oxbridge essay competition

• Telephone Tel: +44 (0) 20 7499 2394
• Email Email: [email protected]

Strategic Guidance

• Private Oxbridge Consultation
• International Oxbridge Consultation
• Postgraduate Applications Guidance
• Book a Complimentary Call

Comprehensive Support

• The Premier Service
• Oxford and Cambridge Interview Preparation Weekend

Targeted Support

• Oxbridge Personal Statement Support
• Oxbridge Admissions Test Support
• Oxbridge Interview Preparation Support
• Admissions Test Preparation Day 2024

Application Guidance

• ‘Aspiring to Oxbridge’ School Talk
• Teacher Training Workshop
• Individual Guidance Consultations

Personal Statement Support

• Personal Statement Group Workshop
• Personal Statement Consultations

Admissions Test Preparation

• Admissions Test Day
• Admissions Test Course

Interview Preparation

• Interview Preparation Day
• Interview Preparation Course

Free Library

• Oxbridge Interview Resources

Admissions Tests Resources

• Student Library
• Teacher Library
• Keeping You Current
• Webinar Library

Our Publications

Course reports, oxbridge applications.

• Become A Tutor
• Our Offices
• Dukes Education

News & Press

• Widening Access
• Publications
• Sign In Register
• Sign In    Register

A Comprehensive Guide to the Cambridge College Essay Competitions

Cambridge college essay competitions, thinking of applying to oxbridge but need new ways to get ahead of the game with your application what plenty of students aren’t aware of is the fact that many of the cambridge colleges hold essay prizes for students in year 12 focusing on various subjects, allowing prospective applicants to get a taste of what uni-level essay writing might be like, as well as giving you something great to put on your cv. below is a comprehensive list of the essay competitions help by the various cambridge colleges, listed by subject. if any of them take your fancy, be sure to head over to the college website to get more details about how to enter and when the deadlines are we’ve also included past and present questions to give you a bit of an idea about what each competition is likely to entail., multi-disciplinary/humanities robinson college essay prize the robinson college essay prize is open to all students in year 12 (lower sixth, or equivalent) at a uk school during the 2020-21 academic year. it is designed to give students the opportunity to develop and showcase their independent study and writing skills. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions given, which should be no longer than 2,000 words (including footnotes and captions). the questions may be discussed with reference to any academic discipline or area of interest. up to three entries may be submitted per school, so please discuss your application with your school prior to entry. 2021 questions: 1. "a person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury." (js mill). do you agree 2. 'creativity should be the highest goal of education.' discuss. 3. "in policy making, there is no such thing as 'the data', and therefore no such thing as 'acting on the data'." do you agree 4. "the translated text must add up to the original... [translation] is like a problem in math—using different numbers, the answer must be the same, different numbers must add up to the same answer." (lydia davis). discuss. 5. watch this video featuring the poet kamau braithwaite and discuss the significance of 'archives of freedom'. girton college humanities writing competition this annual competition is an opportunity for year 12 students to research and write beyond the curriculum, using one or more of the lawrence room museum objects, as their focus. essays or creative responses (such as dramatic monologues or short stories) are equally welcome. the judges are looking for the ability to connect different areas of knowledge, to think about details and to communicate clearly. archaeology fitzwilliam college archaeology essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. what can responses to climate in the past teach us today 2. in what ways does the study of archaeology remain political 3. how is construction and building in the past symptomatic of imminent social collapse architecture fitzwilliam college architecture design competition 2022 brief: you are challenged to design a new building somewhere on the fitzwilliam college site. this building will serve as a hub for interaction between teaching staff and students, where they can share and explore ideas. during the design process, you will need to think about what programmes or activities need to be accommodated in the new building. for instance, you can consider including spaces for social interaction such as a new cafe, as well as spaces to have quieter conversations in groups of different sizes. you must also consider possible locations for the new building within the college site, taking into consideration the other college buildings in your design, as well as the landscaped areas preserving mature trees as much as possible. this should be seen as an opportunity to create an interesting relationship between the interior and exterior spaces. you are required to submit: - project title that best describes your design intention and final design solution - design narrative of 500 words that concisely explains your design inspiration, design objective, and final design strategy developed to meet your design objective - drawings that show the following: 1) floor plan(s) of your building at 1:200 scale 2) one elevation and one section of the building that best describes main features of the design solution 3) one site plan that indicates the location of the building in relation to existing buildings in the college site. a detailed site plan showing the ground floor plans of the individual buildings is available on the essay competition website for reference, but you should produce a new drawing for the competition submission. 4) one perspective drawing of your building that highlights your design intention and shows the placement of a new building in relation to existing college buildings nearby. classics fitzwilliam college ancient world and classics essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. do ancient audiences / readers / listeners matter to our interpretations of ancient texts discuss with reference to any text or texts of your choice. 2. why do we need new translations of ancient texts discuss with reference to any text or texts of your choice. 3. “the ancient world was more concerned with controlling nature than conserving it.” discuss with reference to any area or period of your choice. 4. when does childhood end in the ancient world discuss with reference to any area or period of your choice. 5. why does aristotle say that people are ‘political animals’ was he right 6. how important was trade with the near east and / or egypt in any period of your choice english trinity college gould prize for essays in english literature trinity college launched the gould prize for essays in english literature in 2013. this is an annual competition for year 12 or lower 6th students. the prize has been established from a bequest made by dr dennis gould in 2004 for the furtherance of education in english literature. candidates are invited each year to submit an essay of between 1,500 and 2,500 words on a topic to be chosen from the list of questions. newnham college the woolf essay prize n 1928, virginia woolf addressed the newnham arts society on the subject of ‘women and fiction’, and from this talk emerged her seminal text, a room of one’s own. a room of one’s own raises a number of questions surrounding the place of women in society and culture, and the competition allows students to contemplate these themes and ideas while developing the independent research and writing skills essential to university-level study. 2021-22 questions: 1. ‘only the fellows and scholars are allowed here; the gravel is the place for me.’ how have female writers been inspired by limitations placed on their educational experiences you may discuss historical or modern-day examples. 2. ‘a woman might write letters while she was sitting by her father’s sick-bed. she might write them by the fire whilst the men talked without disturbing them’. how might letters add to our understanding of female writers and their work you may discuss the letters of any female author, poet or playwright. 3. ‘anonymity runs in their blood. […] they are not even now as concerned about the health of their fame as men are, and speaking generally, will pass a tombstone or a signpost without feeling an irresistible desire to cut their names into it’. should the women of the past be commemorated in a different manner to their male counterparts explain. queen’s college the estelle prize for english queens' college invites submissions for the english prize 2021, which will be awarded to the best essay submitted by a year 12 (lower sixth form) student. essays must be less that 2500 words., fitzwilliam college history essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 brief: fitzwilliam college traces its origins to 1869, when the university of cambridge launched an initiative to facilitate access to higher education for the many students who could not afford the costs of college membership. the initiative was part of the broader transformation of education in britain, as the changes wrought by industrialisation and urbanisation created a need to cater for a growing, increasingly diverse and literate population. earlier decades had already witnessed the establishment of king’s college london, durham university, and the university of london, for instance, and colleges for women were beginning to open in cambridge and oxford. these radical social and economic changes were themselves connected to the intensification of globalisation in the second half of the nineteenth century, which placed britain at the heart of an ever-tighter web of economic relations between the world’s continents. but the same year also witnessed the birth of mohandas – later mahatma – gandhi, who would come to challenge britain’s colonial rule and lead india on the path to independence; the death of alphonse de lamartine, the poet and politician who had proudly proclaimed france’s second republic in 1848, but whose final years were lived under the more authoritarian second empire; the marriage of emperor meiji, which consolidated japan’s monarchy as the country began a new process of industrialisation; and the establishment by susan b. anthony and elizabeth cady stanton of the national woman suffrage association in a united states still recovering from the civil war. in 1869, as throughout history, old and new worlds collided. we invite applicants to examine, in their essays, a topic of their choice, connected to the changes taking place in or around the year 1869. essays may focus on a particular event, a person, a political movement, or even a process of social, economic or cultural change, but they should consider the interaction of ‘old’ and ‘new’ forces which the chosen topic illuminates. fitzwilliam college rosemary horrox medieval world essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. how can the study of dead languages help us understand medieval cultures 2. what qualities made heroes heroic and villains villainous in medieval literature 3. how far do medieval texts give us any cause for optimism in their presentation of gender 4. did the european middle ages witness the “invention of race” 5. were war and/or rebellion the defining features of medieval society 6. “medieval europe cannot be studied in isolation from the rest of the world”. do you agree trinity college robson history prize the robson history prize is an annual competition for year 12 or lower 6th students. the prize was established in 2007 in memory of the historian robert robson, who was for many years a fellow and tutor at trinity. the aims of the robson prize are twofold: firstly, to encourage ambitious and talented year 12 or lower sixth students considering applying to university to read history or a related discipline; and secondly, to recognize the achievements both of high-calibre students and of those who teach them. 2022 questions: the robson history prize for 2022 had 94 questions in the categories of british history, european history, world history, and historiography, so head to the website for the full list. newnham college history essay prize the newnham history essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at uk state school. essays should be between 1500 and 2500 words. 2021-22 questions: 1. ‘historians shouldn’t be political pundits’. discuss 2. can the history of clothing tell us about anything other than changes in fashion 3. is historical change driven by great individuals, land economy fitzwilliam college land economy essay competition this essay competition is for students in year 21 or equivalent; limit of 2500 words. 