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The Ultimate Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition

Humanities and social sciences students often lack the opportunities to compete at the global level and demonstrate their expertise. Competitions like ISEF, Science Talent Search, and MIT Think are generally reserved for students in fields like biology, physics, and chemistry.

At Lumiere, many of our talented non-STEM students, who have a flair for writing are looking for ways to flex their skills. In this piece, we’ll go over one such competition - the John Locke Essay Competition. If you’re interested in learning more about how we guide students to win essay contests like this, check out our main page .

What is the John Locke Essay Competition?

The essay competition is one of the various programs conducted by the John Locke Institute (JLI) every year apart from their summer and gap year courses. To understand the philosophy behind this competition, it’ll help if we take a quick detour to know more about the institute that conducts it.

Founded in 2011, JLI is an educational organization that runs summer and gap year courses in the humanities and social sciences for high school students. These courses are primarily taught by academics from Oxford and Princeton along with some other universities. The organization was founded by Martin Cox. Our Lumiere founder, Stephen, has met Martin and had a very positive experience. Martin clearly cares about academic rigor.

The institute's core belief is that the ability to evaluate the merit of information and develop articulate sound judgments is more important than merely consuming information. The essay competition is an extension of the institute - pushing students to reason through complex questions in seven subject areas namely Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law.

The organization also seems to have a strong record of admissions of alumni to the top colleges in the US and UK. For instance, between 2011 and 2022, over half of John Locke alumni have gone on to one of eight colleges: Chicago, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale.

How prestigious is the John Locke Contest?

The John Locke Contest is a rigorous and selective writing competition in the social sciences and humanities. While it is not as selective as the Concord Review and has a much broader range of students who can receive prizes, it is still considered a highly competitive program.

Winning a John Locke essay contest will have clear benefits for you in your application process to universities and would reflect well on your application. On the other hand, a shortlist or a commendation might not have a huge impact given that it is awarded to many students (more on this later).

What is the eligibility for the contest?

Students, of any country, who are 18 years old or younger before the date of submission can submit. They also have a junior category for students who are fourteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline.

Who SHOULD consider this competition?

We recommend this competition for students who are interested in social sciences and humanities, in particular philosophy, politics, and economics. It is also a good fit for students who enjoy writing, want to dive deep into critical reasoning, and have some flair in their writing approach (more on that below).

While STEM students can of course compete, they will have to approach the topics through a social science lens. For example, in 2021, one of the prompts in the division of philosophy was, ‘Are there subjects about which we should not even ask questions?’ Here, students of biology can comfortably write about topics revolving around cloning, gene alteration, etc, however, they will have to make sure that they are able to ground this in the theoretical background of scientific ethics and ethical philosophy in general.

Additional logistics

Each essay should address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, footnotes, bibliography, or authorship declaration).

If you are using an in-text-based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit.

You can submit as many essays as you want in any and all categories. (We recommend aiming for only one given how time-consuming it can be to come up with a single good-quality submission)

Important dates

Prompts for the 2023 competition will be released in January 2023. Your submission will be due around 6 months later in June. Shortlisted candidates will be notified in mid-July which will be followed by the final award ceremony in September.

How much does it cost to take part?

What do you win?

A scholarship that will offset the cost of attending a course at the JLI. The amount will vary between $2000 and $10,000 based on whether you are a grand prize winner (best essay across all categories) or a subject category winner. (JLI programs are steeply-priced and even getting a prize in your category would not cover the entire cost of your program. While the website does not mention the cost of the upcoming summer program, a different website mentions it to be 3,000 GBP or 3600 USD)

If you were shortlisted, most probably, you will also receive a commendation certificate and an invitation to attend an academic ceremony at Oxford. However, even here, you will have to foot the bill for attending the conference, which can be a significant one if you are an international student.

How do you submit your entry?

You submit your entry through the website portal that will show up once the prompts for the next competition are up in January! You have to submit your essay in pdf format where the title of the pdf attachment should read SURNAME, First Name, Category, and Question Number (e.g. POPHAM, Alexander, Psychology, Q2).

What are the essay prompts like?

We have three insights here.

Firstly, true to the spirit of the enlightenment thinker it is named after, most of the prompts have a philosophical bent and cover ethical, social, and political themes. In line with JLI’s general philosophy, they force you to think hard and deeply about the topics they cover. Consider a few examples to understand this better:

“Are you more moral than most people you know? How do you know? Should you strive to be more moral? Why or why not?” - Philosophy, 2021

“What are the most important economic effects - good and bad - of forced redistribution? How should this inform government policy?” - Economics, 2020

“Why did the Jesus of Nazareth reserve his strongest condemnation for the self-righteous?” - Theology, 2021

“Should we judge those from the past by the standards of today? How will historians in the future judge us?” - History, 2021

Secondly, at Lumiere, our analysis is that most of these prompts are ‘deceptively rigorous’ because the complexity of the topic reveals itself gradually. The topics do not give you a lot to work with and it is only when you delve deeper into one that you realize the extent to which you need to research/read more. In some of the topics, you are compelled to define the limits of the prompt yourself and in turn, the scope of your essay. This can be a challenging exercise. Allow me to illustrate this with an example of the 2019 philosophy prompt.

“Aristotelian virtue ethics achieved something of a resurgence in the twentieth century. Was this progress or retrogression?”

Here you are supposed to develop your own method for determining what exactly constitutes progress in ethical thought. This in turn involves familiarizing yourself with existing benchmarks of measurement and developing your own method if required. This is a significant intellectual exercise.

Finally, a lot of the topics are on issues of contemporary relevance and especially on issues that are contentious . For instance, in 2019, one of the prompts for economics was about the benefits and costs of immigration whereas the 2020 essay prompt for theology was about whether Islam is a religion of peace . As we explain later, your ‘opinion’ here can be as ‘outrageous’ as you want it to be as long as you are able to back it up with reasonable arguments. Remember, the JLI website clearly declares itself to be, ‘ not a safe space, but a courteous one ’.

How competitive is the JLI Essay Competition?

In 2021, the competition received 4000 entries from 101 countries. Given that there is only one prize winner from each category, this makes this a very competitive opportunity. However, because categories have a different number of applicants, some categories are more competitive than others. One strategy to win could be to focus on fields with fewer submissions like Theology.

There are also a relatively significant number of students who receive commendations called “high commendation.” In the psychology field, for example, about 80 students received a commendation in 2022. At the same time, keep in mind that the number of students shortlisted and invited to Oxford for an academic conference is fairly high and varies by subject. For instance, Theology had around 50 people shortlisted in 2021 whereas Economics had 238 . We, at Lumiere, estimate that approximately 10% of entries of each category make it to the shortlisting stage.

How will your essay be judged?

The essays will be judged on your understanding of the discipline, quality of argumentation and evidence, and writing style. Let’s look at excerpts from various winning essays to see what this looks like in practice.

Level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant material: Differentiating your essay from casual musing requires you to demonstrate knowledge of your discipline. One way to do that is by establishing familiarity with relevant literature and integrating it well into their essay. The winning essay of the 2020 Psychology Prize is a good example of how to do this: “People not only interpret facts in a self-serving way when it comes to their health and well-being; research also demonstrates that we engage in motivated reasoning if the facts challenge our personal beliefs, and essentially, our moral valuation and present understanding of the world. For example, Ditto and Liu showed a link between people’s assessment of facts and their moral convictions” By talking about motivated reasoning in the broader literature, the author can show they are well-versed in the important developments in the field.

Competent use of evidence: In your essay, there are different ways to use evidence effectively. One such way involves backing your argument with results from previous studies . The 2020 Third Place essay in economics shows us what this looks like in practice: “Moreover, this can even be extended to PTSD, where an investigation carried out by Italian doctor G. P. Fichera, led to the conclusion that 13% of the sampling units were likely to have this condition. Initiating economic analysis here, this illustrates that the cost of embarking on this unlawful activity, given the monumental repercussions if caught, is not equal to the costs to society...” The study by G.P. Fichera is used to strengthen the author’s claim on the social costs of crime and give it more weight.

