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List of Essay Competitions/ Challenges for Year 12s
Hi, in the midst of Covid-19 situations, they are a lot of students who don't know what to do with their free time or personal statements 
so I compiled a list for both future year 12s and existing yr 12s 
There are some competitions that yr 13s/ yr 11s can apply for in this list so you can also apply in these too 
and you should look at other areas of courses since some can involve your course (e.g. History and Classics). If anyone has any other competitions I have missed, comment below and I might update monthly at the start of each month 
Also, These are not affiliated to the TSR and they are external competitions.
Remember to read the conditions of each competition! For example, some may tell you only a certain number of students from your school can join so please read all the information given.
so I compiled a list for both future year 12s and existing yr 12s There are some competitions that yr 13s/ yr 11s can apply for in this list so you can also apply in these too and you should look at other areas of courses since some can involve your course (e.g. History and Classics). If anyone has any other competitions I have missed, comment below and I might update monthly at the start of each month Also, These are not affiliated to the TSR and they are external competitions.Remember to read the conditions of each competition! For example, some may tell you only a certain number of students from your school can join so please read all the information given.
Format: Competition Name - Date of Deadline (Open/ Closed/ Not yet Open)
* means schools are involved in this so you may need to ask them to do this
Arts and Humanities
Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
Medical and Healthcare
Social Sciences
(edited 5 years ago)
Scroll to see replies
Reply 1
Original post
by PetitePandaHi, in the midst of Covid-19 situations, they are a lot of students who don't know what to do with their free time or personal statements so I compiled a list for both future year 12s and existing yr 12s There are some competitions that yr 13s/ yr 11s can apply for in this list so you can also apply in these too and you should look at other areas of courses since some can involve your course (e.g. History and Classics). If anyone has any other competitions I have missed, comment below and I might update monthly at the start of each month Also, These are not affiliated to the TSR and they are external competitions.
Remember to read the conditions of each competition! For example, some may tell you only a certain number of students from your school can join so please read all the information given.
so I compiled a list for both future year 12s and existing yr 12s There are some competitions that yr 13s/ yr 11s can apply for in this list so you can also apply in these too and you should look at other areas of courses since some can involve your course (e.g. History and Classics). If anyone has any other competitions I have missed, comment below and I might update monthly at the start of each month Also, These are not affiliated to the TSR and they are external competitions.Remember to read the conditions of each competition! For example, some may tell you only a certain number of students from your school can join so please read all the information given.
Format: Competition Name - Date of Deadline (Open/ Closed/ Not yet Open)
* means schools are involved in this so you may need to ask them to do this
Arts and Humanities
Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
Medical and Healthcare
Social Sciences
Thanks for this fab thread @PetitePanda - I’m sure lots of Year 12s will find this helpful! Thought I’d add a few more competitions for any budding economists on here:
Richard Koch Breakthrough Prize
Wicked Young Writers Awards
NCH Essay Competition
IEA Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize
LSESU essay prize
Cambridge Marshall Society Prize
The Economist Open Future prize
Adam Smith Institute Young Writer on Liberty competition
Bank of England blog competition
Good luck to everyone entering essay competitions! They can be incredibly rewarding and great stuff for personal statements.
Reply 2
22
Original post
by Mona123456Thanks for this fab thread @PetitePanda - I’m sure lots of Year 12s will find this helpful! Thought I’d add a few more competitions for any budding economists on here:
Richard Koch Breakthrough Prize
Wicked Young Writers Awards
NCH Essay Competition
IEA Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize
LSESU essay prize
Cambridge Marshall Society Prize
The Economist Open Future prize
Adam Smith Institute Young Writer on Liberty competition
Bank of England blog competition
Good luck to everyone entering essay competitions! They can be incredibly rewarding and great stuff for personal statements.
Richard Koch Breakthrough Prize
Wicked Young Writers Awards
NCH Essay Competition
IEA Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize
LSESU essay prize
Cambridge Marshall Society Prize
The Economist Open Future prize
Adam Smith Institute Young Writer on Liberty competition
Bank of England blog competition
Good luck to everyone entering essay competitions! They can be incredibly rewarding and great stuff for personal statements.
PRSOM Thank you so much. I'm glad I can put more things to the economic side - it's very much appreciated.
Reply 3
Original post
by PetitePandaPRSOM Thank you so much. I'm glad I can put more things to the economic side - it's very much appreciated.
PRSOM No worries, you’re most welcome, and thanks for your active presence on TSR - I’ve seen you around in quite a few forums now, and you’ve been giving lots of helpful advice, which I’m sure many people appreciate, so thank you! Best of luck with everything.