2022 questions: 1. do you believe that environmentalist civil society organisations, such as extinction rebellion and greenpeace, can be effective at pushing governments to adopt environmental policies aimed at addressing the climate and ecological crises 2. ‘territorial inequality between different parts of the uk is extremely high. this undermines the principle of equality of opportunities, because individuals’ life chances crucially depend on where one happens to be born and raised.’ discuss, possibly drawing on examples from your own area of residence. 3. some argue that the covid-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the fate of inner cities and, in the future, expensive, commuter-driven urban cores will decline in favour of less compact/dense areas such as towns and the countryside. do you agree, law trinity college robert walker prize for essays in law the prize is named after an honorary fellow of the college, lord walker of gestingthorpe, a retired justice of the supreme court and former law student at trinity. essays can be of any length up to 2,000 words (including footnotes). 2022 question: ‘what responsibilities in connection with the environment and sustainability, if any, should the law assign to owners and to occupiers of land’, linguistics trinity college linguistics essay prize this annual essay competition aims to raise awareness of the systematic study of language as an interesting and multifaceted subject in and of itself. the competition is open to all students with an interest in how language works regardless of the specific subjects they are currently studying at a-level (or similar qualification). for example, it may be of interest to students taking a-levels in modern languages, english language or classics, but also to students taking psychology or mathematics. 2022 topic: ‘people who speak two or more languages or dialects sometimes switch between them within the same conversation, and even within the same sentence. what reasons make people switch languages (or dialects) why is this interesting for linguists should linguists prescribe if switching is good or bad’, philosophy trinity college philosophy essay prize the philosophy essay prize is open to year 12 or lower 6th students. the aim of the prize is to encourage able sixth formers to pursue their interest in philosophy, with the hope that they will be encouraged to read this or related subjects at university. 2022 questions: - which philosophical insight that you have come across in your life so far has been the most important one for you - what is the difference between knowledge and understanding - is truth a human invention newnham college philosophy essay prize the newnham philosophy essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. it is designed to give students the opportunity to think and write about philosophy and philosophical matters in the broadest sense, while developing their independent study and writing skills. through exposure to the type of work they might be expected to do at cambridge, newnham hope to encourage philosophy applicants to the university – and hopefully to newnham, where women’s history and educational excellence are, of course, central. 2021-22 question: ‘sentences such as “a good oak tree has deep roots” can be true, and true irrespective of anybody’s opinion. in other words, such sentences can be objectively true. now, the word “good” doesn’t change its meaning just because it’s being applied to members of one species rather than another. so, sentences such as “a good human being is kind” can be objectively true as well.’ should we be convinced by this kind of argument for the objectivity of ethical judgements, politics trinity college r.a. butler politics prize the objectives of the r.a. butler prize are twofold. firstly, it aims to encourage students with an interest in modern politics and world affairs to think about undertaking university studies in politics, international studies or a related discipline; it is not limited to those already studying these subjects or indeed other social sciences. secondly, its intention is to recognise the achievements both of high-calibre students and of those who teach them. essays can be up to 3,000 words, including all footnotes and references but excluding the bibliography. 2022 questions: - whom do elected representatives, in practice, represent - are the police institutionally discriminatory -  is it ever legitimate for one country to invade another - should countries be punished for the actions of their leaders - do international regional organisations offer the best prospects for cooperation between states in the contemporary world - are international organisations biased towards the interests of wealthy countries - what should the uk be doing to help refugees - should every family own its own home - what statues should come down, and which (if any) should stay up - what policies should the uk government be implementing to ensure it meets its commitments made at the un climate change conferences, maths newnham college philippa fawcett mathematics essay prize the philippa fawcett mathematics prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying mathematics, statistics or further mathematics but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions below. submissions should comply with the following: • 4-6 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography • 12 point font minimum • 2 cm margins minimum • 2500 words max. 2021-22 questions: 1. how does mathematics protect your privacy online 2. what are the most fascinating aspects behind the mathematics of music discuss how mathematics is related to the theory of musical structures and/or instruments. 3. mathematics and climate change: what role do you think mathematics can play in guiding policy makers and in helping public understanding, medicine newnham college medicine prize the newnham college medicine prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a maintained sector uk school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying biology and chemistry, but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions below. submissions should comply with the following: • 6 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography • 12 point font minimum • 2 cm margins minimum • 1500-2500 words total (including footnotes and figure captions, but excluding bibliography) 2021-22 questions: 1. how realistic is it to develop a small molecule therapy for covid-19 could such a therapy be rolled out in a timeframe that it could have an impact on the current pandemic 2. sleep deprivation in clinical health settings. does it matter 3. looking to the future. will stem cell therapies be outpaced by machine-brain interfaces for the treatment of retinal disease, music newnham college music essay prize the newnham music essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a maintained sector uk school. it is designed to give students the opportunity to think and write about music in its broadest context, while developing their independent study and writing skills. 2021-22 questions: 1) how have improvements in transport and communications infrastructure affected the history of music – and in what ways might they do so in future 2) evaluate the challenges and opportunities presented to musical culture in a time of global pandemic. 3) in some ways music can be thought of as the ultimate interdisciplinary subject, but it is also highly specialised in other respects. examine this paradox in the context of the debate about music’s role in primary and secondary education., sciences newnham college engineering essay prize the newnham engineering prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying physics, mathematics, further mathematics, chemistry, biology, design and technology or economics, but they welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. 2021-22 questions: 1. what can engineers do to mitigate climate change - atmospheric levels of co2 are increasing and the world is waking up to the problem of climate change brought about by human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. as engineers, we have the skills and expertise to make a difference, providing technological solutions to reduce global carbon emissions. all engineering disciplines have a role to play and some areas are suggested below. (a) electric power generation and consumption. what are ‘renewable sources’ of electric power generation how do they work and what are their strengths and limitations are there any new sources being researched and developed that might provide solutions for the future could the uk generate all its electricity from renewable sources - how can we reduce our demand for electric power so that we don’t need to generate so much - there may be opportunities in both domestic and commercial/industrial consumption, e.g. energy efficient homes, energy-efficient manufacturing, low power consumer electronics. (b) transport. modern lifestyles involve a lot of transport, of people as well as goods. how energy-efficient are different modes of transport, and what is the potential for reducing their carbon footprint (c) construction. this sector is one of the biggest emitters of carbon globally. the carbon emissions arise from many sources, especially the huge amount of concrete used in construction projects but also including the energy to power machines. do we have any alternatives for materials or technology strategies to reduce these emissions (d) other engineering areas. technological solutions can be found in all engineering disciplines. you are encouraged to choose for the topic of your essay an example that interests you. 2. data and information engineering data and information engineering is being used everywhere around us. our life increasingly relies on data analysis, from the recent developments in the automotive sector to social media, from machine assisted surgery to law forensics. the data deluge provided by recent technological advances has made automation in data analysis necessary to identify hidden patterns of information within the considered datasets. it is also true that a fully automated world could bring new risks and dangers that did not exist even just a few years ago (e.g., the ethical dilemmas of self driving cars). write an essay on the major aspects of social awareness in ai development, and how this could impact: a) the health sector. b) government, democracy and policing. c) sustainable development. d) another major topic of your interest. you are encouraged to think about the engineering considerations related to some of these topics as well as the ethical considerations. what makes an algorithm particularly helpful or harmful newnham college biological sciences essay prize the newnham college biological sciences prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a uk state school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying biology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics, but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the titles overleaf. submissions should comply with the following: - 5 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography - 12 point font minimum - 2 cm margins minimum - 2500 words max. 2021-22 questions: 1. is biology in a reproducibility crisis 2. assess the contribution of artificial intelligence (ai) to recent scientific advances. 3. past and present: how has infection shaped the human genome newnham college computer science essay prize the computer science essay prize is open to all female students currently in year 12 (lower sixth) at a maintained sector uk school. the prize may be of particular interest to those studying computer science, mathematics, physics, or chemistry, but we welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects. entrants are invited to submit a response to any one of the questions overleaf. submissions should comply with the following: - 4-6 a4 sides maximum including all figures, diagrams, tables and bibliography - 12 point font minimum - 2 cm margins minimum - 2500 words maximum 2021-22 questions: 1. is there a fundamental difference between self-driving cars and a "slaughter army" of killer drones 2. mobile phone apps are generally written by commercial entities for private gain. if you had the same resources to design one mobile phone app that would make the world better, what would it be and how would it work, get in touch.

Here at Oxbridge Applications we specialise in offering tailored, subject-specific advice to applicants every single day, all curated by a team of Oxbridge graduates who have all made the most of the process themselves. For more details about how we can support you in your application, email [email protected] , or call us on +44 (0)20 7499 2394 .

Related Content

Admissions tests: the thinking skills assessment (tsa), will my admissions test ask me for any specific knowledge, how to become a lateral thinker.

Our Oxbridge-graduate consultants are available between 9.00 am – 5.00 pm from Monday to Friday, with additional evening availability when requested.

