2013 Commonwealth Essay Competition

Are you a writer? Are you interested in the world around you? Do you want your voice to be heard by others? If so, the Commonwealth Essay Competition is definitely for you. 

 

We encourage you to be creative in your response to our topics. You can submit a poem, letter, article, story, essay or even a short play. The choice is yours. Just get writing!

Every year, the Commonwealth Essay Competition inspires thousands of young writers from all over the world. Run by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883, it is the world's oldest and largest schools' international writing competition. Past winners include Mr Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore and Elspeth Huxley.

The competition is free to enter and in 2012 over 1,000 young writers, from 245 schools, in 38 countries across the Commonwealth received an award for their entry.

For 2013, we're delighted to announce that the Competition will be run in partnership with Cambridge University Press, whose support will enable us to engage even more young writers across the Commonwealth.

The Competition celebrates and nurtures the creative talents of young people across the Commonwealth, providing a platform for students to compete with their peers in each of the 54 nations which make up this unique association. Entrants are judged in two age groups, Junior (under 14 years) and Senior (14-18 years).

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. We very much hope your school will feature!

For more details download the 2013 Essay Competition leaflet here .

To download the 2013 Essay Competition poster click here .

Commonwealth Essay Competition 2013

Update: Entrants will be able to submit their essays online from the end of January 2013.