also be invited to London for an invitation-only academic conference and awards dinner in September, where the prize-winners will be announced. Unlike the competition itself, the academic conference and awards dinner are not free. Please be aware that n obody is required to attend either the academic conference or the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London.

All short-listed candidates, including prize-winners, will be able to download eCertificates that acknowledge their achievement. If you win First, Second or Third Prize, and you travel to London for the ceremony, you will receive a signed certificate. 

There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US$2000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute's website. Prize-giving ceremonies will take place in London, at which winners and runners-up will be able to meet some of the judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute. Family, friends, and teachers are also welcome.

The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship, which comes with a US$10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools and/or visiting scholars programmes. 

The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

R egistration opens: 1 April, 2024.

Registration deadline: 31 May, 2024. (Registration is required by this date for subsequent submission.)

Submission deadline: 30 June, 2024.

Late entry deadline: 10 July, 2024. (Late entries are subject to a 20.00 USD charge, payable by 1 July.)

Notification of short-listed essayists: 31 July, 2024.

Academic conference: 20 - 22 September, 2024.

Awards dinner: 21 September, 2024.

Any queries regarding the essay competition should be sent to [email protected] . Please be aware that, due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, we cannot guarantee to answer every query. In particular, regrettably, we are unable to respond to questions whose answers can be found on our website.

If you would like to receive helpful tips  from our examiners about what makes for a winning essay or reminders of upcoming key dates for the 2024  essay competition, please provide your email here to be added to our contact list. .

Thanks for subscribing!

oxf-essay-competition-16SEP23-723-CR2_edited_edited.jpg

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.

Final Summer I 2024 Application Deadline is June 2, 2024.  

Click here to apply.

One__3_-removebg-preview.png

Featured Posts

is john locke essay competition prestigious

10 Reasons Why You Should Apply to APA’s Internship for High School Students

Stanford STaRS Internship Program - Is It Worth It?

Stanford STaRS Internship Program - Is It Worth It?

is john locke essay competition prestigious

How to Show Demonstrated Interest - 8 Tips for College Admissions

10 Free Summer Math Programs for High School Students

10 Free Summer Math Programs for High School Students

10 Online Summer Camps for Middle School Students

10 Online Summer Camps for Middle School Students

6 Entrepreneurship Internships that You Should Check out as a High School Student

6 Entrepreneurship Internships that You Should Check out as a High School Student

10 Free Biology Summer Programs for High School Students

10 Free Biology Summer Programs for High School Students

is john locke essay competition prestigious

10 Free Programs for High School Students in California

NASA's High School Aerospace Scholars - 7 Reasons Why You Should Apply

NASA's High School Aerospace Scholars - 7 Reasons Why You Should Apply

is john locke essay competition prestigious

10 Film Internships for High School Students

  • 12 min read

The Ultimate Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition

Humanities and social sciences students often lack the opportunities to compete at the global level and demonstrate their expertise. Competitions like ISEF, Science Talent Search, and MIT Think are generally reserved for students in fields like biology, physics, and chemistry.

At Lumiere, many of our talented non-STEM students, who have a flair for writing are looking for ways to flex their skills. In this piece, we’ll go over one such competition - the John Locke Essay Competition. If you’re interested in learning more about how we guide students to win essay contests like this, check out our main page .

What is the John Locke Essay Competition?

The essay competition is one of the various programs conducted by the John Locke Institute (JLI) every year apart from their summer and gap year courses. To understand the philosophy behind this competition, it’ll help if we take a quick detour to know more about the institute that conducts it.

Founded in 2011, JLI is an educational organization that runs summer and gap year courses in the humanities and social sciences for high school students. These courses are primarily taught by academics from Oxford and Princeton along with some other universities. The organization was founded by Martin Cox. Our Lumiere founder, Stephen, has met Martin and had a very positive experience. Martin clearly cares about academic rigor.

The institute's core belief is that the ability to evaluate the merit of information and develop articulate sound judgments is more important than merely consuming information. The essay competition is an extension of the institute - pushing students to reason through complex questions in seven subject areas namely Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law​.

The organization also seems to have a strong record of admissions of alumni to the top colleges in the US and UK. For instance, between 2011 and 2022, over half of John Locke alumni have gone on to one of eight colleges: Chicago, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale.

How prestigious is the John Locke Contest?

The John Locke Contest is a rigorous and selective writing competition in the social sciences and humanities. While it is not as selective as the Concord Review and has a much broader range of students who can receive prizes, it is still considered a highly competitive program.

Winning a John Locke essay contest will have clear benefits for you in your application process to universities and would reflect well on your application. On the other hand, a shortlist or a commendation might not have a huge impact given that it is awarded to many students (more on this later).

What is the eligibility for the contest?

Students, of any country, who are 18 years old or younger before the date of submission can submit. They also have a junior category for students who are fourteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline.

Who SHOULD consider this competition?

We recommend this competition for students who are interested in social sciences and humanities, in particular philosophy, politics, and economics. It is also a good fit for students who enjoy writing, want to dive deep into critical reasoning, and have some flair in their writing approach (more on that below).

While STEM students can of course compete, they will have to approach the topics through a social science lens. For example, in 2021, one of the prompts in the division of philosophy was, ‘Are there subjects about which we should not even ask questions?’ Here, students of biology can comfortably write about topics revolving around cloning, gene alteration, etc, however, they will have to make sure that they are able to ground this in the theoretical background of scientific ethics and ethical philosophy in general.

Additional logistics

Each essay should address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, footnotes, bibliography, or authorship declaration).

If you are using an in-text-based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit.

You can submit as many essays as you want in any and all categories. (We recommend aiming for only one given how time-consuming it can be to come up with a single good-quality submission)

Important dates

Prompts for the 2023 competition will be released in January 2023. Your submission will be due around 6 months later in June. Shortlisted candidates will be notified in mid-July which will be followed by the final award ceremony in September.

How much does it cost to take part?

What do you win?

A scholarship that will offset the cost of attending a course at the JLI. The amount will vary between $2000 and $10,000 based on whether you are a grand prize winner (best essay across all categories) or a subject category winner. (JLI programs are steeply-priced and even getting a prize in your category would not cover the entire cost of your program. While the website does not mention the cost of the upcoming summer program, a different website mentions it to be 3,000 GBP or 3600 USD)

If you were shortlisted, most probably, you will also receive a commendation certificate and an invitation to attend an academic ceremony at Oxford. However, even here, you will have to foot the bill for attending the conference, which can be a significant one if you are an international student.

How do you submit your entry?

You submit your entry through the website portal that will show up once the prompts for the next competition are up in January! You have to submit your essay in pdf format where the title of the pdf attachment should read SURNAME, First Name, Category, and Question Number (e.g. POPHAM, Alexander, Psychology, Q2).

What are the essay prompts like?

We have three insights here.

