The Academy Royale International Essay Competition (formerly the Oxford Royale Essay Competition) is a free annual essay competition for students aged 12 to 18, open to participants from around the world. Essays are assessed by academic experts, who give feedback, and winners are selected across two age categories.
Age categories and word limits:
- Ages 12-15: 600 words, choose from 3 pre-defined topics
- Ages 16-18: 1,000 words, choose from 3 pre-defined topics
Topics change each year and span a range of disciplines. The 2027 questions cover the environmental impact of humans disappearing for 100 years, social media bans for national security, AI and human creativity, AI as invention or threat, internet access as a human right, and the tension between tradition and innovation.
Awards: 10 winners are selected globally: 5 per age category (1st, 2nd and 3rd place plus two runners-up).
Timeline: The 2027 competition is open now. The organizer has not published a closing date.
The competition is run by Academy Royale International (formerly Oxford Royale), a provider of academic summer schools for students aged 12-18 on campus at universities in the UK. 2026 winners came from South Korea, Spain, Japan, the UK, Brazil, Latvia, Macedonia, and India.