economics essay competitions uk

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FCDO Next Generation Economics 2024 competition

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) invites UK school students to write about big economic challenges by 28 June 2024.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office ( FCDO ) coordinates the UK’s diplomatic relationships, promotes UK interests abroad, and manages the UK’s overseas development budget.

The Next Generation Economics competition is managed by the FCDO in collaboration with the Hub for Equal Representation ( HER ) at the London School of Economics and Political Science ( LSE ).

Economics is important to our work, whether it is evaluating the sustainability of the UK’s international climate change commitments or analysing the contribution of the UK in reducing global poverty through aid programmes. Economics helps the FCDO make the most of each pound of taxpayer money.

The Next Generation Economics competition

The FCDO invites UK school students to write about the biggest economic challenges facing their generation. The competition is open until 28 June 2024.

to hear your ideas on one of the biggest economic challenges facing your generation. The FCDO represents UK interests across the world, and our economists work on finding and analysing solutions to global challenges

to inspire the next generation of economists. Our competition aims to demonstrate how economics is a vital tool for answering important, urgent policy questions

the next generation of economists to be even more diverse and open-minded than the current generation. We encourage you to enter the competition, whatever your background (and however much you know about economics). Find out more about diversity in the economics profession

Watch the video: FCDO Next Generation Economics Competition

Competition themes

To enter, submit your letter responding to 1 out of these 4 questions: 

2023 Nobel Prize laureate Claudia Goldin states that unequal division of caregiving and household responsibilities play a key role in gender pay gap. What policies could governments implement to increase female participation in the paid economy?  

International efforts to reduce carbon emissions increase demand for clean energy technology and critical minerals. How could material rich developing countries capitalize on the demand for critical minerals to boost growth?  

Climate change plus the impact of global conflict on international supply chains has enhanced risk on food security. What market intervention can governments across the world take to mitigate food security risk?  

According to the UN, 3.3 billion people now live in countries where debt interest payments are greater than expenditure on health or education. What actions could governments globally take to ensure debt does not prevent investment towards development?

Writing tips and links to helpful sources can be found in the ‘Useful information’ section.

Email your completed FCDO Next Generation Economics Entry Template ( ODT , 6.7 KB ) to [email protected] by 11:59pm on 28 June 2024.

We will announce the results on this webpage in July 2024.

Who can enter  

To enter, you must be: 

• at least 14 years old 
• studying in the UK at secondary school level (including sixth form and elective home education or home schooling), or at a British international school 

You do not need to be studying or have studied economics. 

Entering the competition is free.

We will announce the competition results in July 2024. There are several prizes on offer: 

• the winner will receive a cash prize of £500 
• 2 runners up will each receive 250  
• 5 shortlisted entrants will receive £100 each 

The winner will present their essay to Adnan Khan, FCDO Chief Economist . 

The top 8 entrants will be offered a fully-funded visit to the FCDO and the London School of Economics in London. They will also meet with one of the co-directors of the Hub for Equal Representation at the LSE . Fully-funded visits are only available to UK-based entrants. 

We will publish the letters of the winner and runners up on the GOV.UK website and share them across the Government Economic Service .  

The top 25 entrants will each receive an economics book, chosen from a shortlist selected by the FCDO Chief Economist.

How to submit your entry   

Do not include any personal information in the main part of your letter. This allows us to mark entries anonymously and as fairly as possible. You should include this in the covering email instead. 

Your entry should: 

• be formatted as a letter addressed to the  FCDO ’s Chief Economist Adnan Khan  
• be 1,000 words or fewer 
• clearly reference any evidence included. We recommend using the  Harvard referencing style . References are not included in the word count 
• not use applications such as ChatGPT or other forms of artificial intelligence (AI) 

Entries can include graphs and graphics, but these are not essential. 

You can ask an economics teacher for advice on the themes they plan to cover, economic concepts, recommended sources and writing styles.  

Find more information about  writing like an economist and where to find useful sources .

The FCDO Next Generation Economics Entry Template ( ODT , 6.7 KB ) includes a table at the top with information including your name, age and school. Fill this in, remove it from the template and include it in your email to us.  

How to do this: 

1. Fill in the entry template

2. Select and cut completed template

3. Create email

4. Paste completed template into to email

5. Attach entry and email it to [email protected]

Download the FCDO Next Generation Economics Entry Template ( ODT , 6.7 KB )

If you don’t have an email account 

If you do not have access to email, you can post your letter. Send it this address, and include the information from the table at the top of the template on a separate sheet of paper:  

Next Generation Economics Competition Team Room KG.18 Economics Directorate   Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office   King Charles Street   London   SW1A 2AH

How we mark entries 

A panel of FCDO economic advisors will read and mark your entry and agree a final shortlist of letters. The FCDO Chief Economist and co-directors of the Hub for Equal Representation at the LSE will review the shortlist and choose the winner and runners up.

The panel will consider these points when marking your entry:

Creativity  

All the competition questions address big economic challenges and have many possible answers. You should think about these questions with an open mind, and present, using evidence, your own ideas.

Economic concepts 

A great entry will use economic concepts to support the arguments it makes.

Using evidence 

Judges will be looking for effective use of evidence. Make sure you present your evidence clearly and explain the source.

Clear and concise writing 

You should structure your argument carefully to make every word count. Write clearly, concisely, and persuasively.

Useful information

To get inspiration, you can read the winning letters from last year’s competition .

