Commonwealth Essay

Exceeding the word count will result in automatic disqualification. Please carefully check and improve your writing before submitting the final copy, and also ensure that all supplementary information is filled in correctly (name, contact details, topic number, etc.)Plagiarism: Every year a number of students are disqualified because they are suspected of plagiarism.

Building upon the 2016 theme of An Inclusive Commonwealth, this year’s topics ask for a more active understanding of the role of the Commonwealth as a network of and for democracy, Human Rights and peace. How can children and young people come together to build a peaceful society?

We are asking young writers to explore peace at every level, from the personal to the political to the pan-Commonwealth. ‘Peace cannot be learnt from a book or from religion. Kofi Annan said ‘Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name.’ Do you agree?

This year has been a record-breaking year for the Commonwealth Essay Competition.

Not only has the competition received in excess of 11,000 entries, but over 70 judges have been involved in the judging process and the standard of entries has been excellent.

The top two Prize Winners will be flown to London for a special awards ceremony in the autumn and the Runners-Up will be invited to local awards ceremonies.

Cornell University Essay Questions 2012 - Commonwealth Essay

All Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will receive certificates before the end of 2013 and entrants who didn't receive an award this year are entitled to certificates of participation.This year’s topic of ‘A Commonwealth for Peace’ asks young writers to explore peace at every level: from the personal to the political to the pan-Commonwealth." Sponsored by the Cambridge University Press, this highly prestigious competition aims to challenge young people’s thinking and the means by which they can express their views, using creative forms of writing such as essays, poems, stories or scripts.Judges described entries to the 2016 competition as ‘imaginative’, ‘inspirational’, ‘ambitious’ and ‘profound’.Rod Smith, Managing Director of Education at Cambridge University Press, said: "The Royal Commonwealth Society shares our vision of empowerment through education, and we’re thrilled to be sponsoring The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition once again.We were astounded by the exceptional standard of entries in last year’s competition and are looking forward to celebrating exciting new work and to finding new voices from across the Commonwealth in 2017." The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition was founded by the Royal Commonwealth Society in 1883 and is the world’s oldest international schools’ writing contest. University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge.Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world’s oldest publishing house and the second-largest university press in the world.You have to reach out and touch the nations.’ How does this relate to the Commonwealth? Answer with reference to your country and/or the Commonwealth. Terms and Conditions Entries will be disqualified if they fail to meet any of the following requirements: The competition is open to nationals or residents of all Commonwealth countries and territories.Note: Special dispensation applies to entrants from Hong Kong, Ireland, The Gambia and Zimbabwe, who are entitled to enter the competition.Cambridge University Press has been a sponsor of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition since 2013.The Royal Commonwealth Society is pleased to announce that the theme for The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2017 is A Commonwealth for Peace.