Firstly, true to the spirit of the enlightenment thinker it is named after, most of the prompts have a philosophical bent and cover ethical, social, and political themes. In line with JLI’s general philosophy, they force you to think hard and deeply about the topics they cover. Consider a few examples to understand this better:

“Are you more moral than most people you know? How do you know? Should you strive to be more moral? Why or why not?” - Philosophy, 2021

“What are the most important economic effects - good and bad - of forced redistribution? How should this inform government policy?” - Economics, 2020

“Why did the Jesus of Nazareth reserve his strongest condemnation for the self-righteous?” - Theology, 2021

“Should we judge those from the past by the standards of today? How will historians in the future judge us?” - History, 2021

Secondly, at Lumiere, our analysis is that most of these prompts are ‘deceptively rigorous’ because the complexity of the topic reveals itself gradually. The topics do not give you a lot to work with and it is only when you delve deeper into one that you realize the extent to which you need to research/read more. In some of the topics, you are compelled to define the limits of the prompt yourself and in turn, the scope of your essay. This can be a challenging exercise. Allow me to illustrate this with an example of the 2019 philosophy prompt.

“Aristotelian virtue ethics achieved something of a resurgence in the twentieth century. Was this progress or retrogression?”

Here you are supposed to develop your own method for determining what exactly constitutes progress in ethical thought. This in turn involves familiarizing yourself with existing benchmarks of measurement and developing your own method if required. This is a significant intellectual exercise.

Finally, a lot of the topics are on issues of contemporary relevance and especially on issues that are contentious . For instance, in 2019, one of the prompts for economics was about the benefits and costs of immigration whereas the 2020 essay prompt for theology was about whether Islam is a religion of peace . As we explain later, your ‘opinion’ here can be as ‘outrageous’ as you want it to be as long as you are able to back it up with reasonable arguments. Remember, the JLI website clearly declares itself to be, ‘ not a safe space, but a courteous one ’.

How competitive is the JLI Essay Competition?

In 2021, the competition received 4000 entries from 101 countries. Given that there is only one prize winner from each category, this makes this a very competitive opportunity. However, because categories have a different number of applicants, some categories are more competitive than others. One strategy to win could be to focus on fields with fewer submissions like Theology.

There are also a relatively significant number of students who receive commendations called “high commendation.” In the psychology field, for example, about 80 students received a commendation in 2022. At the same time, keep in mind that the number of students shortlisted and invited to Oxford for an academic conference is fairly high and varies by subject. For instance, Theology had around 50 people shortlisted in 2021 whereas Economics had 238 . We, at Lumiere, estimate that approximately 10% of entries of each category make it to the shortlisting stage.

How will your essay be judged?

The essays will be judged on your understanding of the discipline, quality of argumentation and evidence, and writing style. Let’s look at excerpts from various winning essays to see what this looks like in practice.

Level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant material: Differentiating your essay from casual musing requires you to demonstrate knowledge of your discipline. One way to do that is by establishing familiarity with relevant literature and integrating it well into their essay. The winning essay of the 2020 Psychology Prize is a good example of how to do this: “People not only interpret facts in a self-serving way when it comes to their health and well-being; research also demonstrates that we engage in motivated reasoning if the facts challenge our personal beliefs, and essentially, our moral valuation and present understanding of the world. For example, Ditto and Liu showed a link between people’s assessment of facts and their moral convictions” By talking about motivated reasoning in the broader literature, the author can show they are well-versed in the important developments in the field.

Competent use of evidence: In your essay, there are different ways to use evidence effectively. One such way involves backing your argument with results from previous studies . The 2020 Third Place essay in economics shows us what this looks like in practice: “Moreover, this can even be extended to PTSD, where an investigation carried out by Italian doctor G. P. Fichera, led to the conclusion that 13% of the sampling units were likely to have this condition. Initiating economic analysis here, this illustrates that the cost of embarking on this unlawful activity, given the monumental repercussions if caught, is not equal to the costs to society...” The study by G.P. Fichera is used to strengthen the author’s claim on the social costs of crime and give it more weight.

Structure, writing style, and persuasive force: A good argument that is persuasive rarely involves merely backing your claim with good evidence and reasoning. Delivering it in an impactful way is also very important. Let’s see how the winner of the 2020 Law Prize does this: “Slavery still exists, but now it applies to women and its name in prostitution”, wrote Victor Hugo in Les Misérables. Hugo’s portrayal of Fantine under the archetype of a fallen woman forced into prostitution by the most unfortunate of circumstances cannot be more jarringly different from the empowerment-seeking sex workers seen today, highlighting the wide-ranging nuances associated with commercial sex and its implications on the women in the trade. Yet, would Hugo have supported a law prohibiting the selling of sex for the protection of Fantine’s rights?” The use of Victor Hugo in the first line of the essay gives it a literary flair and enhances the impact of the delivery of the argument. Similarly, the rhetorical question, in the end, adds to the literary dimension of the argument. Weaving literary and argumentative skills in a single essay is commendable and something that the institute also recognizes.

Quality of argumentation: Finally, the quality of your argument depends on capturing the various elements mentioned above seamlessly . The third place in theology (2020) does this elegantly while describing bin-Laden’s faulty and selective use of religious verses to commit violence: “He engages in the decontextualization and truncation of Qur'anic verses to manipulate and convince, which dissociates the fatwas from bonafide Islam. For example, in his 1996 fatwa, he quotes the Sword verse but deliberately omits the aforementioned half of the Ayat that calls for mercy. bin-Laden’s intention is not interpretive veracity, but the indoctrination of his followers.” The author’s claim is that bin-Laden lacks religious integrity and thus should not be taken seriously, especially given the content of his messages. To strengthen his argument, he uses actual incidents to dissect this display of faulty reasoning.

These excerpts are great examples of the kind of work you should keep in mind when writing your own draft.

6 Winning Tips from Lumiere

Focus on your essay structure and flow: If logic and argumentation are your guns in this competition, a smooth flow is your bullet. What does a smooth flow mean? It means that the reader should be able to follow your chain of reasoning with ease. This is especially true for essays that explore abstract themes. Let’s see this in detail with the example of a winning philosophy essay. “However, if society were the moral standard, an individual is subjected to circumstantial moral luck concerning whether the rules of the society are good or evil (e.g., 2019 Geneva vs. 1939 Munich). On the other hand, contracts cannot be the standard because people are ignorant of their being under a moral contractual obligation, when, unlike law, it is impossible to be under a contract without being aware. Thus, given the shortcomings of other alternatives, human virtue is the ideal moral norm.” To establish human virtue as the ideal norm, the author points out limitations in society and contracts, leaving out human virtue as the ideal one. Even if you are not familiar with philosophy, you might still be able to follow the reasoning here. This is a great example of the kind of clarity and logical coherence that you should strive for.

Ground your arguments in a solid theoretical framework : Your essay requires you to have well-developed arguments. However, these arguments need to be grounded in academic theory to give them substance and differentiate them from casual opinions. Let me illustrate this with an example of the essay that won second place in the politics category in 2020. “Normatively, the moral authority of governments can be justified on a purely associative basis: citizens have an inherent obligation to obey the state they were born into. As Dworkin argued, “Political association, like family or friendship and other forms of association more local and intimate, is itself pregnant of obligation” (Dworkin). Similar to a family unit where children owe duties to their parents by virtue of being born into that family regardless of their consent, citizens acquire obligations to obey political authority by virtue of being born into a state.” Here, the author is trying to make a point about the nature of political obligation. However, the core of his argument is not the strength of his own reasoning, but the ability to back his reasoning with prior literature. By quoting Dworkin, he includes important scholars of western political thought to give more weight to his arguments. It also displays thorough research on the part of the author to acquire the necessary intellectual tools to write this paper.

