The Marshall Society Essay Competition is an economics essay contest for pre-university students, organized by the Marshall Society — the official economics society of the University of Cambridge. The competition is open to students worldwide with no citizenship or country restrictions.
Each year, the competition releases a set of essay prompts covering a range of economics topics. Students choose one prompt and submit an original essay. Winning and selected essays are awarded prizes and published in The Dismal Scientist, the Marshall Society's magazine.
Historical 2026 competition prompts (summarized):
- Are tariffs ever fair? Consider both historical precedent and recent developments.
- Can central banks stabilize economies against external energy shocks?
- How did Britain recover economically in the 1930s, and what role did leaving the gold standard play?
- Evaluate Andy Burnham's economic policies as Mayor of Greater Manchester. Should they be replicated nationally?
- How reliable are stock markets as indicators of economic health?
- Does economics have a unique methodology that distinguishes it from other social sciences?
Awards:
- Winning essays receive prizes
- Selected entries are published in The Dismal Scientist, the Marshall Society's student economics magazine
2026 timeline:
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Exact opening date | Not verified |
| Submission deadline | August 30, 2026 |
| Results plan in linked guide | Mid-September 2026; winners now published |
About the Marshall Society:
The Marshall Society is the official economics society of the University of Cambridge, named after Alfred Marshall, the pioneering Cambridge economist. The society hosts speaker events, networking opportunities, and publishes The Dismal Scientist.
Cycle check, November 4, 2026: The official 2026 page explicitly says submissions are closed and publishes winners and commendations. Its linked guidance gives August 30, 2026 at 11:59 pm BST as the historical cutoff, not a recurring late-August deadline for later years. A 2027 schedule has not been verified.
For 2026, essays were at most 1,500 words, excluding bibliography and data tables but including footnotes, submitted as a PDF no larger than 10 MB through the official form. English writing, source citations and declaration of research assistance including AI were required; the entrant had to write the essay. Entrants could not already have started an undergraduate degree and did not have to study in the UK. The guide listed £100 for the overall winner and £50 per question winner, with non-monetary commendation and research awards. An explicit free-entry statement was not found in the checked official page or linked guidance; the prior free-entry description and future fees remain unverified.