The LSESU Economics Society Essay Competition is a free global essay competition for secondary school students, hosted by the LSESU Economics Society with exclusive support from the LSE Economics Department. Since 2017, it has drawn participants from over 60 countries and has built a strong reputation, particularly among UK secondary schools.
Format: Students choose one of five essay topics and submit a response of up to 1,500 words. All topics are set by current LSE Economics Department professors, including Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides, who sets the 2026 Topic 1 question.
2026 topic areas:
- Technology and Worker Wellbeing (Prof. Sir Christopher Pissarides)
- Energy and Economics (Prof. Ricardo Reis)
- AI and Employment (Prof. Silvana Tenreyro)
- Taxation and Fairness (Prof. John Van Reenen)
- Green Technology (Prof. Michael Gmeiner)
Awards:
- Overall Winner (1) — Certificate + £100 prize
- LSE Offer Holder Winner (1, among LSE offer holders) — Certificate co-signed by LSE's Head of Department of Economics + £100 prize
- Prompt Winner (1 per topic) — Certificate + £50 prize
- Prompt Podium (3 per topic) — Certificate co-signed by LSESU and the topic professor
- High Distinction (top 5-10%) — Certificate signed by the LSESU Economics Society President
Essays are scored on argument originality, application of economic theory, evidence, critical analysis, structure, citations, and topic relevance — in alignment with university-level economics essay standards.
Deadline check (2026-11-03): The organizer’s competition page marks the 2026 essay contest closed and confirms the September 1 deadline. Its linked 2026 candidate guide gives June 1 opening and identifies this as the 2026 competition; 2026/27 refers to entrants’ university-entry year, not a new essay cycle. The guide’s updated first-page note targets October results while its results section still says November, so no exact results date is asserted. No 2027 essay deadline was found.