The methodology is more important than the conclusion: The 2020 history winners came to opposite conclusions in their essays on whether a strong state hampers or encourages economic growth. While one of them argued that political strength hinders growth when compared to laissez-faire, the other argues that the state is a prerequisite for economic growth . This reflects JLI’s commitment to your reasoning and substantiation instead of the ultimate opinion. The lesson: Don’t be afraid to be bold! Just make sure you are able to back it up.

Establish your framework well: A paragraph (or two) that is able to succinctly describe your methodology, core arguments, and the reasoning behind them displays academic sophistication. A case in point is the introduction of 2019’s Philosophy winner: “To answer the question, we need to construct a method that measures progress in philosophy. I seek to achieve this by asserting that, in philosophy, a certain degree of falsification is achievable. Utilizing philosophical inquiry and thought experiments, we can rationally assess the logical validity of theories and assign “true” and “false” status to philosophical thoughts. With this in mind, I propose to employ the fourth process of the Popperian model of progress…Utilizing these two conditions, I contend that Aristotelian virtue ethics was progress from Kantian ethics and utilitarianism.” Having a framework like this early on gives you a blueprint for what is in the essay and makes it easier for the reader to follow the reasoning. It also helps you as a writer since distilling down your core argument into a paragraph ensures that the first principles of your essay are well established.

Read essays of previous winners: Do this and you will start seeing some patterns in the winning essays. In economics, this might be the ability to present a multidimensional argument and substantiating it with data-backed research. In theology, this might be your critical analysis of religious texts .

Find a mentor: Philosophical logic and argumentation are rarely taught at the high school level. Guidance from an external mentor can fill this academic void by pointing out logical inconsistencies in your arguments and giving critical feedback on your essay. Another important benefit of having a mentor is that it will help you in understanding the heavy literature that is often a key part of the writing/research process in this competition. As we have already seen above, having a strong theoretical framework is crucial in this competition. A mentor can make this process smoother.

Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you’re looking for a mentor to do an essay contest like John Locke or want to build your own independent research paper, then consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program . Last year over 2100 students applied for about 500 spots in the program. You can find the application form here.

You can see our admission results here for our students.

Manas is a publication strategy associate at Lumiere Education. He studied public policy and interactive media at NYU and has experience in education consulting.

Jesus loves you!

Feeling overwhelmed with academic demands? Don't worry, I've got you covered! I just found a website that provides assistance with research papers. From topic https://www.phdresearchproposal.org/ selection to formatting, they offer comprehensive support throughout the writing process. Say goodbye to academic stress!

Get free list of 50+ STEM opportunities, internships, and scholarships →

RishabAcademy.com

Ultimate guide to the john locke institute essay competition.

Published by

Ariana Luo Avatar

The John Locke Institute Essay Competition is a long-running writing contest for teens who are interested in humanities and social science in the United States. In this post, we provide a comprehensive overview of the John Locke Institute Essay Competition, including key dates , application requirements , and why you should apply.

What is the John Locke Institute Essay Competition?

2024 Essay Competition | John Locke Institute

John Locke Institute annual dinner gala.

The John Locke Institute (JLI) is an organization that provides high school summer and gap year courses in humanities and social sciences , with affiliations from Oxford and Princeton University.

The JLI Essay Contest is a highly prestigious writing competition that invites high school/secondary students from around the world to submit a piece falling in one of several humanities categories . See these below along with sample questions:

  • Philosophy (e.g. Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition?)
  • Politics (e.g. When is compliance complicity?)
  • Economics (e.g. What is the optimal global population?)
  • History (e.g. Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?)
  • Law (e.g. When, if ever, should a company be permitted to refuse to do business with a person because of that person’s public statements?)
  • Psychology (e.g. There is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. Can we fix this? How?)
  • Theology (e.g. Does God reward those who believe in him? If so, why?)
  • Junior Prize (e.g. Is there life after death?)

Each year, tens of thousands of entries are submitted from students in more than 150 countries. Pieces may win prizes or commendations, and top contestants are invited to an academic conference and gala ceremony in London each year.

What are the prizes?

The John Locke Institute Essay Competition awards first, second, third prizes, and commendation titles to top students . Students whose essays exemplify extreme merit are first “shortlisted” and invited to the annual dinner gala, where prize winners will be announced.

The prize winner of each subject category will be awarded a scholarship worth US$2000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute program, and the essays will be published on the Institute’s website.  The best essay overall receives a US$10,000 scholarship of such nature.

Am I Eligible for John Locke Institute ?

The only eligibility criteria for the John Locke Institute Essay Competition is that students must not be 19 years of age before or on June 30, 2024 for the 2024 contest. There is a separate Junior category for students whose fifteenth birthday falls after June 30, 2024.

Each essay entry must be original work written by the student. Only individual works are allowed.

How do I apply to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition?

To apply for the John Locke Institute Essay Competition , students must submit an essay that does not exceed 2,000 words in length. Students may add endnotes and/or a bibliography for citations. Additionally, the application requires a verification from an academic referee of the participant to ensure their essay is their original work.

See below for key dates for the 2024 contest:

  • Registration 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.

Why should I apply to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition?

Aside from being a highly competitive and prestigious competition, there are a plethora of reasons why you should apply to the John Locke Institute Competition. See some of these below.

Gain recognition

If you’re an aspiring artist, winning awards from these types of competitions can thrust your work into the spotlight and be received by many people. Especially because young creatives typically don’t have a lot of chances to gain recognition for their pieces, submitting them to contests can be an excellent way to receive good exposure.

Additionally, winning a prestigious award can validate the quality of your work and your artistic merit. Receiving a distinction from the John Locke Institute means that your work went through a rigorous round of selection and deserved its spot among the top recognized entries.

Get a boost on your college application

Entering art competitions shows your passion in the creative field . Adding such an honor in your college application can round out your profile and provide a good contrast with your other extracurriculars, or if your sole focus is on the arts, can help develop your spike.

Participating in contests like the John Locke Institute Competition shows that you actively seek out opportunities in whichever field you’re interested in and avidly develop your passions. Individuals who have such an intrinsic drive and sense of self are received well in college admissions.

Win scholarships

The John Locke Institute Competition offers many distinctions, out of which multiple offer scholarships for high school students. For example, the overall winner receives $10,000 in cash scholarships, and category winners $2,000 towards a JLI program.

Winning awards that are attached to monetary scholarships therefore adds additional value to the honor that translates well into college applications and artistic portfolios.

Gain an artistic community

Participating in the John Locke Institute Competition exposes you to a community of other like-minded artists and creatives. Thousands of students apply to this contest every year, and for winners, attending award ceremonies and interacting with other students can expand your worldview in many positive ways. Having a community in your corner in any kind of endeavor is a great thing, and can act as a support system as you pursue this field.

