Deadline: May 1, 2017
The Royal Commonwealth Society is now accepting entries for The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2017 with the theme: A Commonwealth for Peace. Interested in current issues? Want to EXPRESS YOUR ideas globally? Ready to write about it? This competition is f0r you.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest schools’ international writing competition, established in 1883. It is an important way for the young voice of the Commonwealth to be developed and heard. This year’s theme asks young writers to explore the meaning, process and importance of peace in the Commonwealth and beyond.
Topics
Junior Category
- What is in your Toolbox for Peace?
- My peaceful place.
- How can children and young people come together to build a peaceful society?
- ‘Peace cannot be learnt from a book or from religion. You have to reach out and touch the nations.’ How does this relate to the Commonwealth?
Senior Category
- Peace.
- Should you fight for peace?
- Kofi Annan said ‘Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name.’ Do you agree? Answer with reference to your country and/or the Commonwealth.
- What is the cost of peace?
Prizes and Benefits
- All entrants receive a Certificate of Participation
- One Winner and Runner-up from the Senior and Junior categories will win a trip to London for a week-long series of educational and cultural events culminating in a special Awards Ceremony.
- A number of Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards will be given in both the Senior and Junior categories, rewarding excellence in writing.
- All entrants will receive a Certificate of Participation.
Eligibility
- The competition is open to nationals or residents of all Commonwealth countries and territories. Note: Special dispensation applies to entrants from Hong Kong, Ireland, The Gambia and Zimbabwe, who are entitled to enter the competition.
- Entrants must select a Senior or Junior topic depending on their age on 1st May 2017. Senior entrants must be born between 2nd May 1998 and 1st May 2003 (14-18) and Junior entrants must be born after 1st May 2003 (under 14 years of age).
Essay Requirements
- The maximum word counts are 1,500 words for Senior entries and 750 words for Junior entries. These word limits apply to all topics and all formats (essay, poem, letter, etc). Exceeding the word count will result in automatic disqualification.
- Entries must be written in English.
- Only one essay per entrant is allowed. Once an essay is submitted, students/teachers will not have the opportunity to revise it. Please carefully check and improve your writing before submitting the final copy, and also ensure that all supplementary information is filled in correctly (name, contact details, topic number, etc.)
- Plagiarism: Every year a number of students are disqualified because they are suspected of plagiarism. Please see our guide to plagiarism before submitting (in production).
- The final copy submitted for the competition must be the entrant’s own work, and cannot be excessively corrected or improved by another person. This does not rule out input or assistance from others. However, an entry will be disregarded if there is any suggestion of excessive external help.
- By entering the competition, you agree that your name, email, school and essay may be sent to your local RCS branch. See Clause 4.1.6 of the RCS’ Privacy Policy for more information.
- Essays can only be uploaded as a Microsoft Word document (.doc) or in PDF format (.pdf). The online platform does not accept Google Docs (.gdoc), Pages documents (.pages) or other word processor formats. Note: if we are unable to find or open your essay file (either through an incorrect format or upload error), your entry may not be counted in the competition.
- All entrants retain the copyright rights that they have for the pieces they submit, but by entering The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, each contestant consents to the use of his/her name, and/or pieces or parts thereof in any advertisements, educational materials, corpus research or media and publicity carried out or produced by the Royal Commonwealth Society and its local branches without further notice or compensation.
For more information, visit the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.
