Essay writing contests provide a challenging, yet rewarding, opportunity to advance beyond the school curriculum, delve further into a chosen subject and help you gain invaluable experience to boost your university applications.
These unique competitions offer a great way to develop academic skills like researching, writing and critical thinking.
What Are the Benefits of Essay Writing Competitions?
Competing in an essay writing competition means thinking big and challenging yourself. Going beyond the restrictions of a school curriculum, it’s all about self-expression and bold thinking!
Thinking and writing in this ambitious and stimulating way gives you a great window into the kind of critical thinking and research you’ll engage in at university and beyond. Exploring new and exciting topics within your subject will also help you showcase your passion in university applications and job interviews.
What’s more, essay writing competitions provide an opportunity to earn academic recognition early in your professional career and make a strong impression in scholarship and grant applications.
Which Essay Competition Is Right for Me?
If you’re interested in competing in an essay competition, the first thing to do is to find one that suits you. There are many competitions to choose from. Some give you a great deal of freedom to explore your subject of interest, no matter your age or where you’re from, while others set more rigid entry criteria and focus on particular fields or run in particular countries.
The best way to find your ideal competition is to search the internet, paying particular attention to competitions you’re eligible to compete in and whose research interests align with your own. Whatever your interest, the chances are there’s a competition out there for you!
Our Top Pre-University Essay Writing Competitions
Here are our favourite essay writing competitions for pre-university students:
1. Oxford Scholastica Essay Competition 2025
Formerly the OxBright Essay Competition, the annual Oxford Scholastica Essay Competition is open to 15-18 year olds looking to progress beyond the school curriculum. This year’s question is:
What do you think is the greatest challenge currently facing [your field] and how might you play a role in tackling it? Please answer with regards to our worldview.
The competition provides a great deal of freedom due to the number of subjects included in the criteria. Creative writing, economics, history, mathematics and medicine are just a handful of the fields you can focus on in your essay.
Oxford Scholastica invites all shortlisted entrants to attend an online Awards Ceremony, where we will announce the winners. Prizes include a place on our residential summer school, online course or virtual academic internship.
Judges are looking for thoroughly researched essays that are packed with fresh, exciting thinking. The deadline for applying is Sunday 11th May 2025 at 9pm BST.
You can find all the information you need here.
2. Woolf Essay Prize
The Woolf Essay Prize is run by the University of Cambridge’s Newnham College, where modernist writer Virginia Woolf gave a talk on ‘Women and Fiction’ in 1928. This was later canonised in her seminal essay ‘A Room of One’s Own’.
The prize is open to all female students in year twelve (or equivalent), regardless of country or school. It provides the opportunity to explore women in literature, history, society and culture, following in the footsteps of Woolf herself.
Their website provides more information about the competition, including this year’s questions, a list of prizes and essays from previous winners to inspire you.
3. Royal Geographical Society Essay Competition
The Royal Geographical Society, a learned society supporting geographers across the world, is running an essay competition in partnership with the Financial Times, inviting students to answer a pressing question relevant to the current climate.
Judges are looking for well-evidenced essays or ArcGIS StoryMaps, encouraging applications from passionate geography students between 16-18 from the UK or British International Schools overseas.
Winning entries will be published on the Society’s website, with the chance to be published on the Financial Times site and in the Routes Journal. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain recognition for your hard work, and to situate your name alongside some of the most important researchers and academics in the field.
Our Top Tips
With lots of prizes and opportunities available, you might be wondering how to make sure your essay stands out. Here are four tips to keep in mind when writing your essay:
1. Thoroughly read and discern the guidelines for any competition you’re entering. Successful essays show a clear understanding the competition’s requirements.
2. Make your essay compelling, well-researched and inventive to pique the interest of a review panel.
3. Start with a strong, clear thesis. Essays that clearly outline what you’re proposing, and how you’re proposing it, appeal to readers and judges.
4. Keep to a clear and organised structure. It’s easy to spot an essay that shows thorough planning and editing.
For more tips, you can read our in-depth article featuring insider tips from a two-time essay writing competition winner.
We hope this article has given you insight into the extraordinary opportunities available that essay writing competitions offer.
Essay writing competitions are easy to enter, rewarding to work on and encourage you to consider some of the most important questions currently being asked in the world of academia. Good luck!
By Sam Cox
Sam is a recent English graduate from the University of Bristol whose interests include twentieth-century fiction, film and cultural criticism.
