The John Locke Global Essay Prize

About the Program

The John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize encourages young people to develop strong writing and critical thinking skills by exploring challenging questions across various subjects. Students can build knowledge, refine arguments, and have their work assessed by academics from leading universities. The competition awards prizes for the best essays in categories like Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law, as well as a Junior category and a Grand Prize.

Checked November 3, 2026 against the official competition page. Its key dates still concern 2026; no 2027 timetable is published there. The retained dates are historical, including the October 2-4 conference and October 3 dinner. The paid late-registration option is distinct from late essay submission.

Eligibility

Open to students from any country. Essays must address one question from the provided list and not exceed 2000 words (excluding diagrams, tables, endnotes, bibliography, authorship declaration). Essays are judged on knowledge, understanding, use of evidence, argumentation, originality, structure, writing style, and persuasive force. The 2026 policy allows AI for research support and testing arguments, but not as a substitute for the human author; reliance on AI can negatively affect assessment. Essays must be the original work of a single individual. An academic referee email is required. Candidates must be 18 years old or younger on May 31, 2026. For the Junior Prize, candidates must be 14 years old or younger on May 31, 2026.

Eligible Countries

How to Apply

The dates below describe the historical 2026 cycle. Registration opened February 2, with a March 31 deadline and a paid late-registration option until April 30. Essays were accepted from April 1 to May 31, with paid extensions to June 7 or June 21. The official key dates specify 23:59 GMT for these cutoffs. Submit an anonymous PDF using the required filename and provide an academic referee. No 2027 registration or submission dates were found on the official competition page as of November 3, 2026.