Structure, writing style, and persuasive force: A good argument that is persuasive rarely involves merely backing your claim with good evidence and reasoning. Delivering it in an impactful way is also very important. Let’s see how the winner of the 2020 Law Prize does this: “Slavery still exists, but now it applies to women and its name in prostitution”, wrote Victor Hugo in Les Misérables. Hugo’s portrayal of Fantine under the archetype of a fallen woman forced into prostitution by the most unfortunate of circumstances cannot be more jarringly different from the empowerment-seeking sex workers seen today, highlighting the wide-ranging nuances associated with commercial sex and its implications on the women in the trade. Yet, would Hugo have supported a law prohibiting the selling of sex for the protection of Fantine’s rights?” The use of Victor Hugo in the first line of the essay gives it a literary flair and enhances the impact of the delivery of the argument. Similarly, the rhetorical question, in the end, adds to the literary dimension of the argument. Weaving literary and argumentative skills in a single essay is commendable and something that the institute also recognizes.

Quality of argumentation: Finally, the quality of your argument depends on capturing the various elements mentioned above seamlessly . The third place in theology (2020) does this elegantly while describing bin-Laden’s faulty and selective use of religious verses to commit violence: “He engages in the decontextualization and truncation of Qur'anic verses to manipulate and convince, which dissociates the fatwas from bonafide Islam. For example, in his 1996 fatwa, he quotes the Sword verse but deliberately omits the aforementioned half of the Ayat that calls for mercy. bin-Laden’s intention is not interpretive veracity, but the indoctrination of his followers.” The author’s claim is that bin-Laden lacks religious integrity and thus should not be taken seriously, especially given the content of his messages. To strengthen his argument, he uses actual incidents to dissect this display of faulty reasoning.

These excerpts are great examples of the kind of work you should keep in mind when writing your own draft.

6 Winning Tips from Lumiere

Focus on your essay structure and flow: If logic and argumentation are your guns in this competition, a smooth flow is your bullet. What does a smooth flow mean? It means that the reader should be able to follow your chain of reasoning with ease. This is especially true for essays that explore abstract themes. Let’s see this in detail with the example of a winning philosophy essay. “However, if society were the moral standard, an individual is subjected to circumstantial moral luck concerning whether the rules of the society are good or evil (e.g., 2019 Geneva vs. 1939 Munich). On the other hand, contracts cannot be the standard because people are ignorant of their being under a moral contractual obligation, when, unlike law, it is impossible to be under a contract without being aware. Thus, given the shortcomings of other alternatives, human virtue is the ideal moral norm.” To establish human virtue as the ideal norm, the author points out limitations in society and contracts, leaving out human virtue as the ideal one. Even if you are not familiar with philosophy, you might still be able to follow the reasoning here. This is a great example of the kind of clarity and logical coherence that you should strive for.

Ground your arguments in a solid theoretical framework : Your essay requires you to have well-developed arguments. However, these arguments need to be grounded in academic theory to give them substance and differentiate them from casual opinions. Let me illustrate this with an example of the essay that won second place in the politics category in 2020. “Normatively, the moral authority of governments can be justified on a purely associative basis: citizens have an inherent obligation to obey the state they were born into. As Dworkin argued, “Political association, like family or friendship and other forms of association more local and intimate, is itself pregnant of obligation” (Dworkin). Similar to a family unit where children owe duties to their parents by virtue of being born into that family regardless of their consent, citizens acquire obligations to obey political authority by virtue of being born into a state.” Here, the author is trying to make a point about the nature of political obligation. However, the core of his argument is not the strength of his own reasoning, but the ability to back his reasoning with prior literature. By quoting Dworkin, he includes important scholars of western political thought to give more weight to his arguments. It also displays thorough research on the part of the author to acquire the necessary intellectual tools to write this paper.

The methodology is more important than the conclusion: The 2020 history winners came to opposite conclusions in their essays on whether a strong state hampers or encourages economic growth. While one of them argued that political strength hinders growth when compared to laissez-faire, the other argues that the state is a prerequisite for economic growth . This reflects JLI’s commitment to your reasoning and substantiation instead of the ultimate opinion. The lesson: Don’t be afraid to be bold! Just make sure you are able to back it up.

Establish your framework well: A paragraph (or two) that is able to succinctly describe your methodology, core arguments, and the reasoning behind them displays academic sophistication. A case in point is the introduction of 2019’s Philosophy winner: “To answer the question, we need to construct a method that measures progress in philosophy. I seek to achieve this by asserting that, in philosophy, a certain degree of falsification is achievable. Utilizing philosophical inquiry and thought experiments, we can rationally assess the logical validity of theories and assign “true” and “false” status to philosophical thoughts. With this in mind, I propose to employ the fourth process of the Popperian model of progress…Utilizing these two conditions, I contend that Aristotelian virtue ethics was progress from Kantian ethics and utilitarianism.” Having a framework like this early on gives you a blueprint for what is in the essay and makes it easier for the reader to follow the reasoning. It also helps you as a writer since distilling down your core argument into a paragraph ensures that the first principles of your essay are well established.

Read essays of previous winners: Do this and you will start seeing some patterns in the winning essays. In economics, this might be the ability to present a multidimensional argument and substantiating it with data-backed research. In theology, this might be your critical analysis of religious texts .

Find a mentor: Philosophical logic and argumentation are rarely taught at the high school level. Guidance from an external mentor can fill this academic void by pointing out logical inconsistencies in your arguments and giving critical feedback on your essay. Another important benefit of having a mentor is that it will help you in understanding the heavy literature that is often a key part of the writing/research process in this competition. As we have already seen above, having a strong theoretical framework is crucial in this competition. A mentor can make this process smoother.

Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you’re looking for a mentor to do an essay contest like John Locke or want to build your own independent research paper, then consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program . Last year over 2100 students applied for about 500 spots in the program. You can find the application form here.

You can see our admission results here for our students.

Manas is a publication strategy associate at Lumiere Education. He studied public policy and interactive media at NYU and has experience in education consulting.

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2024 John Locke Essay Competition Prompts: The Incredible, Transformative Power of the John Locke Institute Essay Competition

We’ve written about the John Locke Institute Essay Competition (JLIEC) before , discussing the basics of the competition, and how it can improve your chances of college admissions, and shared the success of Ivy-Way students shortlisted for the Junior and regular Essay Competition. In general, the goal of the JLIEC is to encourage “independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style.” For the uninitiated, here’s the breakdown of the basic information:

You can get the latest information and deadlines, submission guidelines, and questions for each subject directly from the JLI’s website .

Given that the JLIEC prompts for 2024 just came out on February 13, 2024, we thought we would revisit the topic in the form of Q&A. We’ve tried not to cover the same ground we’ve covered before so please take a look at our previous post if you still have questions.

Should you consider writing an essay for the John Locke Institute Essay Competition?

If you have any interest in the liberal arts (humanities or social science), especially one of the seven subject categories of the competition (Economics, History, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, and Theology), Ivy-Way counselors often recommend our students to submit an essay to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition . It’s also a great opportunity for anyone who has even a passing interest in writing.

Why? Regardless of whether you receive a commendation, the process of responding to one of the essay prompts will deepen your understanding of the subject and give you practice in writing a research-based argumentative essay (a common college assignment). Besides, the prompts are interesting; you’ll be sure to learn something that’s useful for you personally, and when you are applying to colleges, you may . Most of the students we’ve guided through the process have reported that it was an incredible, transformative experience . They felt like they became better writers and more critical thinkers as a result.

What are the prompts like?