Concluding Remarks —John Locke Institute Competition

In conclusion, we provided a comprehensive overview of the John Locke Institute Competition as well as reasons for why it’s worth it to apply . Participating in creative competitions and winning them can enhance your college application, bring exposure and recognition to your works, and earn scholarships.

However, the John Locke Institute Competition isn’t the only well-known creative-based competitions for high schoolers. Check out this list of the top 10 writing competitions for high school students to elevate your writing endeavors to the next level.

Image Credits: John Locke Institute

Share this:

Leave a reply cancel reply.

' src=

I’m Rishab Jain

is john locke essay competition prestigious

I’m a student at Harvard studying Neuroscience. I’m dedicated to giving back to highly motivated students — giving the advice and resources that I wish I had back when I was in high school. I also have a YouTube Channel and Discord for students.

Work smarter, not harder.

Read more about me on LinkedIn !

Get competitions, scholarships, internships, and opportunities sent to you via email:

Every week, we email you with STEM competitions, opportunities, scholarships, guides, and more! Join 32,000 students:

Get our free resources:

is john locke essay competition prestigious

Free Scholarships Guide PDF: planning template & opportunities list

is john locke essay competition prestigious

STEM Student Guide: 50+ STEM opportunities | Cold email templates + resume guide | Internships & scholarships lists

Recent posts

Ultimate Guide to Johns Hopkins High School Programs in 2024

Ultimate Guide to Johns Hopkins High School Programs in 2024

The Ultimate Guide to the Summer Programs at Harvard for High School Students

The Ultimate Guide to the Summer Programs at Harvard for High School Students

The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Right Career For High School Students

The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Right Career For High School Students

Ultimate list of music competitions for high schoolers 2024.

How to Win Envirothon: Ultimate Guide

How to Win Envirothon: Ultimate Guide

Connect on linkedin, view posts by category:.

  • college admissions
  • competitions
  • opportunities
  • science fair
  • summer program
  • Uncategorized

Join our Discord to meet like-minded students!

See what extracurriculars i did to get into harvard, stanford, and mit:, discover more from rishabacademy.com.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

Everything You Should Know about the John Locke Institute (JLI) Essay Competition

Jin Chow with Tree Background

By Jin Chow

Co-founder of Polygence, Forbes 30 Under 30 for Education

2 minute read

We first wrote about the world-famous John Locke Institute (JLI) Essay Competition in our list of 20 writing contests for high school students . This contest is a unique opportunity to refine your argumentation skills on fascinating and challenging topics that aren’t explored in the classroom.

The Oxford philosopher, medical doctor, political scientist, and economist John Locke was a big believer in challenging old habits of the mind. In that spirit, the JLI started this contest to challenge students to be more adventurous in their thinking. 

While not quite as prestigious as getting published in The Concord Review , winning the grand prize or placing in one of the 7 categories of the JLI Essay Competition can get your college application noticed by top schools like Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge. Awards include $2,000 scholarships (for category winners) and a $10,000 scholarship for the grand prize. (The scholarships can be applied to the JLI’s Summer Schools at Oxford, Princeton, or Washington D.C., or to its Gap Year programs in Oxford, Guatemala, or Washington, D.C.) 

But winning isn’t necessarily the best thing about it. Simply entering the contest and writing your essay will give you a profound learning experience like no other. Add to that the fact that your entry will be read and possibly commented on by some of the top minds at Oxford and Princeton and it’s free to enter the competition . The real question is: why wouldn’t you enter? Here’s a guide to get you started on your essay contest entry.

Who is Eligible for JLI Essay Competition?

The John Locke Institute Essay Competition is open to any student anywhere in the world , ages 15-18. Students 14 or under are eligible for the Junior prize. 

What topics are available to write about?

The essay questions change from year to year. You can choose from 7 different categories (Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law). Within each category, there are 3 intriguing questions you can pick from. When you’re debating which question to write about, here’s a tip. Choose whichever question excites, upsets, or gives you any kind of strong emotional response. If you’re passionate about a topic, it will come through in your research and your writing. If you have any lived experience on the subject, that also helps. 

re are some sample questions the 2023 contest for each of the seven JLI essay subject  categories and the Junior Prize (the questions change each year):

Philosophy : Is tax theft? 

Politics : Do the results of elections express the will of the people?

Economics : What would happen if we banned billionaires?  

History : Which has a bigger effect on history: the plans of the powerful or their mistakes?

Psychology : Can happiness be measured?

Theology : What distinguishes a small religion from a large cult?

Law : Are there too many laws?

Junior Prize : What, if anything, do your parents owe you?

What are the John Locke Writing Contest Requirements?

Your essay must not exceed 2,000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography, or authorship declaration) and must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category. No footnotes are allowed, but you may include in-text citations or endnotes. 

What is the timeline and deadline for registering and submitting an essay to JLI?

January - New essay questions are released

April 1st - Registration opens

May 31st   - Registration deadline

June 30th - Essay submission deadline

We highly recommend you check the JLI website as soon as the new questions are released in January and start researching and writing as soon as you can after choosing your topic. You must register for the contest by the end of May. The deadline for the essay submission itself is at the end of June, but we also recommend that you submit it earlier in case any problems arise. If you start right away in January, you can have a few months to work on your essay. 

What is the Competition Judging Criteria for JLI?

While the JLI says that their grading system is proprietary, they do also give you this helpful paragraph that describes what they are looking for: “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. ” (We’ve bolded important words to keep in mind.) 

You can also join the JLI mailing list (scroll to the bottom of that page) to get contest updates and to learn more about what makes for a winning essay.

What are Some Helpful Tactics for Effective Research and Essay Writing?

Give yourself a baseline. First, just write down all your thoughts on the subject without doing any research. What are your gut-level opinions? What about this particular question intrigued you the most? What are some counter-arguments you can think of right away? What you are trying to do here is identify holes in your knowledge or understanding of the subject. What you don’t know or are unsure about can guide your research. Be sure to find evidence to support all the things you think you already know. 

Create a reading/watching list of related books, interviews, articles, podcasts, documentaries, etc. that relate to your topic. Find references that both support and argue against your argument. Choose the most highly reputable sources you can find. You may need to seek out and speak to experts to help you locate the best sources. Read and take notes. Address those questions and holes in the knowledge you identified earlier. Also, continue to read widely and think about your topic as you observe the world from day to day. Sometimes unrelated news stories, literature, film, songs, and visual art can give you an unexpected insight into your essay question. Remember that c is a learning experience and that you are not going to have a rock-solid argument all at once.

Read past winning essays . These will give you a sense of the criteria judges are using to select winning work. These essays are meant to convince the judges of a very specific stance. The argument must be clear and must include evidence to support it. You will note that winning entries tend to get straight to the point, show an impressive depth of knowledge on the subject with citations to reputable sources, flow with excellent reasoning, and use precise language. They don’t include flowery digressions. Save that for a different type of writing.

Proof your work with a teacher or mentor if possible . Even though your argument needs to be wholly your own, it certainly helps to bounce ideas around with someone who cares about the topic. A teacher or mentor can help you explore different options if you get stuck and point you toward new resources. They can offer general advice and point out errors or weaknesses. Working with a teacher or mentor is important for another reason. When you submit your entry, you will be required to provide the email address of an “academic referee” who is familiar with your work. This should be a teacher or mentor who is not related to you. 

