Commonwealth Essay Competition 2013,Royal Commonwealth Society

The Commonwealth Essay Competition is organised every year by Royal Commonwealth Society.
2013 Essay Competition now open!

Open to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 or under, the Essay Competition offers young people the opportunity to make their voice heard on a global platform, encouraging students to engage with issues which are important to them.

Commonwealth Essay Competition 2013

Deadline: 1st May 2013

Entrants are encouraged to be creative in their response; answers can be submitted in a number of formats, for example: poem, letter, article, story or essay – the choice is yours!
The Commonwealth Essay Competition 2013 is run by the Royal Commonwealth Society in partnership with Cambridge University Press.

Entrants are judged in two age groups, Junior (under 14 years) and Senior (14-18 years) and must be living in, or a national of, a Commonwealth country.

Prizes include
Certificates – resources for your school – flights to London – being invited to meet famous authors – taking part in expert workshops – work experience at international organisations – entries featured in worldwide media.

How to enter
All essays must be in English and submitted alongside an entry form, which can be downloaded from the RCS website. Entries can be submitted online or postal entries can be sent to FAO Young Commonwealth Competitions, The Royal Commonwealth Society, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AP*

Junior Category

Born after 1st May 1999

1. When has hard work paid off for you?

2. Creative thinking saved the day.

3. Tell us about a moment of opportunity which

changed the life of your family, community,

country, continent or the entire planet.

4. Is change a good thing?

5. Opportunities galore!

Senior Category

Born between 2nd May 1994

and 1st May 1999

1. A funding agency has asked you to make a pitch

for an idea involving schools that would benefit

your community.

2. “I knew this was my moment.”

3. Discuss one or more examples of social and/or

environmental development where enterprise

plays, or could play, a key role in changing the

way people live.

4. “How enterprising!” a voice said as I closed the

door behind me.

5. Are we too risk-conscious these days?

Junior and Senior

A bonus topic open to

all entrants

1. “To boldly go …”

Prizes
• Win a certificate
• Win resources for your school
• Be fl own to London
• Be invited to meet famous authors; take part in workshops to learn news skills; and do work experience at international organisations
• See your entry featured in RCS publications and worldwide media

Junior Category
(Under 14s)
Junior Prize Winner
Junior Runner Up
Gold Awards
Silver Awards
Bronze Awards

Senior Category
(Ages 14-18)
Senior Prize Winner
Senior Runner Up
Gold Awards
Silver Awards
Bronze Awards

Rules

1. The Competition is open to nationals or residents of all Commonwealth countries and territories.

2. Special dispensation applies to entrants from Hong Kong, Fiji and Zimbabwe who are entitled to enter the Competition.

3. Entrants must select a Senior or Junior topic depending on how old they are on 1st May 2013.

4 Entries must be written in English and be the original work of the writer.

5 Entrants must submit an entry form alongside their entries and complete all the mandatory fields.

6 The maximum word-counts are 1500 words for Senior entries and 750 words for Junior entries.

7 Entries will be disqualifi ed if they fail to meet these requirements.

Please note, etrants should only submit one essay to the competition, multiple entries will not be judged.

Guidelines
1. Entries must be the original work of the writer. This does not rule out input or assistance from others. However an entry will be disregarded if there is any suggestion of plagiarism or undue help from the internet or another person.

2. Entrants are encouraged to be creative in their response to a topic. Entries can be submitted in a number of different formats: for example, a poem, letter, article, story, essay or even a short play.

3. Entries must respond to the topic. Each year a number of good entrants let themselves down because they do not fully answer, or refl ect on, what the topic has asked them to do.

4. Award-winning entrants are expected to show originality and fl air, linked to sound academic standards and competent use of English as a written language. This includes a good standard of spelling and punctuation, neat presentation and clear hand-writing or word-processing.

5. Illustrations are welcomed, particularly in Junior entries, but they must enhance the written text and add to the overall quality of the entry.

6. Entrants should be aware that the care with which they present their work will be taken into account whether writing by hand or using a computer.

The closing date is 1st May 2013 and results will be announced in the autumn of next year, when a Junior and Senior Prize Winner and Runner Up will be announced and our judges will make a number of Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards.

For more details download the 2013 Essay Competition leaflet here
To download the 2013 Essay Competition poster click here