The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, Deadline: 1 May 2017

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

Deadline: 1 May 2017

Open to: applicants from Commonwealth countries

Prizes: Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards, winners and Runners-up will be flown to London for a week of educational and cultural events, culminating in a special Awards Ceremony

Description

The Royal Commonwealth Society is pleased to announce that the theme for The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2017 is A Commonwealth for Peace.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest schools’ international writing competition, established in 1883. With thousands of young people taking part every year, it is an important way for the young voice of the Commonwealth to be developed and heard.

Building upon the 2016 theme of An Inclusive Commonwealth, this year’s topics ask for a more active understanding of the role of the Commonwealth as a network of and for democracy, Human Rights and peace. We are asking young writers to explore peace at every level, from the personal to the political to the pan-Commonwealth.

Topics:

Junior category:

What is in your Toolbox for Peace;My peaceful place;How can children and young people come together to build a peaceful society;‘Peace cannot be learnt from a book or from religion. You have to reach out and touch the nations.’ How does this relate to the Commonwealth?

Senior category:

Peace;Should you fight for peace;Kofi Annan said ‘Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name.’ Do you agree? Answer with reference to your country and/or the Commonwealth;What is the cost of peace?

Eligibility

The competition is open to all citizens and residents of the Commonwealth aged 18 and under and is open from 21 September until 1 May 2017.

Prizes

One Winner and Runner-up will be chosen from each category. Winners and Runners-up will be flown to London for a week of educational and cultural events, culminating in a special Awards Ceremony. A number of Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards will be given in both the Senior and Junior categories, rewarding excellence in writing. All entrants will receive a Certificate of Participation.

How to Apply?

In order to submit your essay you will need to register, making sure to complete all the mandatory fields. The password you register with will be used to login to your account, where you can see your registration details and reference number. 

IMPORTANT: You must upload your entry at the point of registration (in other words, you cannot register and return later to upload your entry). Please note that you will have only one opportunity to submit your essay so ensure that the correct and final version is uploaded before exiting the registration process. After submission, you should receive a confirmation email to the address you registered with. 

Please note: we do not accept essays sent by email.

For more information please visit the official website.