• Tel: +44 (0) 20 7499 2394
• Email: [email protected]

Oxbridge Applications, 58 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AJ

• Private Oxbridge Application Consultation
• Oxbridge Personal Statement Support Package
• Oxbridge Mock Interview Preparation and Support
• Personal Statement Workshop and Checks
• Schools Mock Interviews – Online and In-School
• Teacher Training Workshops – Online and In-School
• Oxbridge Preparation Days – Online and In-School
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Safeguarding & Child Protection
• Company Registration Number: 3757054

Recently Updated Blogs

Blog 10 things i wish i knew before i applied to oxbridge, blog how can i use chatgpt for my personal statement, blog overused topics and resources to avoid in your personal statement, blog what gcse grades do i need for oxbridge, blog how will my gcses impact my university applications, choosing a college, a slippery question, added to cart.

Bookings Open for Online Summer Courses

Essay Question 2024

Most outstanding essay 2024.

We are very pleased to announce that Ophelia Ridgwell has won the award for the Most Outstanding Essay 2024, with an essay on the subject of Engineering. She has won a free place on the Oxford Scholastica Academy (our sister organisation) Oxford Summer School 2024, worth £6,995. Congratulations Ophelia!

Her winning essay is available to read below.

Your Title Goes Here

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Blurring the boundaries between Medicine and Engineering: Biomedical Engineering.

Collaboration is fundamental to biomedical engineering. As a relatively new academic field, biomedical engineering is set to grow well beyond what has previously restricted the development of a field. By combining most areas of STEM, it is a prime example of what the future of academia will look like. Biomedical engineering creates a harmonious blend of knowledge and an opportunity where everyone is welcome—inviting both biologists and physics alike, to create products which will increasingly have an immense impact on everyday life.

Every day we take for granted products which have been created by biomedical engineers to enhance our everyday life. Without these products, global productivity would be impacted as our life expectancy would be significantly lower. Take as a seemingly small example, contact lenses. It is estimated that around 16% of Adults in the US rely on these daily, equating to 40.9 million people (Jennifer R. Cope, 2015). First conceived in 1801 by the scientist Thomas Young, the idea of contact lenses has existed for centuries (Brewer, 2022). However, it wasn’t until a breakthrough in the late 1950s that contact lenses were made accessible to a wider population. The key innovation being the development of a new material which was softer than the traditional glass-blown lenses (A Family Optician, 2017). This product revolutionized the field of optometry allowing those needing correction to their vision to go without glasses for the first time. Take another relevant example, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machines. Providing images of the human body in far more detail than is possible with an X-ray, MRIs are a critical instrument used within hospitals for the scanning of the brain, spinal cord, muscles and orthopedic injuries (National Institute of Health, n.d.). By using this machine, doctors can identify, treat and prevent injuries which could life life-threatening. Currently, it is said that over 150 million people have had MRI scans globally, with the technology only having been developed in the 1979s (ISMRM , 2023).

Subject Category Winners

Prizes 2024

Prizes include:

• Most Outstanding Essay (prize: a place on our sister organisation, the Oxford Scholastica Academy’s residential Oxford summer school , worth £6,995)
• Best Essay for each subject category (prize: a place on an OxBright online course or internship , worth £995)
• Highly Commended (for the the top 20% of entries, who receive a Certificate of Achievement)

• Oxbridge Law 24/25 Entry
• Non-Oxbridge Law 24/25 Entry
• Oxford PPE 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge Economics 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge Modern Languages 24/25 Entry
• Cambridge Land Economy 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge Psychology 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge English 24/25 Entry
• Oxford Human Sciences 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge History 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge Geography 24/25 Entry
• Cambridge Philosophy 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge Classics 24/25 Entry
• Cambridge Architecture 24/25 Entry
• Cambridge HSPS Programme 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge Medicine 24/25 Entry
• Oxford Biomedical Sciences 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge Engineering 24/25 Entry
• Cambridge Natural Science 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge Maths 24/25 Entry
• Oxbridge Computer Science 24/25 Entry
• Oxford Physics 24/25 Entry
• Oxford PPL 24/25 Entry
• Cambridge Veterinary Science 24/25 Entry
• Oxford Chemistry 24/25 Entry
• Oxford Biology 24/25 Entry
• Oxford Biochemistry 24/25 Entry
• Non-Oxbridge Medicine 24/25 Entry
• Non-Oxbridge Dentistry 24/25 Entry
• IMAT Medicine 24/25 Entry
• Can’t Find Your Subject?
• Law Interview Programme
• PPE Interview Programme
• Economics Interview Programme
• Oxbridge Medicine Interview Programme
• Natural Science Interview Programme
• Engineering Interview Programme
• Maths Interview Programme
• Dentistry Interview Programme
• Medicine MMI Interview Programme
• Our Guarantee

Our Students

Student Success Stories

• University Access Scheme
• New Tutor Application Form
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How Does It Work?

We have limited availability on our Oxbridge Programmes; a limited number of additional places have been opened until 16/09/24. Book a consultation here to enrol & secure your place.

We have limited places on our Oxbridge Programmes. Due to high demand, we have opened extra places which are available until the 16th of September 2025. Book a consultation here to enrol & secure your place.

• +44 (0) 208 068 0438
• [email protected]

SCIENCE PROGRAMMES (25/26 ENTRY)

HUMANITIES PROGRAMMES (25/26 ENTRY)

GET STARTED

Can't find your subject?

OXFORD TESTS (25/26 ENTRY)

CAMBRIDGE TESTS (25/26 ENTRY)

MEDICINE TESTS (25/26 ENTRY)

View Our Free admissions guides & resources

How UniAdmissions Cracked The Oxbridge Formula

Applying for Oxbridge is an opportunity seldom approached correctly. So how do you enter the top 16% of a strong cohort of applicants that get an offer? Discover how UniAdmissions get 2/3 of our students in.

2024 UCAT Exam Structure: Sections & Timings

The UCAT is divided into five sections, each containing a set of questions that need to be answered within a specific time limit. Discover what these sections entail and what to anticipate during the test.

Inside The UniAdmissions Portal: The UA Advantage

UniAdmissions students have access to the world's first dedicated Oxbridge admissions preparation platform, and this guide will help you discover exactly how the Portal will help you get your offer.

Discover all guides

ABOUT UNIADMISSIONS

Learn about who the world's first Oxbridge prep school are.

Learn about the Portal; the heart of our Programmes.

UniAdmissions' Foundation

The Foundation is our charitable arm to support disadvantaged students.

Students & Tutors

Discover who a UniAdmissions student is and our admissions criteria.

Learn about our high-performing Oxbridge tutors.

We're proud of our alumni. Read about their journey with UniAdmissions here.

Admissions Resources

Free Admissions Guides

Visit our Learning Centre and read our in-depth free guides.

We are the world's biggest Oxbridge application publisher. Learn more here.

Teachers Learning Hub

Learn about how to help your students get their place at Oxbridge.

Get Started

• Access Student Portal
• Oxbridge Programmes
• Open Day Webinar
• Tutor Application Form
• Common Questions
• Download Our Prospectus
• Academic Competitions for Oxbridge Applicants: A Teacher’s Guide

Author: Matthew Amalfitano-Stroud

19th April 2024

Table of Contents

If your students are looking to take part in something that will give them valuable learning experiences and something impressive to put on their Personal Statement, then you should introduce them to the world of academic competitions, particularly those run by Oxford and Cambridge. 

Oxbridge applicants need to find ways to make themselves stand out from their competition, whether it’s through work experience, volunteering or research projects. However, one option that many applicants won’t be aware of is to apply for and take part in an academic competition. 

The benefits of taking part in these competitions are numerous even without winning, so this guide will show you some of the best competitions that you can recommend to your cohort. First, let’s take some time to discuss what these competitions are and why applicants should take part in them. 

What Are Academic Competitions?

Academic competitions are events or contests that assess participants’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in specific academic subjects or disciplines. These competitions often involve challenging tests, projects, presentations, or debates that require participants to demonstrate their understanding, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills within a particular academic field.

Academic competitions are organised at all levels, including local, regional, national, and even international levels. Generally speaking, there are competitions that cover a wide range of subjects, such as mathematics, science, literature, history, social sciences, computer science, and more. These competitions aim to promote academic excellence, foster intellectual curiosity, and provide opportunities for students to showcase their talents and achievements in their respective fields of study.

What Types of Academic Competitions are there?

Across the world, these are some of the most popular types of academic competitions that students can take part in: 

STEM Academic Competition Types

Math Competitions: Math competitions assess participants’ problem-solving skills, mathematical reasoning, and ability to apply concepts in challenging scenarios. Examples include the Mathematical Olympiad, MathCounts, and the International Mathematical Modeling Challenge.

Science Olympiads: Science Olympiads focus on different branches of science, such as physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, or environmental science. Participants may have to solve complex problems, conduct experiments, or demonstrate practical knowledge in these fields.

Robotics and Engineering Competitions: These competitions focus on designing, building, and programming robots using a variety of materials to complete specific tasks or challenges. Examples include FIRST Robotics Competition, VEX Robotics Competition and the International RoboCup.

Humanities Academic Competition Types

Model United Nations: Model United Nations (MUN) simulations involve participants representing countries or delegates in mock United Nations assemblies. They discuss and debate global issues, develop diplomatic skills, and engage in public speaking.

Language Competitions: Language competitions test participants’ proficiency in languages, such as spelling bees, vocabulary challenges, translation contests, or language proficiency exams like the DELE (Spanish) or DELF (French).

