About the Essay Competition

As the world's oldest global writing prize for young people, this extraordinary project gives young people a voice by promoting literacy, academic excellence, story telling, reflection, awareness and creativity. Across the Commonwealth, the Competition generates huge amounts of good will, loyalty and enthusiasm.

Established in 1883, the Commonwealth Essay Competition has evolved into a unique education project with over 50,000 students participating annually around the globe.

Writing is a universal mode of expression: no matter what their scholastic or social background, young people all over the world have access to pens and paper or a computer.

Enter this competition and follow in the footsteps of people like:

Elspeth Huxley CBE (23 July 1907 - 10 January 1997) a polymath, writer, journalist, broadcaster, magistrate, environmentalist, farmer, and government advisor. Having written more than 30 books, she is best known for 'The Flame Trees of Thika' and 'The Mottled Lizard' which are based on her experiences growing up on a coffee farm in Colonial Kenya.

Lee Hsien Loong Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore (10 Feb 1952 - ) who won a prize in the Commonwealth Essay Competition in 1970 aged 18.