Research and Prepare for your Competition or Fair

Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own. Our highly-specialized mentors can help guide you to feel even more prepared for an upcoming fair or competion. We also offer options to explore multiple topics, or to showcase your final product!

Our Services

College Admissions Counseling

UK University Admissions Counseling

EU University Admissions Counseling

College Athletic Recruitment

Crimson Rise: College Prep for Middle Schoolers

Indigo Research: Online Research Opportunities for High Schoolers

Delta Institute: Work Experience Programs For High Schoolers

Graduate School Admissions Counseling

Private Boarding & Day School Admissions

Online Tutoring

Essay Review

Financial Aid & Merit Scholarships

Our Leaders and Counselors

Our Student Success

Crimson Student Alumni

Our Reviews

Our Scholarships

Careers at Crimson

University Profiles

US College Admissions Calculator

GPA Calculator

Practice Standardized Tests

SAT Practice Test

ACT Practice Tests

Personal Essay Topic Generator

eBooks and Infographics

Crimson YouTube Channel

Summer Apply - Best Summer Programs

Top of the Class Podcast

ACCEPTED! Book by Jamie Beaton

Crimson Global Academy

+1 (646) 419-3178

background image

A Complete Guide To ✨The John Locke Essay Competition✨

Join our exclusive info session if want to find out more about the john locke competition and what it takes to enter an award-winning essay. session 1: 5 pm (gmt-0) feb 24th session 2: 3 am (gmt-0) feb 25th, are you ready to make a mark in the prestigious john locke essay competition.

Join us for an exclusive information session that unveils the secrets to success in this renowned competition.

During this enlightening info session, you will:

📚 Discover what the John Locke Essay Competition is all about and why it's a golden opportunity for aspiring writers.

🎓 Uncover the winning strategies and techniques to ace the competition and stand out from the crowd.

🌐 Engage with experts who have excelled in the competition and get valuable tips on crafting an impressive essay.

🤝 Q&A…and so much more!

The John Locke Essay Competition is your gateway to excellence, and we invite you to a special information session to guide you on the path to success!

Register today, and receive a special GIFT for attending the webinar!

Fill in your details below to sign up for the event.

I agree to the privacy policy

I want to receive study pathways, free resources and admissions guidance from Crimson Education Group.

Who should join?

Ambitious students

who aims for top universities

Session 1: 5 PM (GMT-0) Feb 24th

Session 2: 3 AM (GMT-0) Feb 25th

Online via Zoom

(aka anywhere!)

Meet the Speaker

Benjamin Goldstein

  • A Fulbright Scholar, a graduate of Oxford, Columbia, and Cambridge
  • A former head coach for the Concord Review history journal
  • Has personally overseen essay submissions by many past John Locke winners
  • Extensively working with hundreds of students over the past five years tutoring students in historical research and writing skills

Benjamin Goldstein

What is the John Locke Essay Competition?

The John Locke essay competition is a famous, worldwide essay competition. Winners and honorably mentioned individuals in this competition have gone on to Oxford, Princeton, and other Ivy Leagues.

Even getting an honorable mention, not to mention achieving a top 3 spot in the competition, is an incredible addition to your admissions profile, recognized by admissions officers from Harvard to Stanford and beyond as one of the most prestigious achievements possible for a high school student!

Crimson Students’ Success

Every year we celebrate our students’ outstanding results in this highly competitive essay competition. Working with their dedicated mentors, they submit work that has already been shortlisted with numerous student recipients of the major prize(s).

From Law to Economics to History, our students have been shortlisted across numerous categories with a special mention for junior prize winners (Crimson Rise students!) from across the US, Asia, and all over the world.

In 2023, a 35% Global Shortlist Rate in comparison to the global average of < 10% was achieved after taking our most recent John Locke Essay Competition Masterclass!

Benjamin Goldstein

Ready to join?

Sharpening your writing skills and boosting your chances of success in the john locke essay competition.

2024 John Locke Essay Competition is open!

We are thrilled to announce the opening of the John Locke Essay Competition, providing a unique platform for aspiring minds to engage with profound ideas and express their perspectives! Hosted by the John Locke Institute, this prestigious competition encourages participants to delve into a range of thought-provoking topics inspired by the influential philosopher John Locke. Why write an essay?Aspiring writers and thinkers are invited to explore questions related to politics, philosophy, and economics, contributing to the rich tradition of intellectual discourse. With a commitment to fostering critical thinking and analytical skills, the competition offers a remarkable opportunity for participants to showcase their talents and vie for recognition in a global community of scholars. What can I write about?The competition prompts vary depending on the various subject categories. The John Locke Essay Competition provides prompts about Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Law, Psychology, and Theology. Further informationThe deadline for registration is May 31st and submissions are due by June 30th. Essays have a maximum length of 2000 words. For detailed guidelines and submission information, please visit the official competition website at https://www.johnlockeinstitute.com/essay-competition.

J&B Essay Consulting, LLC

logo

  • Hues & Logic
  • Case Studies
  • Enrollment Process

 alt=

  • News and Events

Somerset Times

Students short-listed in global essay competition.

Soumia Lamont and Giulia Provenzano (Year 12 students) have been short-listed in the John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition, held by the University of Oxford. 

The competition is highly competitive, with some 4,000 submissions from 101 countries. The categories have set questions and include History, Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Psychology, and Theology. There is also a Junior category for younger students. The John Locke Institute website has the details.

The John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition is highly prestigious. Students who receive a ‘Commendation’ are encouraged to include that award when they submit their university applications, and when applying for a scholarship, a job or an internship. This is only the second year that a Somerset student has entered the competition. Last year, Clare Hong (Class of 2020) wrote a Philosophy essay and was awarded a ‘High Commendation’, placing her in the top five per cent. 

In the 2021 competition, Soumia addressed the Law question on the problem of the presumption of innocence and public censure. Soumia interpreted the problem as one of jurisprudence and an ethical dilemma, which matched her studies in the subject of Philosophy & Reason. Giulia’s essay was an introspection on moral philosophy and delved into whether one ought to ascribe to hedonistic act utilitarianism, as proposed by Jeremy Bentham, or Immanuel Kant’s deontological ethics. Oxford University announced that Soumia’s and Giulia’s essays were among the 400 short-listed submissions. This means their essays are in the top 10% and will be awarded some form of commendation. The short-listing also means the following. The essays will be further assessed and is eligible for either a prize or a high commendation.

The student is eligible for a £500 scholarship for Oxford University’s prestigious Humanities Conference at Radley College, in Oxford, this August.

The short-listed student is invited to Annual Awards Ceremony & Gala Dinner, at which the prize winners will be announced. This will be held in Oxford University in September.

The grand-prize winner receives a $10,000 USD scholarship to attend one or more of the John Locke Institute’s summer schools or gap-year programmes, held at Oxford University.

Soumia’s and Giulia’s essays can be read on Schoolbox at the Dead Philosophers Club’s library of amazing essays.

Edition 7 | Term Two, Week 4, 2024

Edition 6 | term two, week 2, 2024, edition 5 | term one, week 8, 2024, edition 4 | term one, week 8, 2024, subscribe to our newsletter.

