The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest international schools’ writing competition, run by the RCS since 1883. It is a highly regarded and popular international education project that sees thousands of children from across the Commonwealth enter every year.
All nationals and residents of all Commonwealth countries and territories aged 18 and under are eligible to enter the competition.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition offers young people from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to make their voices heard on a global platform, to engage with issues important to them and to express their aspirations for the future.
Here’s How to Enter:
Entrants can select one Senior or Junior topic depending on their age on 1st May 2017.
SENIOR CATEGORY
Born between 2nd June 1999 and 31st May 2004 (14-18 years of age)
– The road to a safer future.
– How does education contribute to a fairer future?
– ‘Healthy, Wealthy, Happy, and Free’: is one more important than the others?
– Future generations have rights too, which must be defended. Discuss.
JUNIOR CATEGORY
Born after 31st May 2004 (under 14 years of age)
– What does a safer future mean to you and your community?
– Write a recipe for a common future: what ingredients will you need? What is the best method for making it? What will it look like?
– ‘A Day in the Life’. Imagine you are your country’s Head of Government for the day: how will you build a better future for young people?
– Our Common Earth.
The maximum word counts are 1,500 words for Senior entries and 750 words for Junior entries.
Entrants are asked to present their work in the format that best conveys their message, be that an essay, poem, story, folk tale, script, letter, diary entry, monologue or other written style. Photos and drawings are encouraged, particularly in the Junior Category.
These word limits apply to all topics and all formats (essay, poem, letter, etc). Essays can only be uploaded as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) or in PDF format (.pdf).
All online entries must be submitted before midnight (GMT) on 1st June 2018; any offline entries must arrive at RCS London by 1st May 2018. The results will be announced in August 2018. Full terms and conditions are available at www.thercs.org/competition
Judges will award Bronze, Silver and Gold to the best entries but every individual receives a certificate of participation and every school receives a certificate too.
Each year a Senior Winner, Senior Runner-up, Junior Winner and Junior Runner-up are chosen and flown to London for a week of activities, typically including an Awards Ceremony and Buckingham Palace.
More information about the competition, including the competition’s topics by category, is provided in the attached flyer.
The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) endeavors to promote literacy, expression, and creativity among young people by celebrating excellence and imagination.
The 2018 Competition aims to increase entries from countries that haven’t taken part historically, and diversify entries to encourage more from state schools and disadvantaged areas. Essay Competition Representatives will be a key part of achieving this goal.
Each year, participants demonstrate their ability to stimulate and provoke discussions about important Commonwealth and global issues from a young person’s perspective and to showcase their critical and creative skills.
