Find out about entering an economics essay competition

• It is important to know that, although this competition is organised by the John Locke Institute, Oxford, Princeton, USA, it is open to any country. In fact, there have been British winners in the past so don’t let the fact that it is an American university deter you.
• You have to be eighteen or under on the deadline date. The submission date for this year is 31st July 2018.
• Your essay must not be longer than 2,000 words.
• Judges are keen on the essays demonstrating a strong understanding of the question. Solid structure and evidence of critical analysis are definitely viewed as a plus. Furthermore, a charismatic writing style and persuasive reasoning are also beneficial to your admission.
• Lots of academic competitions are limited to one entry per person. However, this competition allows you to enter as many essays as you want to enter. However, it is wise to remember that it is better to enter one excellent essay than ten average ones.
• Some candidates get invited to Oxford, Princeton for a viva voce interview. This means that you are able to demonstrate a wider knowledge of the subject that you have based your essay on.
• The prize is £100 for the winner of each category. The winner of the overall categories will receive £500.
• There are three questions to choose from in the Economics category. A sample from this year is “What would be the consequences of legalising all the drugs in in the USA?”

• This competition is again aimed at economic A level students. Therefore, if you are in Year 12 or 13, you can enter.
• Essays must not be more than 1,500 words long.
• You may only enter one essay in this competition so make sure that it is the very best that you can do.
• Your entry must be in July 8th 2018 before midnight.
• There are four essay titles to choose from. A sample of this is “What explains the United Kingdom’s ‘productivity puzzle?’
• The best overall prize is £800. There are also four prizes of £200. These are given to the winner of each essay title. There is also a prize of £400 for the best essay done by a Year 12 student.
• Judges are interested in the ability to focus on economic analysis.

• This is another competition aimed at A level students and also students studying International Baccalaureate.
• The winner gets £500 and there are also prizes of £250 for three chosen runners up. Moreover, the school with the highest number of entrants also gets £500.
• The deadline for this year’s competition is July 27th 2018.
• Entries for this competition are slightly different than most of the others in that you have to do three pieces of work to win. There is an essay to write of approximately 1,200 words. There is a choice of three questions to choose from. A sample is “is an increase in the adult population in paid employment always a good thing? Explain.” The second task is a 500-word piece that has to answer one of three questions. A sample is “what is the difference between risk and uncertainty and why does this count in economics?” The third task is another 500-word written piece but this time you do not get a choice of question. You have to answer the one set question. You have to tell them which part of Economics should be given more attention in the A level or International Baccalaureate and why.

There are more of these competitions to enter if none of the above interest you. It is certainly worth spending the time researching the one that suits you. A good reason for doing this research is that we all have sections of our subject that interests us and topics that we find dull. It is, therefore, worth taking the time to try to find a competition that has an essay question that is on the topic that you are passionate about. It will be highlighted in your writing.

• Your tutors have probably rammed it down your throats that during an examination, you must make sure that you answer the question. The same applies to entering competitions for essay writing. Do not be tempted to demonstrate how knowledgeable you are about the lack of productivity in the United Kingdom if the question wants you to discuss the effects of unemployment on the economy. They are connected but the judges will be looking for a precise understanding of the actual question.
• Don’t be tempted to waffle on to get your word count up. If you find that you are padding your essay, then you need to develop your argument more. Essay questions are designed so that there is plenty to argue about. If you are having trouble finding something to say, you are missing important aspects of your subject.
• If you do find that you are having trouble finding enough to say about your subject, then you need to go back to reading around it. It could simply be that you did not do enough research before planning your essay.
• Read it through to check the structure and your argument and then read it through again to check for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. Judges have to be very pernickety when it comes to all aspects of your essay. It would not be fair if one entrant had sent in a perfectly written piece and another admitted a good argument but it was full of spelling errors and did not get penalised for it.