Type on the line above then press the Enter/Return key to submit a new search query

Search this Site:

Student announced as john locke institute essay competition finalist.

This weekend she has been invited to Oxford to celebrate her achievement and participate in an academic programme with candidates across the world.

Mr Powell, Head of Sixth Form, said: “We are so proud of Nina. Nina embodies academic resilience and excellence, and her achievements to become a finalist in the John Locke Institute Essay Competition are truly remarkable. She has competed against thousands of applicants around the world to get to this point. This is a fantastic achievement for Nina, and she is a credit to herself and the entire Edmundian Community. Best of luck, Nina!”

+1 (603) 932 7897

[email protected].

Aralia-logo-full

John Locke Essay Competition Prep

Grade 6-12 international or domestic students studying in the U.S or overseas

John Locke Essay Competition

One-on-one and small group (Max. 7 students/class)

Class Introduction

The John Locke Essay Competition Prep course has 8 different sections: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, law and junior prize tailored to student’s needs. Each session will assist students with writing an essay in response to one question in the list provided by the Institute.

The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics of great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis, and persuasive style. Students are challenged to explore various questions beyond their school’s curriculum. Previous years, our students were successfully shortlisted, earned High Commendation awards, Third Prizes and Grand Prizes in John Locke Essay Competition.

This course is designed to help high school students hone their writing skills and prepare for the prestigious John Locke Essay Competition. The competition challenges students to think critically and write a compelling essay on a topic related to philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law. Throughout this course, students will learn how to analyze and evaluate complex philosophical and political ideas, develop their research and writing skills, and craft a well-supported and well-written argumentative essay.

Our experienced teachers will guide students through brainstorming, researching, outlining, drafting, and revising their essays. They will provide personalized feedback and suggestions to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. By the end of the course, students will have the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to produce a high-quality essay that meets the John Locke Essay Competition requirements. They will also be better equipped to engage with complex philosophical and political ideas and articulate their thoughts effectively in writing.

John Locke Essay Competition Prep Program

  • Receive personalized feedback and suggestions to improve their writing and critical thinking skills.
  • Gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to produce a high-quality essay.
  • Be better prepared for the John Locke Essay Competition and other similar academic pursuits.
  • Understand and analyze complex ideas effectively.

Class Sessions

Students and their parents will receive brief feedback after each class regarding the student’s general participation in class. Students will also receive feedback on graded assignments via email.  

Need to prepare?

To best prepare for this program, we recommend reading: 

Complete Guide to John Locke Essay Competition 2024

2024 Summer Group Classes: Open for Registration

AMC 12 Preparation (American Mathematics Contest 12)

AMC 12 Preparation (American Mathematics Contest 12) 

AMC 8 Preparation (American Mathematics Contest 8)

AMC 8 Preparation (American Mathematics Contest 8)

National Spanish Exam Preparation

National Spanish Exam Preparation

National Mythology Exam Preparation

National Mythology Exam Preparation

is john locke essay competition prestigious

Building A Photography Portfolio

Latin level 2

Latin Level 2

academic writing aralia education

Advanced Academic Writing

Shakespeare Literature

Shakespeare Literature

The National Personal Finance Challenge

National Personal Finance Challenge

National Greek Exam (NGE)

National Roman Civilization Exam Preparation Program

Aralia Education is an innovative online education platform for ambitious middle and high school students worldwide. Aralia’s instructors propel students forward by helping them build a strong foundation in traditional academic courses. They also actively engage and guide students in exploring personal interests beyond their school curriculum. With this holistic approach, Aralia ensures its students are well-prepared for college and equipped for success in their future careers.

  • College Accelerator Program
  • Comprehensive Introduction to High School
  • Academic Empowerment Program
  • Test Preparation Bootcamp
  • Private Lessons
  • Student Awards
  • Competitions

Give us a call: +1 (603) 932 7897

Email us: [email protected]

Add us on WhatsApp:

is john locke essay competition prestigious

UM-Dearborn News logo

UM-Dearborn freshman scores a trip to Oxford for placing in prestigious competition

Syed akbari’s recent adventure in essay writing is all the reminder you need that it never hurts to try..

Syed Akbar is a young South-Asian man with swept over black hair and facial hair. He smiling at the camera, sitting in a sofa chair inside the University Center Commons. Syed is wearing a red, short-sleeve button down.

Many undergraduates pursue research or enter an essay competition at the urging of a faculty mentor. Eighteen-year-old freshman Syed Akbari entered the prestigious John Locke Institute Essay Competition because he Googled it.

“I think it was the second result that came up when I searched for ‘philosophy essay competition,’” he said, smiling. “The thing that kind of got me going was that when I was applying to colleges, one interviewer asked about what subjects I was ‘world class’ in. And I was honest: I said I’m not world class in anything, but there were subjects, like philosophy, that I’ve studied more than the average person. But then I realized I didn't have anything to back that up. And I thought if I won some kind of competition or award, that would be a cool thing to have.”

It’s worth mentioning that philosophy isn't even Akbari’s major (though he does intend to add it eventually as a second-major complement to his current one in data science ). It’s also worth noting that the John Locke Institute’s annual essay competition was the second result in Google for a reason: It’s a pretty big deal — it’s co-sponsored by Princeton and Oxford — and every year draws thousands of entries from students all over the world.

Akbari, however, wasn't aware of that and approached the contest with the casualness of dropping his name in a raffle. He browsed through the list of essay prompts, found one that resonated with him and picked a few books that he thought might help him from his personal summer reading list (everything from The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris to Life Laid Bare: The Survivors in Rwanda Speak ). And then five days before the competition, he wrote his essay on the topic of whether the practice of philosophy is still relevant. He laid out a precise, analytical argument for why it is.

Then he waited. In fact, he made a note of the date the institute would notify the winners; and when the date passed, he sent the committee an email. When the reply came a day or so later, he learned there were so many entries (from 102 countries) that the judging had been delayed.

“At that point, I thought, ‘Whoa, I have no chance.’ I assumed my best shot was if hardly anyone entered.”

But then a few more days passed, and he got another email.

“It started with ‘unfortunately,’ and I’d just been through the college application process so I knew anything that starts with ‘unfortunately’ isn't going to end well. So I just put down my phone,” he said. “But then a couple hours later, I picked it up and read the whole message. And it said unfortunately this year they received so many entries that it caused a delay. So I kept reading until I saw: ‘That’s why it makes your achievement so impressive.’”

Akbari had placed among the handful of finalists, which carried with it a multi-day stay at Oxford for the awards ceremony. The only hiccup was going to be scaring up the $1,000 for a plane ticket. A friend of his suggested that he might be able to get funding from the university, at which point Akbari simply started asking around — first emailing his dean in the College of Engineering and Computer Science ; then following a trail of suggestions from helpful people in College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters , which eventually led him to Philosophy Professor Maureen Linker.

“She was literally the last person I talked to and the first person who told me: ‘I’m going to fight for this. We’re going to find you the funding.’”

Then hours later, an email reply arrived from College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Tony England’s office with a second vote of support. Between the two colleges and some additional funds from Dean of Students Amy Finley, they pulled together enough last-minute funding to cover Akbari's plane ticket.