General Academic Competition Types

Quiz Bowls: These competitions involve teams or individuals answering questions in a fast-paced quiz format. They cover a wide range of subjects, including general knowledge, science, history, literature, and more. These will often be formatted into multiple rounds. 

Writing and Debating Contests: These competitions evaluate participants’ abilities in written composition, persuasive speaking, and critical thinking. They often involve essay writing, speech competitions, or debates on specific topics.

Academic Decathlons: Academic Decathlons are multi-disciplinary competitions that cover a wide range of subjects, including math, science, literature, social sciences, art, and music. Participants compete individually or as part of a team in written exams, speeches, interviews, and other activities.

Some of these competition types aren’t always that common to find in the UK, so here are some of the most well-known competition types that your students can take part in: 

UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Challenges : The UKMT organizes a range of mathematics challenges for different age groups, including the Junior Mathematical Challenge, Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, Senior Mathematical Challenge, and the British Mathematical Olympiad.

British Physics Olympiad : The British Physics Olympiad offers challenging physics competitions for students at different levels, such as the Physics Challenge, AS Challenge, A2 Challenge, and the British Physics Olympiad papers.

Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad : The Royal Society of Chemistry organizes the Chemistry Olympiad, which challenges students’ chemistry knowledge and problem-solving skills through a series of challenging exams.

Royal Society of Biology Olympiad : The Royal Society of Biology conducts an annual Olympiad to assess students’ biology knowledge and understanding at different levels, including the British Biology Olympiad and Biology Challenge.

National Science and Engineering Competition : Organized by the British Science Association, this competition invites students to present their science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) projects for a chance to showcase their creativity and innovation.

National Schools’ Debating Competitions: These competitions focus on debating skills and critical thinking. Examples include the English-Speaking Union (ESU) Schools Mace, Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition , and the Cambridge Union Schools’ Competition .

UK Linguistics Olympiad : The UK Linguistics Olympiad offers competitions that test participants’ analytical and problem-solving skills in languages and linguistics.

Young Writers’ Competitions: Various organizations and publications in the UK host writing competitions for young writers, such as the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award .

Of course, these are all competitions held on a national level by large organisations. Be sure to keep an eye out for competitions at a local level as these will be easier for your students to take part in while still offering the benefits of taking part. Speaking of which, why should your applicants apply for these competitions? Let’s find out. 

Claim Your FREE Oxbridge Applications Resource Pack

Gain access to our 12-Document Oxbridge Resource Pack, which includes our Oxbridge Competitions handout for students and many more helpful Oxbridge tools. The resource pack includes handouts , templates , lesson plans and much more, helping you prepare your students through each step of the Oxbridge admissions process. Fill out the form below and gain instant access.

Why Should Students Take Part In Academic Competitions?

As a teacher, you most likely already understand why students should be taking part in these competitions. However, they require a lot of time and effort and can often involve travel and other expenses. To a student, it may not seem worth it to do all this when they could spend their time studying for exams or taking part in volunteering and work placements for their personal development.  

These competitions aren’t for everyone but they should appeal to Oxbridge applicants. If they wish to attend Oxford or Cambridge, your students need to be motivated, inquisitive and have the desire to seek out opportunities and immerse themselves in their subject. Academic competitions are a great way to not only satisfy those traits but also impress the Oxbridge admissions tutors in the process. These are some of the top reasons for competing that your students should be aware of:

Application Advantages

The first and most obvious reason is the boost that the average application will receive when a student takes part in a competition. As we already mentioned, taking part in an academic competition is hard work, before even considering that most competitors will be doing this alongside their regular studies and potentially their university applications. 

A student who can follow through and complete a competition will have already shown a great deal of commitment to their subject on top of academic and time management skills. All of this will have already shown the admissions tutors at Oxbridge that the student is highly talented and has a genuine drive to study their subject. 

All of this is true no matter whether the student wins or not. Winning is obviously an even greater accolade to add to their resume, but simply entering a competition will provide a much-needed boost to their Personal Statement and interview discussion points. 

Extra Learning Experiences

Going into these competitions, a student isn’t going to know everything that comes up in the questions or everything that is required to complete a task. Therefore, they are going to learn plenty of new things when they take part. 

Whether it’s learning from error, researching issues that they had no prior knowledge of or discovering things from other contestants, they are sure to learn at least one interesting fact or new skill that will help them in their Oxbridge application.

Developing Teamwork Skills

Many competitions will see groups of contestants compete together rather than individually, so this is the perfect chance for your students to improve their camaraderie and teamwork skills. Sometimes contestants will need to apply as a team while other competitions will group contestants at random on the day. 

Either way, your students will be able to learn valuable skills such as verbal reasoning, group ideation, management, compromising and more. As some students may already have a lot of experience in group work through sports and other activities, this will be their chance to practice those skills in a high-pressure academic environment. 

Confidence Building

For students who are unsure of their skills or feel they aren’t good enough to attend Oxbridge, an academic competition may be exactly what they need to show themselves that they have the capabilities to succeed. 

Of course, this does depend on whether the student actually does have the necessary skills to be competitive, but you should be able to determine this as their teacher and advise them towards taking part in a competition should you feel it will help. 

Even if the student doesn’t win, being able to submit a high-quality piece of work or hold their own in a debate should be proof that they are more than capable of attending their desired course. 

High-Level Academic Experience

Most of your students will have not experienced academia at a higher level than their classes, which is a far cry from what they will experience at Oxbridge. While academic competitions aren’t a one-to-one simulation of the Oxbridge learning environment, students will still be able to experience the competitiveness and intellectual inspiration of being among other academics.

Many competitions are a place to experiment with new ideas while learning from others, exactly as students are expected to act when studying at Oxford and Cambridge. While this may come naturally to some, others may have difficulty adjusting so attending a competition will give them the experience they need to be prepared for Oxbridge. 

Winning Prizes

Of course, the overall goal of a competition is to win. Other than the acclaim and title of doing so, winners may also be able to win a variety of prizes that could have a massive impact on their life going forwards. Some examples include: 

• Awards (Trophies, Certificates, etc)
• Cash Prizes
• Scholarships and Bursaries 
• Internships Opportunities 
• Publication Opportunities
• Equipment and Resources

So, if any of these perks seem appealing to your students then they should definitely consider taking part in an academic competition. As we are speaking about Oxbridge applicants, let’s take a look at what competitions are run by Oxford and Cambridge.

Become an Oxbridge expert with our free CPD-accredited course.

Includes 3 hours of content and knowledge quizzes.

Completely free for teachers and schools.

Upon completion, you will gain CPD points!

Oxbridge Academic Competitions

Oxford and Cambridge both host a wide variety of academic competitions, although they aren’t typically run by the universities as a whole. Instead, they are run by specific colleges, meaning many of the competitions are smaller scale. While this isn’t a comprehensive list of all Oxbridge competitions, we have selected some of the most well-known competitions that are aimed at Sixth Form students (and equivalents). Let’s start with the University of Oxford:

Oxford Academic Competitions

Oxford has a page available that is regularly updated with upcoming competitions , so be sure to check there to see what options your students have to enter. Here are some of the competitions that Oxford currently hold for students: 

The Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize

College: 

Competition Type

Competition Date: 

The Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize is an essay writing competition described as an opportunity for students to “write about a subject they are interested in” within the subject of philosophy. Students’ works are assessed by the following criteria:

• Originality of thought
• An accurate understanding of the issues
• Clarity of structure and expression
• And a critical approach to what has been read

The word limit for this essay is 2,500 and all submissions need to be sent digitally to [email protected] . Prizes available include £250 for the winner and £150 for the runner up. 

Theology Essay Competition

• 9th June (Deadline)

In the Theology Essay Competition , applicants must answer one of five questions relating to Theology. Answers are written as essays, with a maximum length of 1,500 words. It is stated that applicants must answer these questions individually and schools should submit no more than three essays. 

The essays are marked by a panel of theologians who are looking for “carefully researched, well-structured and well-presented” that also demonstrate verbal reasoning and critical awareness. The prize for the best essay is £300, with smaller prizes sometimes given to runner-ups.

The Oxford Scientist Schools’ Science Writing Competition

In this Science Writing Competition , run by the University of Oxford’s independent science magazine, students must write an essay based on a prompt relating to science. Previous questions have been fairly topical, tackling topics like COVID-19 and climate change, so your students should be sure to keep an eye on current trends in science if they wish to enter this competition. 

The essay must not exceed 700 words and the judges will be looking for quality in “topic, relevance, writing style and grammar, interest to a general audience, and factual accuracy”. Prizes for the winning essay change from year-to-year. 

The University of Oxford is less prolific when it comes to its annual competitions, although it does still run a wide variety of one-off competitions throughout the year. Be sure to check their website regularly to stay up to date on the current competitions that are underway. 

The University of Cambridge holds a lot more annual competitions, many of which are handled by Trinity College, so let’s take a look at some of them: 

Cambridge Academic Competitions

Gould prize for essays in english literature.

• 1st August (Deadline)
• Year 12/Lower Sixth

The Gould Prize was established in 2013 and sees applicants answer one of several questions. These questions can vary from analysis of passages to general statements to discuss. It is said that the award was created to increase students’ interest in reading, recognise achievements in writing and encourage students to apply for English at Cambridge. 

Essays can be between 1,500 and 2,500 words long and must be submitted via the entry form on the Trinity College website. The winner receives £600 while second place gets £400 although these cash prizes are split between the student and their school. 