Reply 4
22
Original post
by Mona123456PRSOM No worries, you’re most welcome, and thanks for your active presence on TSR - I’ve seen you around in quite a few forums now, and you’ve been giving lots of helpful advice, which I’m sure many people appreciate, so thank you! Best of luck with everything.
Awww thank you this is so wholesome. You too best of luck
Reply 5
22
Amazing thread! I've found a few maths ones from that list which look super cool - and I hadn't thought of them before! Thank you so much for setting this up 
Thank you so much for setting this up Reply 6
22
Original post
by laurawattAmazing thread! I've found a few maths ones from that list which look super cool - and I hadn't thought of them before! Thank you so much for setting this up
Thank you so much for setting this up Thank you so much; I'm glad you found some
Reply 7
Hi jut a question, is the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge still on or is it cancelled due to COVID-19?
Reply 8
22
Original post
by allpeachyHi jut a question, is the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge still on or is it cancelled due to COVID-19?
I think Registration is open but I'm not sure how it will work so I suggest contacting your school about it since it involves them. For the residential, it might not happen but it's still far away to know if it is
Reply 9
Original post
by PetitePandaI think Registration is open but I'm not sure how it will work so I suggest contacting your school about it since it involves them. For the residential, it might not happen but it's still far away to know if it is
Ok thank you! This list was very helpful and I'd imagine you spent a lot of time on it!
Reply 10
22
Original post
by allpeachyOk thank you! This list was very helpful and I'd imagine you spent a lot of time on it!
i'm glad it was. I always wanted to do it but I was lazy and busy to do so and then this lockdown happened and I thought it would be useful for those not knowing to do during this time
Reply 11
22
[Update]
Closed:
The Minds Underground World Literature Essay Competition
Fitzwilliam College Archaeology Essay Competition
Fitzwilliam College Ancient World and Classics Essay Competition
St John’s Classic and Ancient History Essay Competition
Peterhouse Thomas Campion English Prize
About Tower Poetry
Peterhouse Vellacott History Prize
The Department of History Y12/L6 History Essay Prize
The Minds Underground History Essay Competition
Robson History Prize
French Flash Fiction Competition
Spanish Flash Fiction Competition
Oxford German Olympiad Round 2
The Minds Underground Philosophy Essay Competition
Peterhouse Kelvin Science Prize
Unsung Heroes of Science Video Competition
The Minds Underground Sustainability & Economics Essay Competition
The Minds Underground Sciences Essay Competition
Schools’ Writing Competition
Teen Tech Awards
Keith Maddocks Engineering & Design Prize
Engineering Innovation Challenge
Cottrell Essay Prize for Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
The Minds Underground Medicine Essay Competition
Lucy Cavendish Essay Prize on contemporary issues
The Minds Underground Sustainability & Economics Essay Competition
Fitzwilliam College Land Economy Essay Competition
Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law
The Lord Toulson Essay Prize in Law
The Minds Underground Law Essay Competition
The Minds Underground Politics Essay Competition
The Minds Underground Psychology Essay Competition
Open:
[Oriel College] Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize is now Open (Deadline: June 22nd)
[Royal Society of Biology] Young Photographer of the Year is now Open (Deadline: July 24th)
Linguistics Essay Prize is now Open (Deadline: August 3rd)
Robinson Essay Prize is now Open (Deadline: August 14th)
Closed:
The Minds Underground World Literature Essay Competition
Fitzwilliam College Archaeology Essay Competition
Fitzwilliam College Ancient World and Classics Essay Competition
St John’s Classic and Ancient History Essay Competition
Peterhouse Thomas Campion English Prize
About Tower Poetry
Peterhouse Vellacott History Prize
The Department of History Y12/L6 History Essay Prize
The Minds Underground History Essay Competition
Robson History Prize
French Flash Fiction Competition
Spanish Flash Fiction Competition
Oxford German Olympiad Round 2
The Minds Underground Philosophy Essay Competition
Peterhouse Kelvin Science Prize
Unsung Heroes of Science Video Competition
The Minds Underground Sustainability & Economics Essay Competition
The Minds Underground Sciences Essay Competition
Schools’ Writing Competition
Teen Tech Awards
Keith Maddocks Engineering & Design Prize
Engineering Innovation Challenge
Cottrell Essay Prize for Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
The Minds Underground Medicine Essay Competition
Lucy Cavendish Essay Prize on contemporary issues
The Minds Underground Sustainability & Economics Essay Competition
Fitzwilliam College Land Economy Essay Competition
Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law
The Lord Toulson Essay Prize in Law
The Minds Underground Law Essay Competition
The Minds Underground Politics Essay Competition
The Minds Underground Psychology Essay Competition
Open:
[Oriel College] Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize is now Open (Deadline: June 22nd)
[Royal Society of Biology] Young Photographer of the Year is now Open (Deadline: July 24th)
Linguistics Essay Prize is now Open (Deadline: August 3rd)
Robinson Essay Prize is now Open (Deadline: August 14th)
Reply 12
Which of these are open to Year 11?