All of the prompts have something of a philosophical bent (not just the philosophy prompts). They challenge you to apply concepts from different fields to analyze contemporary and hypothetical scenarios. Take a look at this sample from the 2023 prompts to see what we mean:

“A government funds its own expenditure by taxing its population. Suppose, instead, it relied solely on money newly created by the central bank? What would be the advantages and/or disadvantages?” Economics-1
“In what sense are you the same person today that you were when you were ten?” Philosophy-2
“Which characteristics distinguish successful movements for social change from unsuccessful ones?” History-3
“If China becomes the leading superpower, what would that mean for the people who live there? What would it mean for everyone else?” Politics-2

What are the prompts for 2024?

What is the optimal global population?
Accurate news reporting is a public good. Does it follow that news agencies should be funded from taxation?
Do successful business people benefit others when making their money, when spending it, both, or neither?
Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century and why did this change?
Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?
Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger?
When, if ever, should a company be permitted to refuse to do business with a person because of that person’s public statements?
In the last five years British police have arrested several thousand people for things they posted on social media. Is the UK becoming a police state?
Your parents say that 11pm is your bedtime. But they don’t punish you if you don’t go to bed by 11pm. Is 11pm really your bedtime?
Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition?
Do girls have a right to compete in sporting contests that exclude boys?
Should I be held responsible for what I believe?
Is there such a thing as too much democracy?
Is peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip possible?
When is compliance complicity?
According to a study by four British universities, for each 16-point increase in IQ, the likelihood of getting married increases by 35% for a man but decreases by 40% for a woman. Why?
There is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. Can we fix this? How?
What is the difference between a psychiatric illness and a character flaw?
“I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” What could the speaker mean by “spiritual”?
Is it reasonable to thank God for protection from some natural harm if He is responsible for causing the harm?
Does God reward those who believe in him? If so, why?

Junior Prize

Does winning a free and fair election automatically confer a mandate for governing?
Has the anti-racism movement reduced racism?
Is there life after death?
How did it happen that governments came to own and run most high schools, while leaving food production to private enterprise?
When will advancing technology make most of us unemployable? What should we do about this?
Should we trust fourteen-year-olds to make decisions about their own bodies?

How do you get started?

First, you’ll want to start by researching the topic and critically evaluating different viewpoints before constructing your own argument. The prompts don’t give you much to work with. In most cases, you’ll have to define some terms and set the limits of the scope of the argument you want to make. You’ll need to use evidence to support your plans, and students often find a writing research mentor at Ivy-Way to help them choose the best prompt and brainstorm the evidence.

Taking the economics prompt above–about government funding through money creation rather than taxation–as an example, you could start with an overview of monetary policy and the role of central banks in managing a country’s money supply. Then you need to present both advantages and disadvantages: the benefits of economic stimulus by avoiding direct taxation against the long-term risks of inflation and potential laws of confidence in the currency. You could use historical examples and economic theories to support your analysis.

Second, you’ll also need to consider potential counter-arguments. Using the philosophy prompt above about the continuity of the self, you might argue that personal identity persists over time through the continuity of consciousness. You are the same person as you were at ten because of your continuous psychological experiences, memories, and sense of self that you can trace back to your younger self. The counterargument is that personal identity is not fixed due to physical changes. Consider the Ship of Theseus argument applied to the human body: cells, tissues, and organs rejuvenate periodically and over a 7 to 10-year period your entire body has completely regenerated. The person you are today differs significantly from who you were at ten due to physical development and biological processes. Dramatic physical changes challenge the notion of a singular, unchanging identity.

Finally, you must ensure your essay is coherent, well-structured, and persuasive. From start to finish the entire task is somewhat complex and probably best done with some help from an experienced advisor.

Where can you find past essay winners?

One of the best ways to prepare to write your own essay is to read past winning essays and use them as “mentor texts” (as the NY Times editors refer to them). Mentor texts are “pieces of literature that you…can return to and reread for many different purposes. They are texts to be studied and imitated…” (the National Writing Project ). The point of mentor texts is to learn the craft your own essay by discovering the moves the writers make and how they effectively make your own argument.

You can find a selection of past essay winners on JLI’s website . There are eight winning essays on that page, from first to third prize from 2021 to 2023, including 2023’s grand prize winner. That’s a fairly limited collection of essays. Here are some other winning essays you can use as mentor texts:

Economics – 2020 First Prize . Prompt: “What is the socially efficient level of crime?”

Law – 2020 First Prize . Prompt: “Does a law that prohibits the selling of sex protect or infringe women’s rights?”

History – 2020 First Prize . Prompt: “How is the modern world different from previous periods of history and why did it come into existence when and where it did?”

Theology – 2020 First Prize . Prompt: “Many people have committed acts, execrated and deplored by others, in obedience to sincerely held beliefs. Can we reasonably ask anyone to do better than simply to obey his own conscience?”

Philosophy – 2020 Grand Prize . Prompt: “Is intuition to philosophy as observation is to science?”

Politics – 2020 First Prize . Prompt: “American citizens give away more than $300 billion each year in charitable donations. Only a tiny fraction of this (less than 0.001%) is donated to federal, state, and local governments. Politicians claim that they spend taxpayers’ money efficiently, to accomplish the most good with the budgets at their disposal. But if this were true wouldn’t governments be able to compete more successfully with private charities? What are the implications of your answer?”

Psychology – 2020 First Prize . Prompt: “Isn’t all reasoning (outside mathematics and formal logic) motivated reasoning?”

Junior Category – 2020 First Prize . Prompt: “Who should own your data? The companies with which you agree to share your data, everybody, just you, or nobody?”

What are some tips for crafting a successful essay?

Read the question/prompt carefully. Make sure you understand what the question is asking and that you address all parts of it.
Demonstrate familiarity with relevant theories. Others have written about the question at hand. Find some authors (through research, of course) that you find particularly convincing or unconvincing.
Figure out what you want to argue and write a thesis. You are writing to convince the reader. Keep that reader in mind throughout.
Use evidence effectively. You’ll need to show how you arrived at your claim from the evidence you examined. Evidence may include quotations, paraphrasing, data, graphs, or primary sources. It’s not enough just to state some evidence: you’ll need to analyze it and explicitly connect it to your claim.
Think of alternative answers to your question and anticipate objections. Offering and analyzing evidence that supports your thesis isn’t enough. You need to consider the arguments that readers can raise to challenge your thesis and explain why your argument is stronger than the alternatives.
Make sure your essay has a clear logical flow. When you have strong clear paragraphs, you guide the reader through your argument by showing how each point fits to your thesis.
End with a conclusion. The form of the conclusion varies depending on the nature of the essay you’ve written. But in general, you should conclude by stating “what” you have said, explaining the “so what” (why the reader should care), and end with the “now what,” some insight or new way to understand the question that results from reading your essay.

Take a look at Lumiere’s excellent article for additional tips along with illustrative examples. Their writing tips include: focusing on essay structure, grounding arguments in theory, being bold in conclusions, and seeking mentorship for guidance in logic and argumentation.

How competitive is it? To what extent can the JLIEC boost my chances of college admissions?

It’s fairly competitive. Each year 1,000s of entries are submitted from over 100 countries. About 10% of essays for each category are shortlisted and considered for a prize. Shortlisted candidates are also invited to Oxford for the award ceremony. There are three prizes for each of the seven categories one of which is chosen as the overall best essay, so 21 prizes not counting the junior category winners.

That being said, some subjects are more popular and receive more submissions. In 21, Theology had about 50 people on the shortlist while Economics had over 200 . So one strategy might be to submit for a category that has fewer entries. However, given how long it takes to research and write one of these essays (weeks at least), you might be better off just choosing a topic that genuinely interests you.

Recent winners of the grand prize have gone to essays in Philosophy (2023), Economics (2022), Law (2021), Philosophy (2020), and Economics (2019).