Languages and Cultures Essay Prize

The Languages and Cultures Essay Prize sees students write an essay based on one of a series of topics relating to cultural and language-based topics. The prompts given to students include: 

“It is difficult to craft a form of protest using words that have been appropriated by power.” Discuss.

“It is easier to control the power and message of images than of words.” Discuss.

“Language is a more powerful indicator and agent of inclusion and/or exclusion than any image.” Discuss.

The essay must be a maximum of 3,000 words and should be submitted via an online application form. The top prize is £600 to be split between the student and their school, while 2nd place wins £400 with the same stipulation. 

Linguistics Essay Prize

Contestants of the Linguistics Essay Prize must write a 3,000-word essay discussing a prompt given by the college. There is only one prompt so applicants cannot choose what they answer. In 2023, the prompt is as follows:

“What are the implications for fairness or bias when an Artificial Intelligence system learns about language from online resources? Discuss with relevance to how language can be influenced by social variables such as age, race, gender, and social hierarchies.”

The college states that the competition is suitable for applicants from a wide variety of subjects, from Linguistics to Classics to Mathematics. Essays must be submitted via an online form on the college website, were students will also find a collection of free resources to help the research the topic of the essay. The prizes for this competition are £600 for 1st place and £400 for 2nd place, each split equally between the contestant and school.  

Philosophy Essay Prize

• 31st May (Deadline)

The Philosophy Essay Prize was created to encourage Sixth Formers to engage their interest in Philosophy in a way that will benefit their applications. Contestants must submit an essay discussing one of two prompts: 

“There is progress in science. Is there progress in philosophy, and is the field only successful if there is?”

“Can we love someone more than ourselves, and what does this imply about the human condition?”

Essays should be 2,000 words or less and should be submitted to the college via the online application form. The winner receives £600 to split equally between themselves and the school, while the runner-up receives £400 to also be split.

R.A. Butler Prize

The R.A. Butler Prize is an essay competition for those with an interest in Politics and International Studies. Contestants will write an essay that answers one of various questions provided by the organisers, where they will be expected to provide references in their work and “use a diverse selection of contemporary, historical or literary examples”. 

The essay should not exceed 3,000 words and needs to be submitted using an online application form. The top prize is £600, which will be shared between the student and their school. The second-place winner receives £400 under the same conditions.

Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law

• 11th April (Deadline)

As the name suggests, the Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law is aimed at students interested in Law. The award is named after Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe and was created to encourage students to explore their interests in Law and apply to study Law and Cambridge. Essays are judged by the “development of argument, the quality of expression and the appropriate use of supporting facts and material” .

The essay must be no longer than 2,000 words and should be submitted on the college website via an application form. There are winners in two divisions, UK and International, who each receive £300 for first place and £200 for runner-ups. As well as this, the top 10 writers from each division will be “invited to a Prize Ceremony at Trinity to see the College and to meet the Law Fellows” .

Robson History Prize

Like other Trinity College competitions, the Robson History Prize was created as a way to encourage students with an interest in History to interact with the subject and apply to study at Cambridge. Contestants must submit a 3,000-word essay answering one of over 60 available questions covering a wide variety of topics. Questions in 2023 include: 

“Why did divorce rise so dramatically over the course of the twentieth century in Britain?”

“Does the American constitution owe more to the ideas of whigs or of royalists?”

“What role did seventeenth-century natural philosophers regard experimentation as playing in natural science? Discuss with reference to one or more of Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, and Isaac Newton.”

“Why, and how effectively, did the Roman authorities persecute Christians?”

Essays should include all references within the bibliography and must be submitted via the online application form found on the website. The top prize is £600 to split between the student and their school while 2nd place receives £400 to split as well. 

Fitzwilliam College Architecture Design Competition

• Fitzwilliam
• 1st March (Deadline)

The Fitzwilliam College Architecture Design Competition is an annual competition for those interested in architecture. This is a design task that sees applicants aim to design a new building and present a full project including a title, design narrative and various sketches. In 2023, the task was to design a building within Fitzwilliam College that would act as a place for students and teachers to interact. Applicants must register to take part in this competition before submitting work via [email protected] .

Registered contestants are typically invited to campus in February for a guided tour of the college campus to provide visual inspiration for their designs. Submissions are then due at the beginning of March. The top prizes are £300 and £200 as well as £25 book vouchers to commended applicants. 

Girton College Humanities Writing Competition

The Girton College Humanities Writing Competition isn’t strictly an essay competition but is rather a general writing competition. Contestants are required to write a piece focusing on one or more items from the Lawrence Room Museum. It is stated that this can be written in multiple formats, be it an essay, a short story or a monologue. 

The top prize is £200 and up to £200 worth of Cambridge Press books which will be shared out between the winner and their school. 

As we said, this list only scratches the surface of the competition available at Oxbridge. As well as even more annual competitions, you will also find a wide variety of one-off competitions held throughout the year. We would recommend additional research with your students to find competitors for various colleges that relate to their subject of interest. 

If you want to learn more about what you, as a teacher should know about the university admissions process for Oxford and Cambridge, be sure to explore our Teacher’s Hub today for guides covering every step of your student’s application. Alternatively, you can find out how UniAdmissions can provide you with the ultimate preparation programme for your Oxbridge applicants through our unique and comprehensive formula. 

Other Helpful Oxbridge Resources

Free CPD-Accredited Oxbridge Counsellor Course

This free online course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to help your students secure a place at the world’s top universities. You’ll complete the course as an Oxbridge expert!

Teacher’s Oxbridge Learning Hub

Access all of our highly detailed written guides for teachers, as well as useful resources and information about our school support.

Continue learning about Oxbridge...

The oxford and cambridge application deadline 2024.

With so many steps within the Oxbridge application process, there are also many dates and deadlines that need to be…

Benefits of Tutoring: Why Should You Consider 1-1 Tuition?

One-to-one tuition is often seen as a premium form of academic support for exams, university applications and more. However, are…

Using AI To Study & Revise: What You Need To Know

Generative AI tools are more powerful than ever and have seemingly unlimited applications in real life. However, one area of…

Oxford & Cambridge GCSE Requirements: Are They Important?

When taking your GCSEs at school, you assume that these results are incredibly important and will be the key to…

Oxford Acceptance Rates 2023 – The Definitive Guide

As you may know, the University of Oxford is one of the hardest universities to get into in the world.…

Cambridge Acceptance Rates 2023 – The Definitive Guide

The University of Cambridge is notoriously difficult to get into, but we thankfully have data to understand exactly how difficult…

How would you like to speak to an Admissions Consultant?

• anjaliraghbeer
• Aug 12, 2023

Exploring the World of Oxbridge Essay Competitions: List of 10 Competitions and Subject Categories

Oxford and Cambridge, two prestigious universities located in the United Kingdom, are renowned for their rigorous academic standards and intellectual excellence. Among the many opportunities they offer, Oxbridge essay competitions stand out as a unique platform for students to showcase their critical thinking, research abilities, and passion for their chosen subjects. In this blog, we will delve into the world of Oxbridge essay competitions, providing you with 10 examples across various subject categories.

Humanities:

a) English Literature: The Oxford English Essay Prize invites students to explore literary themes, analyze texts, and develop well-structured arguments.

b) History: Cambridge's Historical Essay Competition covers a wide range of historical periods and encourages students to engage with primary and secondary sources.

Social Sciences:

a) Economics: The Marshall Society Essay Competition, organized by Cambridge, focuses on contemporary economic issues, requiring students to apply economic theories to real-world problems.

b) Politics and International Relations: The Oxford Political Review's Essay Competition offers students the chance to discuss political theories, analyze global events, and propose policy solutions.

a) Biological Sciences: The Oxford Biology Essay Competition explores topics such as genetics, ecology, and biotechnology, promoting critical thinking and scientific communication skills.

b) Physics: Cambridge's Woolf Essay Prize challenges students to delve into complex physics concepts, encouraging original thinking and clear explanations.

Mathematics and Computer Science:

a) Mathematics: The Oxford Mathematical Institute runs an essay competition that encourages students to explore mathematical concepts, solve problems, and present their findings concisely.

b) Computer Science: Cambridge's Computer Science Essay Prize asks students to tackle cutting-edge technological issues, discuss the social implications of computer science, and propose innovative solutions.

Philosophy and Theology:

a) Philosophy: The Oxford Philsoc Philosophy Essay Prize invites students to engage with philosophical ideas, argue for or against philosophical positions, and develop logical reasoning skills.

b) Theology: Cambridge's Theology and Religious Studies Essay Prize encourages students to explore religious texts, engage with theological debates, and critically analyze different religious traditions.

Creative Writing:

a) Poetry: The Oxford University Poetry Society's (OUPS) Poetry Competition invites aspiring poets to submit their original works, allowing them to express their creativity and showcase their poetic talent.

b) Short Story: Cambridge's The Thomas Campion English Prize for Creative Writing challenges students to craft compelling short stories, demonstrating their storytelling skills and imaginative prowess.

Conclusion:

Oxbridge essay competitions provide an exceptional opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of various subjects, refine their research and analytical skills, and engage with academia at a higher level. The examples mentioned above represent just a fraction of the wide range of competitions available across numerous disciplines. By participating in these competitions, students not only enhance their academic profiles but also gain valuable experience that prepares them for future studies and careers. So, if you have a passion for a particular subject, don't hesitate to explore the world of Oxbridge essay competitions and embark on an intellectual journey like no other.