“Oxford was so amazing. Everything felt like a castle. The dinners were lit with candlelight, and the food was crazy — there was caviar and salmon and lamb roast. We were all kind of laughing together about how extravagant it was.”

Akbari tied for fifth in the philosophy category. Don’t expect this to be his last fearless foray into competitions: He’s currently working on an entry for another essay contest, eyeing a poetry slam (another one of his interests) and making plans for an upcoming hackathon. The first time he did the latter, it was simply because a friend invited him.

“I was literally Googling, ‘What is a hackathon?’ on the way in the door,” he said. “But, if you see an opportunity, you should take your shot, right? I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

And sometimes, when you just bother to try, some really good stuff can happen too.

Related News

Graphic of Kevin Castile, Applied Art lecturer who passed away in January 2024

Remembering art educator Kevin Castile

A color graphic featuring a headshot of student Issa Hachem

Class of Spring 2024: CECS graduate Issa Hachem

Graphic of Eric Welch, Spring 2024 CASL graduate

Class of Spring 2024: CASL graduate Eric Welch

Current news.

Chancellor Domenico Grass stands for a portrait with his arms crossed in front of a Block M UM-Dearborn logo on the UM-Dearborn campus.

Can we still find a path to civil discourse?

 alt=

Regents Roundup for May 2024

Decorative blank image

Office of Research update for May 2024

Building U

JOHN LOCKE INSTITUTE ESSAY COMPETITION

JOHN LOCKE INSTITUTE

Sponsoring Institution: John Locke Institute

Type: Essay competition

Eligibility: All students under 18 years of age are welcome to join. The documents that applicants submit must not have their name appear on it and have no footnotes. However, a bibliography is required. Students must also include an academic referee that knows the writer’s work.

Application Deadline : End of June or early July for late entries

Highlight: Are you a budding intellectual eager to showcase your ideas on a global stage? Look no further than the John Locke Institute Essay Competition! This prestigious competition offers you the chance to delve into your favorite subjects, whether it’s Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, or Theology. Winners not only gain recognition from academic experts worldwide but also enjoy a $2,000 scholarship to any John Locke Institute program and can win a $10,000 scholarship to attend one of John Locke’s summer schools.

Entry is entirely free, but you must remember to register by the end of May, to qualify. The submission process is straightforward yet challenging. Select a question from your chosen category, pen down your thoughts in a compelling essay, and submit it before the end of June. All details on how to submit your essay, from formatting guidelines to submission processes, are meticulously outlined on the John Locke Institute Essay Competition website .

So, if you’re ready to take this exciting leap and put your ideas to the test, ensure you’re all set before the deadlines. Don’t let this extraordinary opportunity slip away—prepare, participate, and pave the way to your future.

is john locke essay competition prestigious

It is our anual free funding event for high schoolers from all over the world

Twitter

Alex Chen '23 Wins Third Prize in Global Essay Competition

  • Alex Chen '23

Twitter

  • Coronavirus
  • Covid-19 In-depth
  • Navigate Bermuda
  • RG Fantasy League
  • Classifieds
  • Drive For Change
  • Terms of Service

is john locke essay competition prestigious

BHS students win honours in global essay competition

is john locke essay competition prestigious

Sienna Spurling learnt about embryonic stem cell research in biology class at the Bermuda High School.

The 14-year-old was intrigued by the controversy. Embryonic stem cells are the building blocks of the body and can become any kind of cell. Scientists want to use them to research a range of diseases but harvesting them kills the embryo.

“There is a global debate with so many different views political, religious, and scientific,” she said. “It is very similar to the abortion debate in that there are opposing pro-life and pro-choice camps.”

Two thousand words on the topic won her a distinction in the prestigious John Locke Institute 2023 Global Essay Competition , based in Oxford, England.

Her classmate, Joy Yammine, also received a distinction in the Under-15 category; 13-year-old Aditi Varwandkar was shortlisted.

Each year 19,000 students from around the world enter the competition; 100 are shortlisted. Three winners are chosen; the top 15 per cent receive distinctions.

Essays were judged on the writer’s understanding of the relevant material, the use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force.

The contest was named for the English philosopher John Locke and asks students 18 and under to ponder questions such as why John Locke is considered the father of liberalism; why safety is more important than fun; and if you had $10 billion, how would you use it to make the world better.

Sienna and Joy wrote in response to the question, what is something important that people are often wrong about?

Joy took a philosophical angle, making her essay about happiness.

“It is something I have been interested in for a while,” she said. “My essay was about how people pursue happiness. Often happiness is looked at as a destination, when it is really a journey. It is not a tangible feeling. You do not know if you have reached happiness.”

The 14-year-old looked at the correlation between money and happiness.

“Beyond the point where all your basic needs are met and you are comfortable with food and shelter, there is no correlation with happiness,” she said. “Money does not make you any more happy.

“In my conclusion, I said that if you want to pursue happiness over a long period of time, you first need to find fulfilment, and contentment.”

Aditi tackled the question what, if anything, do parents owe their children?

“My take on it was that a parent owes their child the best life possible and the tools to succeed in life,” she said.

The teenager discussed central things that children need, such as food, water, clothing, and love. She felt they also needed practice for the real world and tools such as education.

“All children deserve a parent but not all parents deserve a child,” Aditi said. “It’s just about making sure that you’re in the position where you can give your child that better life.”

Their prize was a weekend seminar at Oxford University and admission to a prizegiving reception and gala dinner there.

The girls were scheduled to be in England for the weekend of September 16, but Hurricane Lee intervened, brushing past Bermuda with high waves and power cuts.

“Our flights were pushed back,” said Sienna. “Joy and I arrived a day late.”

That meant they missed the gala dinner and workshops arranged for the Saturday morning.

“At least we got to go to most of the seminars and the main award ceremony on Saturday evening at the Sheldonian Theatre,” Joy said. “That was really great.”

The awards ceremony was very formal.

“They don’t make you walk across the stage to receive your certificate [but] they call your name,” Sienna said. “It is very exciting to see so many people from around the world.”

It was her second time attending after she was shortlisted last year for an essay on taxes.

“We were told we were in the room where students take exams,” Sienna said. “There was a giant clock on the wall. The instructor told us that if we went to Oxford this would be one of the most stressful places for us.”

Seminar topics covered everything from essay writing, to tips on the United Kingdom university application process, to application to Oxford and Cambridge. The winning students also shared their essays.

“Getting into Oxford or Cambridge is not my main goal but that was very interesting,” Sienna said. “There were lots of people at the awards ceremony. It was good that BHS could be represented.”

Students took part in the competition with the help of BHS global politics and history teacher Amy Dingley-Jones.

“I’ve directed students to the John Locke essay prize for the last eight or nine years while working in different countries,” she said.

She added that the competition was a great opportunity for students to explore subjects they were interested in.

“They have to cut it down and structure it in a way that is readable but also different to the other thousands of entries,” Ms Dingley-Jones said. “They also have to give references. It is really impressive that they have been not only shortlisted but received distinctions, as well.”