As to how much of a boost it gives your college application, it will certainly demonstrate your abilities to conduct research, engage with complex ideas, and articulate a well-reasoned argument. All of these are considered valuable by admissions officers at elite universities. Over half of the John Locke alumni enrolled in just eight universities: Chicago, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale.

Final Thoughts

The John Locke Institute Essay Competition is a great opportunity for you to practice your research and writing skills and gain some insight into a subject that you’re interested in. It also has the potential to help you develop as a critical thinker and demonstrate your curiosity and creativity. And, of course, it will make your college application stronger.

If you’re looking for a mentor for the John Locke competition or want to do your own independent research, consider applying to Ivy-Way’s Research Mentor Program.

Harvard College Writing Center, “Strategies for Essay Writing”

Manas Pant, “The Ultimate Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition,” Lumiere Education.

Dr. R.J. is a writer, editor, teacher, and academic coach & consultant. He's a devotee of speculative fiction, especially stories involving spaceships, robots, time travel, and/or laser swords. He currently works at Ivy-Way Academy helping students achieve their full academic potential.

+1 (603) 932 7897

[email protected].

Complete Guide to John Locke Essay Competition 2024

Last modified 2024-04-05
Published on 2021-04-01

1. What is the John Locke Essay Competition?

The John Locke Essay Competition is organized by John Locke Institute, an independent education organization located in Oxford, UK. Professors at the John Locke Institute are from famous universities like Oxford, Princeton, Brown, and Buckingham University.

The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate characteristics of great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis, and persuasive style. Students are challenged to explore a wide range of questions beyond their school’s curriculum.

Obtaining prizes in the competition can greatly enhance the competitiveness of undergraduate applications at American, Canadian, and British universities. College admission for past winners include Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Oxford, Cambridge, University of Toronto, and other world-renowned schools.

2. When does the John Locke Essay Competition start?

The John Locke Essay Competition typically releases essay questions in February. Participants are given several months to submit their essay, with the submission deadline typically set for June 30 each year.

However, if for any reason students miss the June 30 deadline, they can make a late entry by paying $20, and submitting their essay before July 10 11:59 pm BST.

For 2024, the submission deadline is June 30, 2024.

Registration opens on April 1, 2024.
Registration deadline: May 31, 2024. (Registration is required by this date for subsequent submission.)
Submission deadline: June 30, 2024.
Late entry deadline: July 10, 2024. (Late entries are subject to a 20.00 USD charge, payable by July 1)
Notification of short-listed essayists: July 31, 2024.
Academic conference & awards dinners: September 21, 2024.

3. Who is eligible for the contest?

Students from any country are eligible to submit essays to the competition. However, only students whose 19th birthday falls after June 30 of the current year (which is the submission deadline). Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on that date. For example, if the current deadline for the 2024 competition is June 30, 2024, only students who are 18 years old or younger before June 30, 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. In the case of the Junior Prize category, only students who are 14 years old or younger before June 30, 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation.

4. Who should participate in the competition?

The competition welcomes students who are passionate about philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, or law to participate. Regardless of your academic background or level of expertise, if you’re interested in writing and willing to delve deeper into thought-provoking topics and complex societal issues, the John Locke Essay Competition is an excellent opportunity for you.

5. Is the John Locke Competition free?

Yes, the John Locke Essay Competition is free to enter. Participants are not required to pay any fees, and they can submit as many essays as they please across any or all categories.

6. Is the John Locke Essay Competition prestigious?

The John Locke Essay Competition has always been a prestigious competition, attracting talented writers around the world. All of the competition’s essays are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities, including the University of Oxford (#5 in Best Global Universities) and Princeton University (#1 in National Universities in the U.S).

In addition, the judges will choose their favorite essay from each of the seven subject categories, along with a junior category for under 15s, which is a very rigorous evaluation process.

Moreover, the essay topics chosen for the competition often tackle current issues and challenges facing society today, requiring students to be well-rounded and up to date with the topics that they’re interested in.

7. How competitive is the John Locke Essay Competition?

With approximately 19,000 entries in total, the John Locke Essay Competition attracts a pool of excellent participants from around the world. Each year, a select few—typically 24-25 individuals—are awarded prizes.

For more context, in 2021, the competition received 4,000 submissions, yet only 24 prizes were awarded, indicating a marked increase in competitiveness over time. With a win rate of approximately 0.6%, securing a prize in the John Locke Essay Competition is definitely an exceptional achievement. Notably, each category witnessed a substantial number of submissions, with Philosophy shortlisting 108 candidates, Politics 55, Economics 239, History 190, Junior Essay 93, Law 80, Theology 50, and Psychology 100. In total, these categories shortlisted 915 candidates, which is 23% of all submissions. Within 915 shortlists, there were only 24 students being awarded, representing 3% of all shortlists. This data paints a vivid picture of the competitiveness among participants, and the academic rigor demanded by the competition in order to be shortlisted and finally rewarded. In 2022, there were 6805 participants and 20% were shortlisted.

8. What are the categories in the competition?

Students are required to submit an argumentative essay of fewer than 2,000 words. The overarching themes of the competitions are: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law.

John Locke Essay Competition Prep Program

9. What are the questions in the competition?

For 2024, the questions for John Locke Essay Competition are:

Philosophy

Q1. Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition?

Q2. Do girls have a right to compete in sporting contests that exclude boys?

Q3. Should I be held responsible for what I believe?

Expert Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition Philosophy Questions

Q1. Is there such a thing as too much democracy?

Q2. Is peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip possible?

Q3. When is compliance complicity?

Economics

Q1. What is the optimal global population?

Q2. Accurate news reporting is a public good. Does it follow that news agencies should be funded from taxation?

Q3. Do successful business people benefit others when making their money, when spending it, both, or neither?

Expert Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition Economics Questions

Q1. Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century and why did this change?

Q2. Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?

Q3. Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger?

Expert Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition History Questions

Psychology

Q1. According to a study by researchers at four British universities, for each 15-point increase in IQ, the likelihood of getting married increases by around 35% for a man but decreases by around 58% for a woman. Why?

Q2. There is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. Can we fix this? How?

Q3. What is the difference between a psychiatric illness and a character flaw?

Q1. “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” What could the speaker mean by “spiritual”?

Q2. Is it reasonable to thank God for protection from some natural harm if He is responsible for causing the harm?

Q3. Does God reward those who believe in him? If so, why?

Expert Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition Theology Questions

Q1. When, if ever, should a company be permitted to refuse to do business with a person because of that person’s public statements?

Q2. In the last five years British police have arrested several thousand people for things they posted on social media. Is the UK becoming a police state?

Q3. Your parents say that 11pm is your bedtime. But they don’t punish you if you don’t go to bed by 11pm. Is 11pm really your bedtime?

JUNIOR prize (for age 14 and younger)

Q1. Does winning a free and fair election automatically confer a mandate for governing?

Q2. Has the anti-racism movement reduced racism?

Q3. Is there life after death?

Q4. How did it happen that governments came to own and run most high schools, while leaving food production to private enterprise?

Q5. When will advancing technology make most of us unemployable? What should we do about this?

Q6. Should we trust fourteen-year-olds to make decisions about their own bodies?

10. How to win the John Locke Essay competition?

With the competitiveness of this competition, it’s crucial for students to have a clear structure for approaching their question of choice. We will take an example from the grand prize-winning essay “Is tax theft?” by Hosai Kishida as an example to provide winning tips from Aralia teachers:

Analyze the question and link them to John Locke’s philosophy

Take the time to understand the essay prompt and what the question is asking for. Approaching the question “Is tax theft?”, some of the outstanding themes are the ethical implications of taxation and theft, the legal definition of theft within the context of taxation, and the redistribution of wealth and socioeconomic inequalities. Students could approach this question in several ways, but it should always link to John Locke’s philosophy. In their essay, Hosai linked the taxation issue with John Locke’s “Two Treatises on Government” idea of social contract.