Reply 13
22
Original post
by ayushquetticWhich of these are open to Year 11?
Not really sure. I suggest looking at the competitions you are interested in and look at the terms and conditions to see if you can join. If not, you can take note of this competition for next year
Reply 14
I looked into the James Dyson Award and it seems to be open only for university students and not high school students...
Reply 15
22
Original post
by ScienceApply_22I looked into the James Dyson Award and it seems to be open only for university students and not high school students...
Thank you so much - that’s a bit surprising to know since my friend plans on entering that competition so he’s so early to want to do it. I’ll change it when I get on my laptop. Your help is appreciated
Reply 16
22
Closed:
OMSG Reflection Essay Competition
The Dukes Education Essay Prize
Gonville & Caius History Essay Challenge
Gonville & Caius Modern Languages Challenge
[Newham College] The Philosophy Essay Prize
[Trinity College] Philosophy Essay Prize
Rolls-Royce Schools Prize for Science & technology
The Dukes Education Essay Prize
[Fitzwilliam College] Architecture Design Competition
Biochemical Society Science Communication Prize
Gonville & Caius Engineering Challenge
Gonville & Caius Natural Sciences Challenge
[British Physics Olympiad] Experimental Project
[British International Education Association] Competition
Open:
Young Geographer of the Year - June 30th
OGN German Classic Essay Prize - September 1st
[Newham College] [HM Government] Cyber Discovery - September 30th
OMSG Reflection Essay Competition
The Dukes Education Essay Prize
Gonville & Caius History Essay Challenge
Gonville & Caius Modern Languages Challenge
[Newham College] The Philosophy Essay Prize
[Trinity College] Philosophy Essay Prize
Rolls-Royce Schools Prize for Science & technology
The Dukes Education Essay Prize
[Fitzwilliam College] Architecture Design Competition
Biochemical Society Science Communication Prize
Gonville & Caius Engineering Challenge
Gonville & Caius Natural Sciences Challenge
[British Physics Olympiad] Experimental Project
[British International Education Association] Competition
Open:
Young Geographer of the Year - June 30th
OGN German Classic Essay Prize - September 1st
[Newham College] [HM Government] Cyber Discovery - September 30th
Reply 17
22
Closed:
Libra Essay Prize
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition
[Victoria University of Wllington] Schools Poetry Award
[Trinity College] Gould Prize for Essay in English Literature
[Oriel College] Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize
Open:
The LSESU Economics Society Essay Competition – 1st August
[Immerse Education] Cambridge Summer School Essay Competition - 31st August
[University of Law] Real World Questions - 13th September
Libra Essay Prize
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition
[Victoria University of Wllington] Schools Poetry Award
[Trinity College] Gould Prize for Essay in English Literature
[Oriel College] Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize
Open:
The LSESU Economics Society Essay Competition – 1st August
[Immerse Education] Cambridge Summer School Essay Competition - 31st August
[University of Law] Real World Questions - 13th September
Reply 18
Original post
by PetitePandaClosed:
Libra Essay Prize
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition
[Victoria University of Wllington] Schools Poetry Award
[Trinity College] Gould Prize for Essay in English Literature
[Oriel College] Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize
Open:
The LSESU Economics Society Essay Competition – 1st August
[Immerse Education] Cambridge Summer School Essay Competition - 31st August
[University of Law] Real World Questions - 13th September,
Libra Essay Prize
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition
[Victoria University of Wllington] Schools Poetry Award
[Trinity College] Gould Prize for Essay in English Literature
[Oriel College] Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize
Open:
The LSESU Economics Society Essay Competition – 1st August
[Immerse Education] Cambridge Summer School Essay Competition - 31st August
[University of Law] Real World Questions - 13th September,
Hi, i’m in yr 11 and I would like to participate in things like the SMC, BPho,BBO, C3L6 etc. I dont know much about them. Can you please give me some advice in terms of prep and when to start it as I’ve never participated in them before? Also, shall I wait to start 6th form in September to register for them with my school? Thanks x
Reply 19
22
Original post
by HumairazamanHi, i’m in yr 11 and I would like to participate in things like the SMC, BPho,BBO, C3L6 etc. I dont know much about them. Can you please give me some advice in terms of prep and when to start it as I’ve never participated in them before? Also, shall I wait to start 6th form in September to register for them with my school? Thanks x
They will ahve the information on their websites. For prep and stuff like that, I recommend you make a new thread of what you can do to prep - tbh my friends relied on the content they learn in AS or A2. Yes wait till you start 6th form because you can only register from your school so ask them about it because you cant do it yourself
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