The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

By Anonymous -

Are you a keen writer?
Are you interested in current issues?
Do you want to convey a message globally?

If you answered yes to all of the above, then The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is for you!

This competition is open to anyone in the Commonwealth, aged 18 or under. It started 135 years ago, and has been giving our youth the chance to express themselves and their opinions in the form of writing. The Royal Commonwealth Society runs it with the ambition to change the lives of citizens in the Commonwealth. They hope to promote youth empowerment, education, and advocacy. 

Each year, four winners win a trip to London to take part in a ‘Winners’ Week’ programme of activities, including an Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace!
Other prizes in the past have been signed books and gold pens. Gold, Silver and Bronze Certificates are awarded to excellent entries, but every child who enters the Competition receives a ‘Certificate of Participation’. Schools receive a Certificate too.

Here are the topics for each age group:

Senior Category
Born between 2nd June 1999 and 31st May 2004 (14-18 years of age)
1. The road to a safer future.
2. How does education contribute to a fairer future?
3. ‘Healthy, Wealthy, Happy, and Free’: is one more important than the others?
4. Future generations have rights too, which must be defended. Discuss.

Junior Category
Born after 31st May 2004 (under 14 years of age)
1. What does a 'safer future' mean to you and your community?
2. Write a recipe for a common future: what ingredients will you need? What is the best method for making it? What will it look like?
3. ‘A Day in the Life’. Imagine you are your country’s Head of Government for the day: how will you build a better future for young people?
4. Our Common Earth.

You could write an essay, a creative piece, a poem, a letter, a speech, or whatever you come up with! It’s up to you! 

When your piece is complete, go to essay.thercs.org, enter your name and email address, choose a password then upload your file. The system will give you a reference number – keep this safe, you will need it to download your certificate! NOTE: You can only upload a word document or PDF file. You must use a computer to upload – not your phone.

Winning entries and a review of the Winners’ Week are published in Voices - The Royal Commonwealth Society’s magazine. Worldreader allows you to access ebooks. The winning essays are turned into an ebook and uploaded, so everyone is able read them. 

Remember to always proof-read and ask a friend or teacher to check it for you as well. Sometimes you will need to write more then one version before you get it right!


Entries close JUNE 1ST 2018, so get writing and good luck!

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