Clear reasoning with evidence drawn from extensive research :

Once you decide on your stance about the question, it’s important to present your argument with logical reasoning and strong evidence from reputable sources. Students can utilize a variety of reputable sources, including academic journals, books, and scholarly articles, to gather relevant information and develop a well-informed argument. In addition, make sure that your structure and ideas are presented clearly and allow your reader to navigate your essay with ease.

For example, in Hosai’s essay, they laid out foundational principles of state power and the requirement of rational consent for legitimizing state authority. Then, they logically deduce that taxation, as an exercise of state power, necessitates the consent of taxed individuals to avoid being considered theft. The author supports their argument with references to Locke and Kant, renowned philosophers and scholars.

Engage in critical analysis

In addition to providing reasoning and evidence that support students’ arguments, students can also examine alternative perspectives to show that they have the ability to evaluate evidence critically– specifically the strengths and weaknesses of different viewpoints.

For example, Hosai evaluates opposing viewpoints and potential objections to their argument that taxation is theft. They brought up David Friedman’s concept of privatized approaches to order, and Michael Huemer’s critique of the state’s neutrality to provide a well-rounded analysis of the issue. They also reference historical events, such as the Holocaust under Nazi Germany, to illustrate potential abuses of state power.

Refine Your Writing Style

This type of essay falls under the argumentative essay type. This essay type requires a third person perspective throughout the introduction, body, and conclusion. Students should also use headings and transitions to create a smooth flow and overview of ideas without providing an excess of information, like how Hosai provides a heading for each of their arguments such as “Rational consent as a justification of state power” or “Taxation and hypothetical returns.” Don’t forget to use the active voice to make your writing more direct and engaging. Active voice sentences are clearer and more concise than passive voice, allowing you to communicate your ideas more effectively.

Proofreading and Editing

Before submitting your essay and throughout the writing process, always seek feedback from peers and teachers to gain valuable insights and perspectives on your essay to help you make revisions and create the best essay you possibly can.

11. How will your essay be evaluated?

According to the competition, your essay will be evaluated on 7 criteria, with the overarching goal of writing an essay that can change somebody’s mind in a way that’s as precise and direct as possible. Let’s go into detail about what those criteria are:

Knowledge and Understanding of the Relevant Material: This criterion assesses students on their ability to understand the question and the relevant concepts and theories related to the topic.
Competent Use of Evidence : The judges will evaluate the essay upon participants’ ability to use credible and relevant evidence to support their arguments.
Quality of Argumentation : This criterion examines the quality and overall strength of the reasoning provided by the participant.
Originality : In this criterion, the judges evaluate the originality of the ideas and arguments. In addition, all essays will be checked for the use of Artificial Intelligence. AI normally reiterates common knowledge and repeats well-established arguments without providing fresh ideas. If your essay is generated by AI, your essay will be disqualified.
Structure: The judges will evaluate your essay based on how well you structure and organize the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, as well as transitions between paragraphs.
Writing Style : This criterion evaluates the participant’s writing style– from grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure to the coherence and clarity of sentences.
Persuasive Force : Persuasive force refers to the participant’s capability to persuade the audience of their arguments. Methods of persuasion can range from their use of persuasive techniques to emotional appeals, and more.

12. What abilities of students are examined through the John Locke Essay Competition?

The foundational understanding of concepts and structures in philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, or law
The mastery of basic writing format and the skills to write argumentative essays
The independent thinking, logical analysis methods, persuasive writing skills

13. What’s the general structure of the argumentative essay?

An argumentative essay is different compared to other types, because it requires a straightforward and easy-to-follow structure, with a clear point of view and reasoning. We will use an example of an essay from 2020 achieving the First Prize in the Junior Category from the John Locke Essay Competition. The prompt for that year was “Who should own your data? The companies with which you agree to share your data, everybody, just you, or nobody?” The link to the essay can be viewed here .

A good argumentative essay should follow this structure:

Introductory paragraph:

This paragraph should outline the topic of discussion with background information related to your argument.

Today, we produce unfathomable amounts of data, leading the OECD to call data a “key pillar of 21st-century growth.”[1] Legislators, politicians and the popular press have increasingly called for ownership of data.[2]

Outline the topic of discussion and background information. Here, the author explains the current state of data ownership.

Ownership is generally defined as “full and complete control with recognised legal rights,” with legal discretion for the rightsholder to exploit, change, destroy, possess, exclude others from and transfer their property.[3] An ownership right for personal data does not currently exist in the legal statutes of any industrialised country.[4] Property laws intentionally exclude personal data from subject matter definitions and newly introduced regulatory frameworks do not specify data ownership.[5] [6]

Define the subject matter at a high level. In this paragraph, the writer discusses the definition of ownership and the problem of data ownership not specified in the ownership regulation.

The thesis statement

This is where students should state their thesis, along with the evidence they will present. The thesis statement should be a concise summary of your main point and introduce the main arguments that will be discussed in the body paragraphs:

In 1893, Sir William Blackstone noted the human fascination with ownership, saying we desire “sole and despotic dominion … in total exclusion of rights of other individuals in the universe.”[7] In this case, that fascination detracts from the problems and solutions surrounding personal data today. An ownership right should not be created for data. To illustrate this, I shall explore the implications of assigning a data ownership right to corporations, everybody, individuals and then discuss why data should not be owned at all.

State your perspective on the matter and provide an overview of your evidence for the argument. In responding to who should own the data, the writer stated that data should not be owned by corporations, individuals, and everybody, which he discusses later in the body paragraph.

Body paragraph:

A body paragraph explains the main reasons for your thesis. If you have three main points you want to discuss, each body paragraph should cover each one (and only one) idea. You can support your claims with examples, research, studies, statistics, and any other information to add credibility and gain trust from readers. In the body paragraphs, you can also bring up opposing claims and provide explanations for why you disagree with the claims. The overall idea of the argument is to convey your idea, explain why the reader should agree, and present opposing claims with evidence-based arguments.

In the winner’s essay, he provided four main arguments why data should not be owned by corporations, individuals, and everybody, as well as why data should be owned by nobody. He also discussed the consequences of data ownership by these groups.

The conclusion should summarize your arguments and restate your thesis. A good conclusion also expands the reach of the paper to include themselves and their audience, making it both personal and showing why their audience should care about the implications of their argument. An example of making your conclusion personal is including an anecdote or a personal story related to the topic.

Today, policy makers must strike a balance between individual rights and extracting societal benefits of data. It is the subject of age-old philosophical debate; whether to prioritise a categorical imperative of privacy at the expense of utilitarian societal progress. Assigning data ownership to a single party means choosing a side, one side will inevitably lose out – sacrificing progress or privacy. Thankfully, reality does not reflect this simplistic trade-off. Ergo, legislators must continue to push for a sector-specific rights-based regulatory framework to complement existing efforts and forgo the need to legislate through assigning data ownership. Therefore, I believe, data should remain as is, res nullius – “property of no one.”

This is an example of a great conclusion, as the writer restates what would happen if you provide data ownership to people, and restates his original thesis that data should not be owned by anyone.

14. What are the prizes of the John Locke Essay Competition?

The prize for each winner of a subject category will receive a scholarship worth $2000 (US Dollars) towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute program
The best essay overall will receive a $10,000 (US Dollar) scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools and/or gap year courses.
The essays will be published on the Institute’s website.
Networking opportunities with judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute.

Aralia's Course

In this John Locke Essay Competition Prep course, students will learn the ins and outs of essay writing, in preparation for entering the competition. We offer prep classes in all categories: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law. Students will choose one topic, compose an original thesis and argument, and write an essay for submission. Students will engage in a guided analysis of primary and secondary sources, develop critical thinking skills, and discover interesting insights. In addition to the group lecture classes, students will receive guidance on their individual projects from the instructor, in one-on-one sessions.