Recent Posts

Early Decision vs. Early Action vs. Regular Decision: Decoding Your College Application Strategy!

Specialized Test Prep for MCAT: Mastering Your Path to Medical School

Expanded Scholarship Opportunities: Breaking Down Financial Barriers in Higher Education

Oxbridge Essay Competition Suggestions??

Quick Reply

Related discussions.

• Applying for History at Cambridge
• What can I do to boost my chances of getting into a good uni?
• Applying to PPE at Oxford Tips?
• Immerse education - is it legit or scam??
• Immerse education 2023 essay comp- anyone going to enter?
• Super-curricular activities
• Obsessed with Oxbridge?
• Cambridge economics
• Y11- economics at oxbridge?
• Economics Personal Statement
• Forgot to cite source in essay competition!
• Applying to American colleges as a Uk student
• Hoping to apply for Oxford from Ireland and wondering about my junior cycle?
• Economics Undergraduate at Oxbridge
• Retake year 12 (Hopes for Oxbridge)
• Could I go to Oxford?
• Would I be able to get into Oxbridge Law with these subjects?
• Your Supercurriculars for Oxbridge
• EXTRA AND SUPER SUPER-CURRICULARSS- pls help :) UNI

Last reply 22 hours ago

Last reply 1 day ago

Last reply 2 days ago

Last reply 4 days ago

Last reply 6 days ago

Last reply 1 week ago

Last reply 2 weeks ago

Last reply 3 weeks ago

Last reply 4 weeks ago

Last reply 1 month ago

Articles for you

A guide to the Oxbridge application process

The basics of applying to university: glossary of terms

Finding a university place in Ucas Clearing 2024: 10 top tips to help you get ready

Top 10 tips for Ucas Clearing 2024

Try out the app

Continue on web

Oxford Essay Competitions

Essay competitions are brilliant for a number of reasons!

You can use them to:

Here are some of the essay competitions currently open for submissions. Be sure to check any eligibility criteria, requirements and deadlines. This page will be updated when new competitions are announced, so check back regularly! The University also publishes a regularly updated page 🔗 on essay competitions.

Christ Church College, Tower Poetry Competition: English 🔗 🌟 This year, students aged 16-18 were invited to submit their original poetry based on the prompt ‘The Planets’. The competition offers a huge first prize of £3000! This year's competition closed at 12 noon on 24th February 2023. Remember to check back later in 2023 to find out when the 2024 deadline will be.

Oriel College, Lloyd David Philosophy Prize 🔗 Entrants are given a set of philosophical questions from which they will choose one to write an essay on. The judges look for evidence of originality, clarity and critical thinking. Check back to see when Applications open. You can read past winners' essays via the above link.

Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages Flash Fiction: French and Spanish 🔗 These are open to any secondary school students (aged 11 to 18) studying French and/or Spanish. You need to write a complete story in French or Spanish, using no more than 100 words! Deadline: 12 noon on 31 March 2023.

Did you spot a typo or formatting issue? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] .

• Application Process
• Open Days – 26th and 27th June 2024
• The Tutorial System
• Living in College
• Our Undergraduates
• Undergraduate Courses
• Fellows and Lecturers 2023-24
• Graduate Accommodation
• Graduate Funding
• Graduate Life
• Middle Common Room
• Apply for the Visiting Student Programme
• Working with teachers

Essay Competitions

• Kent Coast Runs & Other Events
• Quick Contact – The College Office
• Dates of Term & Move-in Dates
• Academic Feedback Form
• Degree Ceremonies
• Academic Transcripts, Letters & Certificates
• Academic Awards & Prizes
• Learning Development & Support Tutor
• Accessibility Guide
• Accident and Near-Miss Report Form
• Accommodation, Grounds & Facilities
• Discipline & Deans
• Chapel & Faith
• Health & Welfare
• IT Services
• Undergraduates
• Being at St Hugh’s
• Studying at St Hugh’s
• Making the most of St Hugh’s
• Emergencies
• Discover St Hugh’s
• The Buildings
• The Gardens
• The College Archive
• Whom to contact about……?
• Visiting the College
• The Lady Ademola Project
• Work For Us
• Our Community
• Staff Facilities
• The College Lodge
• Privacy & Data Protection
• Freedom of Information
• Accessibility Statement
• St Hugh’s College Shop
• Update Your Details
• Your Development Team
• Supporting the College
• Forthcoming Alumni Events
• Alumni Association
• 100 Years of Oxford Degrees for Women
• Alumni Communications
• Alumni News
• Celebration Events
• Meetings & Conferences
• Private Dining
• Accommodation
• The Conference & Events Team
• College Events

Home → Study Here → Outreach → Essay Competitions

St Hugh’s College runs annual Sixth Form Essay Competitions in the following subject areas: History, Classical Reception, PPE (Politics, Philosophy, and Economics), and Law. These prize competitions are a fantastic opportunity to explore a topic of interest in a particular subject in more depth – whether something you have studied at school has inspired you, or whether you are keen to broaden your horizons in a new academic discipline.

Please note that our 2024 Essay Competitions have now concluded. The competition winners and their essays can be found on the prize webpages accessed via the links below. Details of the 2025 competitions will be published in late January/early February 2025.

To find out more about these competitions, please visit the individual prize webpages using the links below:

Privacy Overview

Press Release

Nation’s longest running essay competition offers more than rm 200,000 bursaries and prizes.

Sunway Group’s highly anticipated Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition, which is the nation’s longest running English essay competition, is back for the ninth consecutive year with prizes worth up to RM200,000 in cash, bursaries, and Sunway PALS points to be won.

The Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition is the most popular of its kind in the country organised by Sunway Group, The Oxford and Cambridge Society Malaysia, Jeffrey Cheah Foundation and Sunway University, with support from Sunway PALS and fully endorsed by the Ministry of Education.

The competition aims to equip secondary-level students with skills such as English proficiency, critical reasoning, creativity, as well as emotional intelligence that will prepare them for their future.

The competition is open to all secondary school students studying the local syllabus and this year’s essays will revolve around the theme of ‘humility’. Participating students will be divided into Category A (Form 1 to 3 students) and Category B (Form 4 and 5 students).

Sunway Group Deputy Executive Chairman and Jeffrey Cheah Foundation trustee Tan Sri Datuk Seri Razman M. Hashim said, “This competition is part of the Group’s effort in nation-building to improve the quality of education across Malaysia by providing a fun and creative platform that allows them to develop a critical and innovative mindset, complete with the soft skills necessary for their future.

“We believe that we have a social responsibility to help advance the nation’s young minds for the betterment of our community,” he added.

This vision is encapsulated in the #SunwayforGood initiative that comprises three key pillars – education, healthcare and community enrichment. The Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition is an extension of that initiative and reflects the commitment Sunway has made to uphold the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education.

As per previous years, students will be required to submit their winning entries through the official portal, www.sunway.com.my/essay , starting 28 March to 29 April 2022 (by 1.00 pm).

Students under Category A (Form 1 to 3) will need to write a 200 to 350-word essay. The essay prompt is: “Malaysia is a country with religious diversity. Discuss how mutual respect can help people from different religious beliefs coexist harmoniously.”

Meanwhile, students from Category B (Form 4 and 5) will need to submit a 500 to 650-word essay. The prompt is: “Malaysia is a multiracial country. Make an argument for a more inclusive school that values the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of its students and outline the benefits this would bring.”

Sunway Education Group Chief Executive Officer Professor Elizabeth Lee said, “We hope the topics we have chosen this year cultivate the art of critical thinking, a highly sought-after skill in graduates and prospective hires. Over and above this, we hope to instil a sense of pride for our country and unity among races in our students.

“The digital age in the wake of COVID-19 has somewhat confined physical communications and social integration opportunities to the backseat. We need to provide the space for discussions such as these to take place to ensure Malaysia continues to be the melting pot of Asia,” she added.

Since its inception in 2014, more than 22,000 students have participated in the Sunway-Oxbridge Essay Competition, making it one of the most popular local literary contests.

Shortlisted participants in the first round will be invited to the on-site finals, an essay-writing assessment, on 23 July 2022 at Sunway Education Group institutions across Malaysia; Sunway University in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, Sunway College Ipoh, Sunway College Kuching and Sunway College, Johor Bahru.

Winners will be selected by a special panel of judges comprising representatives from the Ministry of Education, teachers from the Sunway Education Group Centre for English Language Studies (CELS) and Ms. Margaret Hall, Past President and Executive Committee Member of The Oxford and Cambridge Society.

The first prize consists of RM5,000 in cash, a Sunway bursary worth RM16,000, 10,000 Sunway PALS Points, an award certificate and a trophy.

The second prize – RM3,000 in cash, a Sunway bursary worth RM12,000, 10,000 Sunway PALS Points, an award certificate and a trophy.

The third prize – RM1,000 in cash, a Sunway bursary worth RM 8,000, 10,000 Sunway PALS Points, an award certificate and a trophy.

There are also 10 consolation prizes to be won, each consisting of RM500 in cash, a Sunway bursary worth RM5,000, 10,000 Sunway PALS Points, an award certificate and a medal.

The bursary can be used as tuition fee waiver for any pre-university programmes at Sunway College in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur.

Please do not alter, sell or redistribute the pictures. All pictures here belong to the Sunway Group.

