Audio Essay CompetitionGrades 9-12Deadline: October 31, 2024


The John Locke Essay Competition is an annual competition hosted by the John Locke Institute, a non-profit educational organization based in Oxford, United Kingdom. The competition invites participants to explore various important questions outside of the school curriculum, which expands their critical thinking and helps develop an understanding of real-world problems.


Participating in this competition will help you develop the qualities that make great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis, and persuasive style. You can write an essay in any of the following seven fields, with each having three questions: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law.

Well, if you are confident in your writing skills, participating in essay competitions can help you gain some recognition. If you are uncertain about how to get started with participating in these competitions, don't worry, as we have put together a list of 10 great essay competitions suitable for high school students.

2024 Essay Competition | John Locke Institute

The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition is an online competition that offers high school students (13-18 years old) who have a passion for writing an opportunity to write a 500-word essay in one of the three fields - creative, argumentative, or journalistic. There will be prompts provided (around three in each) for you to choose from.

The competition is hosted annually by The Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper of Harvard University founded in 1873, and Crimson Education. You can refer to the detailed judging criteria and some useful resources. You can refer to the 2024 prompts .

The contest invites high school students to write an essay exploring future challenges for diplomats, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Foreign Service. Essays must be between 1,000 and 1,500 words, addressing specific prompts and demonstrating an understanding of the Foreign Service.

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) contests an annual essay contest for high school students, in which they are invited to write about topics related to foreign services and diplomacy. The contest is run in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).


The Student Voice Prize 2024 | Medical student essay competition

In 2024, the participants were tasked with identifying in a 1,000-1,500-word essay what they believed to be the biggest challenge to face the Foreign Service in the future. The essay was expected to talk about this challenge in detail and clearly define how American diplomats can help mitigate it.

10 Great Essay Competitions for High School Students

High school students have many benefits to gain from participating in writing contests and essay competitions. First, competitions generally sharpen your creative thinking, writing, and reading skills. These are the building blocks to any college success.Â

Richard J. Stull Student Essay Competition in Healthcare Management

But there is more: most high school writing competitions offer financial benefits through cash prizes or writing contest scholarships. Moreover, a sure way to boost your confidence is to be named among the winners of a prestigious writing competition for high school students. Apart from the bragging rights you just earned with your friends, you can feature the win in your college application essays.Â

Gellhorn-Sargentich Law Student Essay Competition

Eligibility – The contest is open to writers in grades 5-12, (ages 10-18) at some point during the contest period September 5, 2024-March 21, 2025. No more than one essay submission will be accepted for each essay writer. Students may enter both the essay and video contests. Writers must be located in North America, Hawaii, or a U.S. military address, and all submissions should be in English. Employees of Stossel in the Classroom, Stossel TV, and Center for Independent Thought, or any person or organization involved in the operation and/or setup of the contest, and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Previous winners of a Stossel in the Classroom first place prize are not eligible for prizes in our subsequent contests, unless they’re competing in a different division. For example, first place winners of the Middle School Division are eligible for prizes in the High School Division, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements.

World Historian Student Essay Competition

Most high school essay competitions don’t expect Shakespeare's level grammar or complex vocabulary. The easy review board wants to score your unique perspective and assess how genuine your creative process is. Moreover, most writing contests have multiple winners, increasing your chances of claiming a prize.Â