What's next

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Finished your writing work but not sure where to submit it? Where to Submit Your Writing Works: 5 Main Platforms will answer your questions

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Competition a great experience for my students

I teach AP English Language, and my students were challenged in all the best ways by this competition last year. One of the things that impressed me was the way the judging aligned with my in-class grades-- the essays I felt were the best were also the ones that were shortlisted in the competition. I also appreciate that the competition recognizes so many essays; in contrast to competitions where only a handful of students win top prizes, the relatively high percentage of essays that are shortlisted means that many of my students were able to come away from the competition with a nice honor to put on their college resume.

Date of experience : May 01, 2023

John Locke essay competition

Took part in the essay competition, was pleased because it was free and therefore really inclusive, with a good range of choices and subjects. I later received a commendation and was invited to a prize giving dinner at Oxford. However, when I tried to book, I found that to get the full package (dinner, prize giving, application advice and lectures) I would have to pay around £500. This was not including housing or food other than the dinner and so clearly the competition wasn’t as inclusive as it had seen. Furthermore, after missing out on the ceremony I at least wanted the promised certificate to use in my university application, however this didn’t come for months and was only emailed to me after I got in touch with the admissions team. Overall had the potential to be great but ended up seeming like a bit of a money grabbing event.

Date of experience : June 01, 2023

I completed the 2022 PPE summer school…

I completed the 2022 PPE summer school and I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. I met friends that I still have to this day and the level of academic richness that we had each day changed me as a person, benefited my A-Levels and truly helped me with going into university. I’m studying at the university of Exeter, but did get a place at Durham, and with John Locke’s personal statement lessons I honestly believe it boosted my chances. All in all, thank you JLI and I would encourage anyway to go!

Date of experience : January 18, 2024

Washington DC Gap Year Programme

I attended the JLI Washington DC Gap Year Programme in 2023 and found it to be an extremely useful and enjoyable experience. The accommodation provided was comfortable and centrally located - which was amazing for exploring DC. The other students on the programme were also very passionate about political/economic issues and it was great to debate with them. The schedule was well balanced with academics, free time and fun activities. The particular highlights of the programme for me were visiting the IMF, NSA and attending a variety of precepts at The Cato Institute. This programme is, of course, a significant investment in time and money. However, I had a positive experience and would recommend it.

Date of experience : March 28, 2023

Thoughts after entering 2022 and 2023 essay competition events

I've entered the invitation-only essay competition events for the 2022 and 2023 competition. I was thoroughly satisfied after the 2022 one, which left me with no doubt to sign up for the 2023 one when I heard the news that I got shortlisted. However, the latter proved to be of far less quality than the former, and consequently made me view JLI as much more of a money grabbing institution than one which values intellectual integrity - which was my view of the organisation after the 2022 event. The 2023 event had far more people per subject (this may be because they decided to shortlist more people, or it may be that simply more people accepted the invite, but the difference was like 4x-ish), and further they decided to hold the events for all the different subjects on the same day, which made it all the more chaotic (whereas in 2022 the events for each subject was held at a different date). In 2022 seminars and discussions were held in rooms in Oxford colleges. The discussions in particular invited the students to speak up and actually have an academic discussion, which I found very valuable. However, in 2023, the seminars were held in large rooms or lecture halls (due to the large amount of students), there was little room for individual participation, and the overall quality of students were noticeably lower. Further, the seminars itself were not all that interesting. They weren't information you couldn't find in a youtube video. The tickets for the dinner ran out super quick, which was probably a precursor for the amount of people attending the event. The management of certificates and essay markings were also worse than 2022. It tooks months for the certificates to arrive and I believe they just outright removed the "High Commendation" category, which is the prize between "Commendation" and 1st 2nd and 3rd. All in all, my experience seems to highlight a marked change in the institution's values between 2022 and 2023 for the worse. Please do read this if you wish to attend the invititation-only events for later years.

Date of experience : October 12, 2023

Thank you for a great experience. The opportunity to share ideas with likeminded students and hear from leading academics was invaluable. Everyone there was passionate and ready to engage and the summer school was very well organised.

Date of experience : August 20, 2023

JLI isn’t what it claims to be

JLI isn’t what it claims to be. The school exploits Oxfordian prestige in order to hook in prospective students - but it’s actually held in Abingdon. There are no locks on the doors in the accommodation, meaning that multiple students suffered assaults and within a few days, half my dorm floor were down with food poisoning. You weren’t told precisely what you needed to bring - leaving multiple students without soap - and the course schedules were published in a rushed way, with students sometimes receiving the next day’s schedule the night before. Some students weren’t even given a map of the campus. The lecturers were decent, a number of them Oxford and Cambridge PhDs, but almost all of them fell into hardline right wing ideology (despite John Locke’s claim that it encourages students to explore all views). One of the lecturers in particular, I will not name him here, expressed downright offensive and inexcusable views, his entire lecture discriminating against groups of people who were present in the classroom. Another man who lectured there simply stated to myself and a group of friends that “women aren’t suited to politics”. The school is ragingly overpriced, poorly managed, understaffed and fails to uphold its claims of academic rigour. It wasn’t a total waste of an experience as a few lectures were interesting and the social life was quite decent, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Date of experience : May 13, 2023

I attended the PPE and History Junior…

I attended the PPE and History Junior Summer School at Oriel College and it was truly the most enjoyable and transformative course. It reinstated my passion for the subjects as I was able to be taught by professionals who are experts on the subjects and wanted to teach the students and answer questions. It also helped me see whether I would enjoy university life and whether a PPE course was something I would like to peruse. The structure of the days were very similar to a university day, consisting of seminars, precepts and lectures, as well as a few free periods in the week where you are able to spend time with the other people on the course, who were all really charismatic and friendly. I vehemently recommend the JLI courses.

Great academics, poor organization

Overall, it was a great experience, with well-rounded and thought-provoking lecturers. For summer school at Oxford, we stayed at Radley College, which was a lovely campus, with decent arrangements and food. However, the organization of the John Locke Institute is slightly disordered. They were slow to release timetables and slow to release the reading list. They also need to change their main tool of communication, during my stay, they only used a Facebook page, which was inefficient and outdated. Overall, it was a good and enlightening experience, however, the organization needs much improvement.

Date of experience : August 18, 2022

Experience with the 2021 JLI summer course

In July 2021, I attended the John Locke Institute's summer course at Balliol. I was overwhelmed by the quality of discussion, debate, and critical analysis. After every lecture we attended, we'd gather in a room and discuss what the speaker had said. I'm sure every who'd signed up to the course had had an interest in politics, philosophy, and economics to begin with. But without a doubt, the experience massively increased that interest afterwards.

Date of experience : June 03, 2022

JLI 2020 Review

I just wanted to write to formally say thank you, for offering this opportunity to me in the first place, and delivering it so well under such circumstances. It is true what they say: I feel like the experience will guide my future for the better. I couldn't be more grateful for this. Between the full time professors and the guest speakers, the expertise that you brought to Cirencester was very impressive.

Date of experience : April 12, 2022

Great Experience

This was a great summer school - I was very glad I attended. Originally, I was nervous to come, but during the week that opinion changed drastically. The lecturers are all respectable people in their own right, and not only do they share their view, they also show their opponents view.

The John Locke institute gap year…

The John Locke institute gap year program in Washington DC was absolutely fantastic. There was never a dull moment as you head from speaker to speaker. The people we were introduced to and learnt from were all high respected in their fields and more than happy to answer even the most basic of questions. They were also somehow able to engage with every student effectively in a way that led to each of us walking away as if we had had a one on one session. The other brilliant side of the course were the students. All highly motivated and intelligent. I had some of the most interesting and thought-provoking conversations of the course at the dinner table with other students. Program Director Martin Cox provided constant support. He helped prepare us to meet speakers and also learn and love the city. We were taken to two sporting events and multiple tourist sites. Really generating an attachment to the city, by the end we could have easily done another month in DC. I would highly recommend the course.

Date of experience : April 30, 2022

Attended last year's PPE summer school course and had such a great experience! The lectures and course content were extremely interesting and I learned a lot and met so many great people! Would recommend to anyone interested in fields of politics, economics, or philiosophy!!

Date of experience : April 22, 2022

Princeton Summer School

During my time with the John Locke Institute in Princeton I was able to absorb an enormous amount of information in such a small period of time. The activities that were carried out throughout the summer school were so interactive and fun, however at the same time our lectures were challenging. Our professors were very engaging and willing to listen to our arguments and explain to us where we were wrong, I was able to open up my mind to new ideas and theories that I completely disagreed with before. It was truly an amazing experience that I hope to do it again.

Date of experience : September 20, 2022

JLI summer school 2022 review …

I had an amazing time at the John Locke Institute summer school. All the lectures were engaging and interesting, and the Oxbridge-style precepts helped clear any confusions or burning questions you had. All the staff were very helpful and the student community was accepting and kind. Highly recommend for anyone interested in applying to PPE at university!

Date of experience : August 26, 2022

great summer school

I have learnt so much in the way of how to think. The summer school opened up so many possibilities and ways to approach questions, as well as allowing me to voice my own ideas. It’s been a confidence booster as well as an intellectual ride! All the faculty had amazing stories to tell, were approachable and knowledgable. The conversations with them were interesting and memorable and had me think in new ways as well as debate back and forth. I am pretty sure getting the venue amidst a pandemic was a struggle, but thank you for not cancelling on us, as this has been an amazing trip. I have never been more encouraged to apply for Oxford, and this summer school has been really motivating. Anyway, thank you for all your hard work and the work all the faculty have put in, it is really appreciated.

Date of experience : April 14, 2022

I would just like to thank you again…

I would just like to thank you again for the amazing ten days at John Locke. I really enjoyed the experience and hearing everything everyone had to say with all the amazing discussions we had over the 10 days. It was definitely the highlight of my summer!

great faculty, bad campus

Faculty: the professors were good, they had a former Australian prime minister, a billionaire who was on the board of Harvard for a decade, tons of Oxbridge professors, really chill and nice professors, very honest people definitely a great experience. all the faculty were top tier, good tip: you can just sit with the lecturers and talk with them about any questions you might have, dining hall did have a high table but it’s not really adhered to thankfully. 5/5 Campus/food my room flooded, several other people in my hall had the toilets on the floor above leak and had "brown stains", the whole hall flooded, Radley college is NOT in oxford, it's close, you will barely spend any time in oxford, I wish I could have gone when the course was hosted in Balliol college food was horrible, several people got food poisoning, I instinctively spat out my food sometimes, the school won't let you take seconds, imagine charging what they charge you and not letting you eat your full, a lot of people had to order food for themselves, I can’t eat much meat without puking and listed my dietary preference as vegetarian, they ran out of vegetarian food a bunch of time and the staff wouldn’t let me take vegetarian food because I took meat once. the campus was isolated and not close to anywhere. get a fan, the Radley campus got so hot, the most fun I had was walking around oxford with friends, 2/5 for campus, it’s not very nice. student body a lot of people were from Eton, Harrow, etc I talked to everyone and made good conversation with everyone and there were only 5 state school students I spoke to, and I spoke to a lot of people, Mr. Martin probably has better stats don't be discouraged because of the whole "poshness" of the student body, everyone was really really nice. And always went the extra mile to help each other out The majority of the kids go to Oxbridge for the UK. Miscellaneous: also on their website it says that they have a bursary for travel from low-income countries, from what I can ascertain this does not exist, I emailed them about it after I got a merit scholarship, they ghosted me for 12 days and then after I called them they asked me where I read this in their website, I sent a screenshot and they told me they couldn't help me with that.

Date of experience : August 21, 2022

Overall, very enjoyable

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the John Locke institute which I did in my GCSE summer. I enjoyed its depth and the variety of speakers, presenting both libertarian and social-democratic views of public and economic policy. The room and board were enjoyable, and along with the students there who were ambitious and motivated. Well respected speakers like Brian Davies and Martin Gladly provided great insight to political theory and history of great men that I found to be very engaging. I highly recommend the experience to others.

Date of experience : April 21, 2022

Grade 10 Student Receives a High Commendation for John Locke Institute’s Global Essay Competition

With a rise of COVID-19 cases, Ontario school campuses closed to students and staff on April 19, 2021, and remote learning commenced for the remainder of the school year. Under a strict Stay-At-Home Order from the Government of Ontario, Esha D., Grade 10 student, used her time effectively to research opportunities she could participate in from the comfort of her home. Esha’s passion for writing led her to find the John Locke Institute’s Global Essay Competition.

The John Locke Institute is an independent educational organization that works to embolden the best and brightest students to become more academically ambitious and more intellectually adventurous.

Through our various programmes – residential courses, revision seminars, essay competitions, and special events – we inspire students to aim high and we equip them with the skills they need in order to achieve their goals.

Each year, the John Locke Institue hosts a Global Essay Competition inviting students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum. Students ages 18-years-old and younger from any country and any school are invited to submit an essay no longer than 2000 words on the subject of their choice; Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law.

Having taken additional courses in law at HTS, it was a natural choice for Esha to turn her focus to the law category. With three prompts to choose from, she focussed her work on the question of, “Should ‘innocent until proven guilty’ apply not only to courts of law, but also to public censure?” When not in class remotely, Esha spent her time researching and writing to complete her essay over two months.

The John Locke Institute received over 4000 entries from 101 countries, taking their panel of 36 examiners two weeks to review. Entries were judged by senior academics from the University of Oxford on the level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, the quality of argumentation, the structure, writing style and persuasive force. Esha’s law essay was recognized by the examiners as she made the shortlist and later was recognized as a finalist receiving a high commendation.

What Esha takes from her experience is her newfound appreciation and understanding of research. Interested in sharing her passion for writing further, Esha founded the Creative Writing Club in the Senior School since the submission of her essay. The club provides students with the opportunity to explore various forms of writing in a welcoming environment where peers exchange ideas with one another. Club members analyze the elements which diversify creative writing from academic writing. Esha hopes to inspire her peers through the club to take advantage of opportunities to participate in creative writing competitions just as she has.

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UM-Dearborn freshman scores a trip to Oxford for placing in prestigious competition

Syed akbari’s recent adventure in essay writing is all the reminder you need that it never hurts to try..

Syed Akbar is a young South-Asian man with swept over black hair and facial hair. He smiling at the camera, sitting in a sofa chair inside the University Center Commons. Syed is wearing a red, short-sleeve button down.

Many undergraduates pursue research or enter an essay competition at the urging of a faculty mentor. Eighteen-year-old freshman Syed Akbari entered the prestigious John Locke Institute Essay Competition because he Googled it.

“I think it was the second result that came up when I searched for ‘philosophy essay competition,’” he said, smiling. “The thing that kind of got me going was that when I was applying to colleges, one interviewer asked about what subjects I was ‘world class’ in. And I was honest: I said I’m not world class in anything, but there were subjects, like philosophy, that I’ve studied more than the average person. But then I realized I didn't have anything to back that up. And I thought if I won some kind of competition or award, that would be a cool thing to have.”

It’s worth mentioning that philosophy isn't even Akbari’s major (though he does intend to add it eventually as a second-major complement to his current one in data science ). It’s also worth noting that the John Locke Institute’s annual essay competition was the second result in Google for a reason: It’s a pretty big deal — it’s co-sponsored by Princeton and Oxford — and every year draws thousands of entries from students all over the world.