Thank you for your subscription

Study with us | Schools liaison | What we do | Events and prizes | Rex Nettleford Essay Prizes: Colonialism and its Legacies

Rex Nettleford Prize for Year 12 Students: Essays on Colonialism and its Legacies

In November 2021, Oriel College inaugurated the Rex Nettleford Essay Prize for year 12 students.

The prize is intended to encourage students to engage with the legacies of colonialism in all its forms – historical, political, economic, social, cultural. Colonialism is a major theme in British history. Its legacies are all around us. By writing an essay for the prize, a student has an opportunity to uncover the enduring influence of colonialism in our society and culture and to address some of the difficult and uncomfortable questions that it poses.

Whilst interest in British colonialism and its legacy provides the specific context for these prizes, colonialism is an activity with a much longer and more geographically diverse extent. Essays can address any relevant aspect, historical phase, cultural manifestation or geographical centre of colonialism, ancient or modern.

The prizes will be awarded on the occasion of an annual lecture also on the topic of ‘Colonialism and its Legacies’, which will take place in Trinity Term (early summer).

The prizes and annual lecture series are dedicated to Oriel alumnus Rex Nettleford, in recognition of his distinguished contributions in the fields of scholarship, culture, and education.

Rex Nettleford

Ralston “Rex” Nettleford (3 February 1933 to 2 February 2010) was an author, academic, dancer, and activist.

Born in Falmouth, Jamaica, Nettleford grew up in the country and graduated with a degree in History from the University of the West Indies. In 1957, he received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oriel College, Oxford and obtained an MPhil in Political Science. He returned to Jamaica in order to take up a position at the University of the West Indies, where he was Vice-Chancellor from 1998 to 2004.

In his academic work, Nettleford focused on issues of cultural identity particularly in the wake of colonialism. He repeatedly stressed “the importance and force of the exercise of the creative intellect and the creative imagination […] in shaping a new and civilised society out of slavery, colonialism and their aftermath, and building democratic nations out of erstwhile colonial fiefdoms’; ‘for the arts are a form of action.”

Rules of the Competition

The Rex Nettleford Prize is an essay competition open to students in Year 12. The prize is £250.

The purpose of the Prize is:

• To promote awareness amongst students in Year 12 of issues relating to colonialism and its legacies.
• To encourage students in Year 12 to develop their abilities for independent research and thought.
• To support teachers of able pupils by providing interesting and challenging further work and by bringing such students into contact with Higher Education.
• To encourage able students to consider applying to study subjects in the Humanities and Social Sciences, either at Oxford or at another university, by giving them experience of the type of work involved.
• To recognise the effort and achievement of the most successful submissions by a prize and commendations.

Note: the judges will not able to provide feedback on submissions.

Assessment Criteria

• Entrants should be in Year 12 (or equivalent) at a UK school or college.
• Students must address a topic that is not directly related to their A level course.
• The judges will look for a clear grasp of issues addressed, clarity in structuring and presentation of the argument, a critical approach to primary and secondary source materials, and originality of thought.

How to Apply

• Essays should be no more than 2,500 words in length and should be on ONE of the given questions below.
• The candidate may answer the question they select from the perspective of any discipline of their choosing (e.g. History, English Literature, Economics, etc.) but they must indicate at the head of their essay which discipline they have chosen.
• Essays should be word processed and submitted to [email protected] . Submissions should be in PDF format and attached as a copy to email. Essays that are submitted as cloud files may not be considered.
• A font size not less than 12pt should be used; page margins should be set to no less than 2.54cm.
• Essays should be accompanied by a bibliography, which does not count towards the word limit.
• Entries must be sent with a completed entry form, which is available to download below.
• Submissions should be accompanied by a signed statement from a teacher that the essay is the student’s original, unaided work and that it does not directly relate to the syllabuses of the A level subjects they are studying.

Essays must be received by 12 midnight on Friday 15 th March 2024.

Prizes will be awarded at Oriel College on the occasion of the Rex Nettleford Lecture during Trinity term 2024.

Questions for the 2024 Competition

Candidates must answer ONE of the following questions. Candidates should feel free to focus their answer in terms of its historical period, geographical centre and cultural range.

• How have ideas about nature shaped the histories and legacies of colonialism?
• What role has education played in the history of colonialism? Discuss in terms of specific educational practices, institutions, or curricula.
• How, if at all, has ancient imperialism influenced modern imperialism?
• Pick an example of popular or vernacular culture (for example, a song, film, sartorial style, novel, poem, dance, dish, meme, etc.) and explain it in relation to the histories of colonialism. How does your chosen example represent, contest, reflect, or otherwise respond to some specific aspect of colonialism?

Discover the 2022 prize winners

Discover the 2022 Rex Nettleford prize winners

further information

Schools liaison and outreach, lloyd davies philosophy prize, about the rex nettleford prizes.

THE OXBRIDGE LAUNCHPAd

Winning essays 2023, joint winner : xanthe foster, biology, joint winner : lily blackhurst, law, runner-up : yemisi oguntimirin, politics, runner-up : hiyab gebremeskel, medicine, shortlist: varya mishra, medicine, shortlist: kitty langdon, classics, shortlist:  kevin vross, engineering, shortlist:  ilan cohen, economics, shortlist:  allegra cucos, law, shortlist:  yahya a, law, shortlist:  shahid grera, medicine.

Congratulations again to all who entered our 2023 essay competition! We hope you enjoyed researching your essays, and that it helps you with your UCAS applications this autumn. If you'd like the chance to be published here next year, and are state-educated 15-17 year old in the UK, watch this space for info in 2024!

Fall 2024 Admissions is officially OPEN.  Sign up for the next live information session here .

Discourse, debate, and analysis

Cambridge re:think essay competition 2024.

This year, CCIR saw  over 4,200 submissions  from more than 50 countries. Of these 4,200 essays, our jury panel, consists of scholars across the Atlantic, selected approximately 350 Honourable Mention students, and 33 award winners. 

The mission of the Re:think essay competition has always been to encourage critical thinking and exploration of a wide range of thought-provoking and often controversial topics. The hope is to create a discourse capable of broadening our collective understanding and generating innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. This year’s submissions more than exceeded our expectations in terms of their depth and their critical engagement with the proposed topics. The decision process was, accordingly, difficult. After  four rigorous rounds of blind review  by scholars from Cambridge, Oxford, Stanford, MIT and several Ivy League universities, we have arrived at the following list of award recipients:

Competition Opens: 15th January, 2024

Essay Submission Deadline: 10th May, 2024 Result Announcement: 20th June, 2024 Award Ceremony and Dinner at the University of Cambridge: 30th July, 2024

We welcome talented high school students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Entry to the competition is free.

About the Competition

The spirit of the Re:think essay competition is to encourage critical thinking and exploration of a wide range of thought-provoking and often controversial topics. The competition covers a diverse array of subjects, from historical and present issues to speculative future scenarios. Participants are invited to engage deeply with these topics, critically analysing their various facets and implications. It promotes intellectual exploration and encourages participants to challenge established norms and beliefs, presenting opportunities to envision alternative futures, consider the consequences of new technologies, and reevaluate longstanding traditions. 

Ultimately, our aim is to create a platform for students and scholars to share their perspectives on pressing issues of the past and future, with the hope of broadening our collective understanding and generating innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. This year’s competition aims to underscore the importance of discourse, debate, and critical analysis in addressing complex societal issues in nine areas, including:

Religion and Politics

Political science and law, linguistics, environment, sociology and philosophy, business and investment, public health and sustainability, biotechonology.

Artificial Intelligence 

Neuroengineering

2024 essay prompts.

This year, the essay prompts are contributed by distinguished professors from Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT.

Essay Guidelines and Judging Criteria

Review general guidelines, format guidelines, eligibility, judging criteria.

Awards and Award Ceremony

Award winners will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony and Dinner hosted at the King’s College, University of Cambridge. The Dinner is free of charge for select award recipients.

Registration and Submission

Register a participant account today and submit your essay before the deadline.

Advisory Committee and Judging Panel

The Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition is guided by an esteemed Advisory Committee comprising distinguished academics and experts from elite universities worldwide. These committee members, drawn from prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT, bring diverse expertise in various disciplines.

They play a pivotal role in shaping the competition, contributing their insights to curate the themes and framework. Their collective knowledge and scholarly guidance ensure the competition’s relevance, academic rigour, and intellectual depth, setting the stage for aspiring minds to engage with thought-provoking topics and ideas.

We are honoured to invite the following distinguished professors to contribute to this year’s competition.

The judging panel of the competition comprises leading researchers and professors from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford, engaging in a strictly double blind review process.

Keynote Speeches by 10 Nobel Laureates

We are beyond excited to announce that multiple Nobel laureates have confirmed to attend and speak at this year’s ceremony on 30th July, 2024 .

They will each be delivering a keynote speech to the attendees. Some of them distinguished speakers will speak virtually, while others will attend and present in person and attend the Reception at Cambridge.