Reading and writing about embryonic stem cell research cemented Sienna’s fascination with science. “I might go into biology or medicine,” she said.

Joy would like to take courses in psychology. “As a career, I might go into medicine or dentistry,” she said.

Meanwhile, Aditi was also considering psychology, or law.

• For more information on the John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition see www.johnlockeinstitute.com/essay-competition

is john locke essay competition prestigious

You must be Registered or Signed in to post comment or to vote.

is john locke essay competition prestigious

  • Electronic Edition
  • Registration
  • Privacy Policy

IMAGES

  1. 2023 John Locke Global Essay Competition with $14,000 cash prizes

    is john locke essay competition prestigious

  2. John Locke Institute (Oxford & Princeton) Competition

    is john locke essay competition prestigious

  3. Success in prestigious John Locke Essay Competition

    is john locke essay competition prestigious

  4. John Locke Essay Competition 约翰·洛克论文竞赛

    is john locke essay competition prestigious

  5. John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition 2022

    is john locke essay competition prestigious

  6. John Locke Essay Competition 2024

    is john locke essay competition prestigious

VIDEO

  1. Winning Essay Writing Tips! #shorts

  2. Locke's "Essay," Book I

COMMENTS

  1. 2024 Essay Competition

    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 ...

  2. The Ultimate Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition

    The John Locke Contest is a rigorous and selective writing competition in the social sciences and humanities. While it is not as selective as the Concord Review and has a much broader range of students who can receive prizes, it is still considered a highly competitive program. Winning a John Locke essay contest will have clear benefits for you ...

  3. John Locke Institute Essay Competition: All You Need to Know

    The John Locke Institute Essay Competition—also called the John Locke Institute's Global Essay Prize—is a yearly event hosted by the John Locke Institute, an organization passionate about encouraging young people to excel academically and enjoy learning. Named after the famous English philosopher John Locke, it aims to honor his legacy by ...

  4. Ultimate Guide to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition

    What is the John Locke Institute Essay Competition? John Locke Institute annual dinner gala. The John Locke Institute (JLI) is an organization that provides high school summer and gap year courses in humanities and social sciences, with affiliations from Oxford and Princeton University.. The JLI Essay Contest is a highly prestigious writing competition that invites high school/secondary ...

  5. Your Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition

    The John Locke Essay competition is acknowledged as the most prestigious essay competition in the world. Free to enter, it is hosted by the John Locke Institute, named after the Oxford philosopher John Locke (b. 1634 - d. 1704), who is often called the 'father of liberalism' and is one of the most important thinkers from the Enlightenment ...

  6. Complete Guide To John Locke Essay Competition 2024

    The John Locke Essay Competition has always been a prestigious competition, attracting talented writers around the world. All of the competition's essays are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities, including the University of Oxford (#5 in Best Global Universities) and Princeton University (#1 in National Universities in the U.S).

  7. John Locke Institute (JLI) Essay Competition Guide

    We first wrote about the world-famous John Locke Institute (JLI) Essay Competition in our list of 20 writing contests for high school students. This contest is a unique opportunity to refine your argumentation skills on fascinating and challenging topics that aren't explored in the classroom. The Oxford philosopher, medical doctor, political ...

  8. The Ultimate Guide to the 2024 John Locke Essay Competition (with FREE

    FREE 6-page PDF checklist for the John Locke Essay Competition. Our team has curated the ultimate checklist for writing your essay for the competition. We highly recommend using this guide before you start drafting your essay. It covers all the steps you need to take before, during, and after writing your essay.

  9. A Complete Guide To The John Locke Essay Competition

    Join us for an exclusive information session that unveils the secrets to success in this renowned competition. During this enlightening info session, you will: 📚 Discover what the John Locke Essay Competition is all about and why it's a golden opportunity for aspiring writers. 🎓 Uncover the winning strategies and techniques to ace the ...

  10. 2024 John Locke Essay Competition is open!

    Hosted by the John Locke Institute, this prestigious competition encourages participants to delve into a range of thought-provoking topics inspired by the influential philosopher John Locke. Why write an essay?Aspiring writers and thinkers are invited to explore questions related to politics, philosophy, and economics, contributing to the rich ...

  11. 2023 John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition

    September 28th 2023. Awards. We are delighted to share the news that Hussain A and Bruno A-N were both selected as finalists in the 2023 John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition. Only the highest quality essays were shortlisted for a prize. The two boys were invited to Oxford to celebrate their achievement, and to participate in an ...

  12. Students Short-Listed in Global Essay Competition

    The John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition is highly prestigious. Students who receive a 'Commendation' are encouraged to include that award when they submit their university applications, and when applying for a scholarship, a job or an internship. This is only the second year that a Somerset student has entered the competition.

  13. Student announced as John Locke Institute Essay Competition Finalist

    Congratulations to Nina, Rhetoric II (Y13), for being selected as a finalist in the prestigious 2021 John Locke Institute Essay Competition for Law! This weekend she has been invited to Oxford to celebrate her achievement and participate in an academic programme with candidates across the world. Mr Powell, Head of Sixth Form, said: "We are […]

  14. John Locke Essay Competition Prep

    The John Locke Essay Competition Prep course has 8 different sections: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, law and junior prize tailored to student's needs. Each session will assist students with writing an essay in response to one question in the list provided by the Institute. The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics of ...

  15. UM-Dearborn freshman scores a trip to Oxford for placing in prestigious

    Many undergraduates pursue research or enter an essay competition at the urging of a faculty mentor. Eighteen-year-old freshman Syed Akbari entered the prestigious John Locke Institute Essay Competition because he Googled it. "I think it was the second result that came up when I searched for 'philosophy essay competition,'" he said, smiling.

  16. What tier would winning the John Locke essay competition or other

    What tier would winning the John Locke essay competition or other "prestigious" essay competitions be listed as? ECs and Activities Before anyone says you should do stuff your passionate about, I love writing, but I just don't know how colleges would react to essay competitions since their use to these large biology/stem bowls

  17. JOHN LOCKE INSTITUTE ESSAY COMPETITION

    This prestigious competition offers you the chance to delve into your favorite subjects, whether it's Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, or Theology. Winners not only gain recognition from academic experts worldwide but also enjoy a $2,000 scholarship to any John Locke Institute program and can win a $10,000 scholarship to ...

  18. Alex Chen '23 Wins Third Prize in Global Essay Competition

    Congratulations to Archmere junior Alex Chen for winning the Third Prize in Economics from the John Locke Institute's 2021 Global Essay Competition. Alex competed against students from all over the world in this prestigious event, writing an economic essay titled, "Oxford's Role in the Fight Against Inequality: From Serving the Elite to Uplifting the People".

  19. BHS students win honours in global essay competition

    Two thousand words on the topic won her a distinction in the prestigious John Locke Institute ... to the John Locke essay prize for the last eight or nine years while working in different ...

  20. High commendations? (2023 John Locke Essay Competition)

    High commendations? (2023 John Locke Essay Competition) Discussion. Hi, Some people were shortlisted by did not receive top 3. I searched online to see whether this year, JLI will award high comm to the top 5% of entries. The results page says that 'all shortlisted applicants receive a commendation' and I'm not sure what that means: