The John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize is an annual online competition run by the John Locke Institute, an independent educational organisation. Students choose one of ten subject categories and submit an English essay of no more than 2,000 words in response to a current-year question.
Academic judges assess knowledge, evidence, argument, originality, structure, style and persuasive force. Shortlisted entrants are invited to an optional academic conference and awards dinner in London, but attendance is not required to win. The 2026 registration and submission windows are closed.
Benefits & funding
- Standard entry is free; late submission extensions cost GBP 25 for seven days or GBP 75 for twenty-one days.
- First-, second- and third-place winners in each subject category receive scholarships worth US$5,000, US$2,000 and US$1,000 respectively toward a John Locke Institute programme. Senior and Junior entries are judged separately.
- The overall winner receives an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship and a US$10,000 scholarship for one or more summer schools or visiting scholars programmes.
- A travel grant may also be awarded in certain cases. All shortlisted entrants can download an eCertificate.
Eligibility
- Open to students from any country who are under 19 on 31 May 2026; there is no minimum age.
- Entrants under 15 on the submission deadline are judged in the Junior category; other eligible entrants are judged in the Senior category.
- Each essay must be the original work of one individual, written in English, answer one current-year question and stay within 2,000 words for the body.
- Entrants must provide an academic referee who knows their written academic work and is not a relative.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Age requirement
≤ 18 yrs
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Application process
- 1Create an account and register through the essay portal by the registration deadline.
- 2Select a current question, prepare an English essay, and use endnotes or a bibliography rather than footnotes when references are needed.
- 3Remove the entrant’s name from the document, save it as a PDF using the required name-category-question filename, provide the referee’s email address, and upload it through the portal.
- 4The referee verifies originality; selected entrants may also be invited to an online interview, with parental or guardian consent required for minors.
Program timeline
Registration opens
2 February 2026
Regular registration deadline
31 March 2026
Submissions open
1 April 2026
Late registration deadline with a US$10 fee
30 April 2026
Regular submission deadline
31 May 2026
Seven-day late-entry deadline
7 June 2026
Twenty-one-day late-entry deadline
21 June 2026
Shortlist notification
7 July 2026
Academic conference in London
2–4 October 2026
Awards dinner
3 October 2026