Akbari, however, wasn't aware of that and approached the contest with the casualness of dropping his name in a raffle. He browsed through the list of essay prompts, found one that resonated with him and picked a few books that he thought might help him from his personal summer reading list (everything from The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris to Life Laid Bare: The Survivors in Rwanda Speak ). And then five days before the competition, he wrote his essay on the topic of whether the practice of philosophy is still relevant. He laid out a precise, analytical argument for why it is.

Then he waited. In fact, he made a note of the date the institute would notify the winners; and when the date passed, he sent the committee an email. When the reply came a day or so later, he learned there were so many entries (from 102 countries) that the judging had been delayed.

“At that point, I thought, ‘Whoa, I have no chance.’ I assumed my best shot was if hardly anyone entered.”

But then a few more days passed, and he got another email.

“It started with ‘unfortunately,’ and I’d just been through the college application process so I knew anything that starts with ‘unfortunately’ isn't going to end well. So I just put down my phone,” he said. “But then a couple hours later, I picked it up and read the whole message. And it said unfortunately this year they received so many entries that it caused a delay. So I kept reading until I saw: ‘That’s why it makes your achievement so impressive.’”

Akbari had placed among the handful of finalists, which carried with it a multi-day stay at Oxford for the awards ceremony. The only hiccup was going to be scaring up the $1,000 for a plane ticket. A friend of his suggested that he might be able to get funding from the university, at which point Akbari simply started asking around — first emailing his dean in the College of Engineering and Computer Science ; then following a trail of suggestions from helpful people in College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters , which eventually led him to Philosophy Professor Maureen Linker.

“She was literally the last person I talked to and the first person who told me: ‘I’m going to fight for this. We’re going to find you the funding.’”

Then hours later, an email reply arrived from College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Tony England’s office with a second vote of support. Between the two colleges and some additional funds from Dean of Students Amy Finley, they pulled together enough last-minute funding to cover Akbari's plane ticket.

“Oxford was so amazing. Everything felt like a castle. The dinners were lit with candlelight, and the food was crazy — there was caviar and salmon and lamb roast. We were all kind of laughing together about how extravagant it was.”

Akbari tied for fifth in the philosophy category. Don’t expect this to be his last fearless foray into competitions: He’s currently working on an entry for another essay contest, eyeing a poetry slam (another one of his interests) and making plans for an upcoming hackathon. The first time he did the latter, it was simply because a friend invited him.

“I was literally Googling, ‘What is a hackathon?’ on the way in the door,” he said. “But, if you see an opportunity, you should take your shot, right? I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

And sometimes, when you just bother to try, some really good stuff can happen too.

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COMMENTS

John Locke Institute Essay : r/ApplyingToCollegePOST
If we do get a mention it is worthy to give it a top spot. However, it'd be better to participate in other activities where there is a good chance of winning first prize. Plus good transcripts. This should give you a good chance. But you know it's a mix of luck and economic factors too these college decisions! So good luck to me and you ...
2024 Essay Competition
Academic conference: 20 - 22 September, 2024. Awards dinner: 21 September, 2024. Contact. Any queries regarding the essay competition should be sent to [email protected]. Please be aware that, due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, we cannot guarantee to answer every query.
The Ultimate Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition
The John Locke Contest is a rigorous and selective writing competition in the social sciences and humanities. While it is not as selective as the Concord Review and has a much broader range of students who can receive prizes, it is still considered a highly competitive program. Winning a John Locke essay contest will have clear benefits for you ...
What am I missing with regard to John Locke? : r/askphilosophy
Locke does not have an argument for his claim that there are rights in the state of nature. As Mill puts it in Utilitarianism, a right is a claim against society to come to the claimer's defense. For example, if you assert a right to life then you are making a claim against society that it should protect you against anyone who threatens your life.
Summer University
John Locke Institute alumni who will be at least seventeen years old on September 1st this year. PPE. ... The central element of the Summer University is an Oxford-style tutorial, for which you will write an essay presenting an answer to a question in philosophy, politics, economics or history, and use evidence, illustration, and argumentation ...
John Locke Essay Competition 2023
Hey, did anyone submit an essay to the John Locke Institute Essay Comp this year? I did a law question. I did a Psychology essay. 0 Report. Reply. Reply 82. 8 months ago. rsne. 4. On reddit theres a post saying that last year they came out 7-8 pm. 1 Report. Reply. Reply 83. 8 months ago. Anyazz. 15. Original post by rsne. On reddit theres a ...
2024 John Locke Essay Competition Prompts: The Incredible
We've written about the John Locke Institute Essay Competition (JLIEC) before, discussing the basics of the competition, and how it can improve your chances of college admissions, and shared the success of Ivy-Way students shortlisted for the Junior and regular Essay Competition. In general, the goal of the JLIEC is to encourage "independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning ...
Oxford
The John Locke Institute is hosting three Oxford summer schools in 2024. Our philosophy is the same for all three: to bring together the very best students from all over the world and invite inspiring professors to challenge them to listen generously, to think critically, and to develop and deliver robust responses with clarity, precision and persuasive force.
About JLI
The John Locke Institute is an independent educational organisation that works to embolden the best and brightest students to become more academically ambitious and more intellectually adventurous. Through our various programmes - residential courses, revision seminars, essay competitions, and special events - we inspire students to aim high ...
Complete Guide To John Locke Essay Competition 2024
The John Locke Essay Competition is organized by John Locke Institute, an independent education organization located in Oxford, UK. Professors at the John Locke Institute are from famous universities like Oxford, Princeton, Brown, and Buckingham University. The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate characteristics of great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge ...
John Locke Institute Reviews
The John Locke Institute is an educational organization that works to embolden the best and brightest students to become more academically ambitious and more intellectually adventurous. The John Locke Institute provides educational courses - in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology and Law - designed to present students with ...
Summer Schools
I am a lot more confident in exploring political and economic ideas in my essays." ... Thank you for your interest in the John Locke Institute. To confirm your subscription, please follow the instructions in your email. Email: [email protected] . Oxford: +44 (0)1865 566166 .
Summer School & Gap Year Courses
ESSAY PRIZE. FACULTY & GUESTS . The John Locke Institute is proud of our inspiring faculty, drawn from leading universities around the world, who return to the Institute year after year. ... Thank you for your interest in the John Locke Institute. To confirm your subscription, please follow the instructions in your email. Email: education ...
John Locke Institute
John Locke Institute, Oxford, United Kingdom. 4,933 likes · 11 talking about this. Welcome! For information about our summer schools in Oxford, our essay competition, or our gap year programmes in...
Grade 10 Student Receives a High Commendation for John Locke Institute
Esha's passion for writing led her to find the John Locke Institute's Global Essay Competition. The John Locke Institute is an independent educational organization that works to embolden the best and brightest students to become more academically ambitious and more intellectually adventurous. ... Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn WhatsApp ...
Director's Welcome
The John Locke Institute exists for the benefit of exceptional students.These are the students who have the most to gain from an intensive close engagement with the Institute's world-class academics.Our blend of innovative and traditional learning techniques is designed to help elite students unleash their potential; the company of other capable, motivated students creates a mutually ...
♟ History Global Essay Competition...
♟ History Global Essay Competition 2022 Deadline for submissions is Thursday, 30 June 2022 at 11:59pm, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). You can submit your essay on our website. Shortlisted candidates...
UM-Dearborn freshman scores a trip to Oxford for placing in prestigious
Many undergraduates pursue research or enter an essay competition at the urging of a faculty mentor. Eighteen-year-old freshman Syed Akbari entered the prestigious John Locke Institute Essay Competition because he Googled it. "I think it was the second result that came up when I searched for 'philosophy essay competition,'" he said, smiling.