The Official List of Re:Think 2024 Winners​

Gold Recipients

• Ishan Amirthalingam, Anglo Chinese School (Independent), Singapore, Singapore
• Arnav Aphale, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
• Anchen Che, Shanghai Pinghe School, Shanghai China
• Chloe Huang, Westminster School, London, United Kingdom
• Rose Kim, MPW Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
• Jingyuan Li, St. Mark’s School, Southborough, United States
• Michael Noh, Korea International School, Pangyo Campus, Seoul, Korea
• Aarav Rastogi, Oberoi International School JVLR Campus, Mumbai, India
• Yuseon Song, Hickory Christian Academy, Hickory, United States
• Aiqi Yan, Basis International School Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China

Silver Recipients

• John Liu, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, United States
• Sophie Reason, The Cheltenham Ladies College, Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Peida Han, Nanjing Foreign Language School, Nanjing, China
• Thura Linn Htet, Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar School, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
• Steven Wang, Radley College, Headington, United Kingdom
• Rainier Liu, Knox Grammar School, Sydney, Australia
• Anupriya Nayak, Amity International School, Saket, New Delhi, India
• Ming Min Yang, The Beacon School, New York City, United States
• Anna Zhou, Shanghai YK Pao School, Shanghai, China
• Yuyang Cui, The Williston Northampton School, Easthampton,United States

Bronze Recipients

• Giulia Marinari, Churchdown School Academy, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
• Christina Wang, International School of Beijing, Beijing, China
• Chuhao Guo, Shenzhen Middle School, Shenzhen, China
• Isla Clayton, King’s College School Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom
• Hanqiao Li, The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
• He Hua Yip, Raffles Institution, Singapore, Singapore
• Wang Chon Chan, Macau Puiching Middle School, Macau, Macau, China
• Evan Hou, Rancho Cucamonga High School, Rancho Cucamonga, United States
• Carson Park, Seoul International School, Seongnam-si, Korea
• Sophie Eastham, King George V Sixth Form College, Liverpool, United Kingdom

The Logos Prize for Best Argument

• Ellisha Yao, German Swiss International School Hong Kong, Mong Kok, Hong Kong, China

The Pathos Prize for Best Writing

Isabelle Cox-Garleanu, Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School, Frontenac, United States

The Ethos Prize for Best Research

Garrick Tan, Harrow School, Harrow on the Hill, United Kingdom

Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Is gene therapy better than traditional medicines? What are the pros and cons of using gene therapy as a medicine? Is gene therapy justifiable?

Especially after Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, gene therapy is getting more and more interesting approach to cure. That’s why that could be interesting to think about. I believe that students will enjoy and learn a lot while they are investigating this topic.

The Hall at King’s College, Cambridge

The Hall was designed by William Wilkins in the 1820s and is considered one of the most magnificent halls of its era. The first High Table dinner in the Hall was held in February 1828, and ever since then, the splendid Hall has been where members of the college eat and where formal dinners have been held for centuries.

The Award Ceremony and Dinner will be held in the Hall in the evening of  30th July, 2024.

Stretching out down to the River Cam, the Back Lawn has one of the most iconic backdrop of King’s College Chapel. 

The early evening reception will be hosted on the Back Lawn with the iconic Chapel in the background (weather permitting). 

King’s College Chapel

With construction started in 1446 by Henry VI and took over a century to build, King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and is a splendid example of late Gothic architecture. 

Attendees are also granted complimentary access to the King’s College Chapel before and during the event. 

Confirmed Nobel Laureates

Dr Thomas R. Cech

The nobel prize in chemistry 1989 , for the discovery of catalytic properties of rna.

Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, suggesting that life might have started as RNA. He found that RNA can not only transmit instructions, but also that it can speed up the necessary reactions.

He also studied telomeres, and his lab discovered an enzyme, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is part of the process of restoring telomeres after they are shortened during cell division.

As president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he promoted science education, and he teaches an undergraduate chemistry course at the University of Colorado

Sir Richard J. Roberts

The nobel prize in medicine 1993 .

F or the discovery of split genes

During 1969–1972, Sir Richard J. Roberts did postdoctoral research at Harvard University before moving to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was hired by James Dewey Watson, a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and a fellow Nobel laureate. In this period he also visited the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology for the first time, working alongside Fred Sanger. In 1977, he published his discovery of RNA splicing. In 1992, he moved to New England Biolabs. The following year, he shared a Nobel Prize with his former colleague at Cold Spring Harbor Phillip Allen Sharp.

His discovery of the alternative splicing of genes, in particular, has had a profound impact on the study and applications of molecular biology. The realisation that individual genes could exist as separate, disconnected segments within longer strands of DNA first arose in his 1977 study of adenovirus, one of the viruses responsible for causing the common cold. Robert’s research in this field resulted in a fundamental shift in our understanding of genetics, and has led to the discovery of split genes in higher organisms, including human beings.

Dr Aaron Ciechanover

The nobel prize in chemistry 2004 .

F or the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation

Aaron Ciechanover is one of Israel’s first Nobel Laureates in science, earning his Nobel Prize in 2004 for his work in ubiquitination. He is honored for playing a central role in the history of Israel and in the history of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Dr Ciechanover is currently a Technion Distinguished Research Professor in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute at the Technion. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Russian Academy of Sciences and is a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was a visiting Distinguished Chair Professor at NCKU, Taiwan. As part of Shenzhen’s 13th Five-Year Plan funding research in emerging technologies and opening “Nobel laureate research labs”, in 2018 he opened the Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen campus.

Dr Robert Lefkowitz

The nobel prize in chemistry 2012 .

F or the discovery of G protein-coupled receptors

Robert Joseph Lefkowitz is an American physician (internist and cardiologist) and biochemist. He is best known for his discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family G protein-coupled receptors, for which he was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Brian Kobilka. He is currently an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University.

Dr Lefkowitz made a remarkable contribution in the mid-1980s when he and his colleagues cloned the gene first for the β-adrenergic receptor, and then rapidly thereafter, for a total of 8 adrenergic receptors (receptors for adrenaline and noradrenaline). This led to the seminal discovery that all GPCRs (which include the β-adrenergic receptor) have a very similar molecular structure. The structure is defined by an amino acid sequence which weaves its way back and forth across the plasma membrane seven times. Today we know that about 1,000 receptors in the human body belong to this same family. The importance of this is that all of these receptors use the same basic mechanisms so that pharmaceutical researchers now understand how to effectively target the largest receptor family in the human body. Today, as many as 30 to 50 percent of all prescription drugs are designed to “fit” like keys into the similarly structured locks of Dr Lefkowitz’ receptors—everything from anti-histamines to ulcer drugs to beta blockers that help relieve hypertension, angina and coronary disease.

Dr Lefkowitz is among the most highly cited researchers in the fields of biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical medicine according to Thomson-ISI.

Dr Joachim Frank

The nobel prize in chemistry 2017 .

F or developing cryo-electron microscopy

Joachim Frank is a German-American biophysicist at Columbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson. He also made significant contributions to structure and function of the ribosome from bacteria and eukaryotes.

In 1975, Dr Frank was offered a position of senior research scientist in the Division of Laboratories and Research (now Wadsworth Center), New York State Department of Health,where he started working on single-particle approaches in electron microscopy. In 1985 he was appointed associate and then (1986) full professor at the newly formed Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University at Albany, State University of New York. In 1987 and 1994, he went on sabbaticals in Europe, one to work with Richard Henderson, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the other as a Humboldt Research Award winner with Kenneth C. Holmes, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. In 1998, Dr Frank was appointed investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Since 2003 he was also lecturer at Columbia University, and he joined Columbia University in 2008 as professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of biological sciences.

Dr Barry C. Barish

The nobel prize in physics 2017 .

For the decisive contributions to the detection of gravitational waves

Dr Barry Clark Barish is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves.

In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”. He said, “I didn’t know if I would succeed. I was afraid I would fail, but because I tried, I had a breakthrough.”

In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university’s second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.

In the fall of 2023, he joined Stony Brook University as the inaugural President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics.

In 2023, Dr Barish was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Biden in a White House ceremony.

Dr Harvey J. Alter

The nobel prize in medicine 2020 .

For the discovery of Hepatitis C virus

Dr Harvey J. Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis” caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.

Dr Alter has received recognition for the research leading to the discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award conferred to civilians in United States government public health service, and the 2000 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.

Dr Ardem Patapoutian

The nobel prize in medicine 2021 .

For discovering how pressure is translated into nerve impulses

Dr Ardem Patapoutian is an Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterising the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature. Dr Patapoutian is a neuroscience professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with David Julius.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I participate in the Re:think essay competition? 

The Re:think Essay competition is meant to serve as fertile ground for honing writing skills, fostering critical thinking, and refining communication abilities. Winning or participating in reputable contests can lead to recognition, awards, scholarships, or even publication opportunities, elevating your academic profile for college applications and future endeavours. Moreover, these competitions facilitate intellectual growth by encouraging exploration of diverse topics, while also providing networking opportunities and exposure to peers, educators, and professionals. Beyond accolades, they instil confidence, prepare for higher education demands, and often allow you to contribute meaningfully to societal conversations or causes, making an impact with your ideas.

Who is eligible to enter the Re:think essay competition?  

As long as you’re currently attending high school, regardless of your location or background, you’re eligible to participate. We welcome students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Is there any entry fee for the competition? 

There is no entry fee for the competition. Waiving the entry fee for our essay competition demonstrates CCIR’s dedication to equity. CCIR believes everyone should have an equal chance to participate and showcase their talents, regardless of financial circumstances. Removing this barrier ensures a diverse pool of participants and emphasises merit and creativity over economic capacity, fostering a fair and inclusive environment for all contributors.

Subscribe for Competition Updates

If you are interested to receive latest information and updates of this year’s competition, please sign up here.