These features will make your essay stand out, and are what we will look for when marking essays:

tell a story: create an engaging and convincing narrative, include an introduction and conclusion 

focus on economic analysis: discuss economic concepts that are relevant to the question 

focus on policy solutions: provide answers and solutions to the economic challenges of the question 

use evidence: use real world examples such as recent policy responses to support your arguments 

use visuals: use visuals, for example graphs, to help demonstrate your argument 

evaluate: provide critical analysis of proposed policies and focus on how efficient each policy solution is

Useful sources of information  

Question 1: Increasing female participation in the paid economy

The Unpaid Care Work and the Labour Market. An analysis of time use data based on the latest World Compilation of Time-use Surveys  

Gloria Steinem: Valuing Women’s Work

Podcast: Care Economy: Reducing Unpaid Work and Inequality. Social Protection Podcast

Question 2: Material rich developing countries capitalising on demand

Mineral-Rich Developing Countries Can Drive a Net-Zero Future

Clean energy minerals: Developing countries must add value to capitalize on demand

Critical minerals can pave the road to more robust international development

How industrial policies can complement future sustainable resource extraction in Africa

Question 3: Government market intervention to mitigate food security risk

Climate Explainer: Food Security and Climate Change  

How is the war in Ukraine affecting global food security? - Economics Observatory  

How to mitigate the effects of climate change on food security  

5 ways to tackle climate change and advance food security  

The race to improve food security

Question 4: Actions governments could take to ensure debt does not prevent development

Back to Basics: What is Debt Sustainability?  

Solving the low-income country debt crisis: four solutions  

How to Prevent Debt from Hurting Economic Growth

Market Reforms Can Stabilize Debt and Foster Growth in Developing Countries  

Swapping Debt for Climate or Nature Pledges Can Help Fund Resilience   

Debt relief for low-income countries   

How do rising U.S. interest rates affect emerging and developing economies?

Find out more about the competition:

• writing like an economist
• diversity in the economics profession
• to provide you with inspiration, read the winning letters from last year’s competition

If you have any questions about the competition, email [email protected]

Good luck! We look forward to reading your entries.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is a data controller. This means that we are responsible for any of your personal data that we collect or use. We will treat all personal information in accordance with data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018. Visit our website to learn more about how we handle personal information .

Updates to this page

Guidance reviewed and updated for 2024 competition.

Link to 2023 competition winner and runners up added.

The deadline for entering the competition is extended to 25 June 2023.

Guidance reviewed and updated for 2023 competition. Submit your entry by 8 May 2023.

The competition deadline has been extended to 18 February 2022.

Updated with information on the new 2021 to 2022 competition.

Next Generation competition deadline extended to 21 May 2021

First published.

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Essay Competition

“knowledge is our most powerful engine of production.” , alfred marshall (principles of economics, book iv, chapter 1), marshall society essay competition 2024.

The Marshall Society, the economics society of the University of Cambridge, is excited to announce the winner of its 2024 essay competition! 

We were incredibly impressed by the over 1000 exceptional entries this year. All students who participated should be very proud of themselves for entering, and it was extraordinarily difficult to select our award winners from all this year’s fantastic essays.

Congratulations to Mo Gao from Westminster School, the winner of the Marshall Society Essay Competition 2024. We applaud their brilliant essay on: In the face of disinflation, policymakers are hesitant to reduce interest rates. Is this in line with economic theory?

Huang, Pei-Chiau from MPW Cambridge for their entry on: To what extent is a merger between two big firms beneficial to consumers?

Ziyue Xie from Bryanston School for their entry on: “In an efficient market, at any point in time, the actual price of a security will be a good estimate of its intrinsic value.” – Eugene Fama. To what extent does this apply today?

Yunshan Zhong from No.2 High School of East China Normal University for their entry on: Why did Britain choose to return to the $4.86 gold standard rate in 1925? Was this the right decision?

COMMENDATIONS

Furthermore, we are proud to announce this year’s commended entries for each question.

Question 1: In the face of disinflation, policymakers are hesitant to reduce interest rates. Is this in line with economic theory?

Jiale Feng from Ulink college of Shanghai

Lucas Goh Zheng Rui from Anglo-Chinese School 

Chloe Dong from Beijing No. 8 High School

Joven Tan Yan Yu from Raffles Institution

Question 2: What are the causes and consequences of low fertility rates in advanced economies? How can we combat them?

Tan Min Heng from Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar

Fangyuan Cao from Miramonte High School

Erica Chen from Mulgrave School, The International School of Vancouver

Ruby Chuang from Taipei Kuei Shan School

Xinyue (Chloe) Zhang from Cheltenham Ladies College

Reva Batra from Magdalen College School

Jaewook Kim from Dulwich College Seoul

Amelie Rogers from Kendrick School

Qiyao Zhao from Runnymede College, Madrid

Question 3: Is the attention economy necessarily harmful? 

Chen Yuxin from Shenzhen College of International Education

Ziye Li from Veritas Scholars Academy

David Naylor from The Cherwell School

Gianluca Vinciguerra from Städtisches Gymnasium Sedanstraße

Boran Xing from Nanjing No.1 Middle School

Peiyuan Xiu from Ulink School of Shanghai

Zijie Hong from Beijing 101 middle school

Question 4: To what extent is a merger between two big firms beneficial to consumers?

Guan Sixuan from Raffles Institution

Luke Wang from Phillips Exeter Academy

Rong Yu, Xu from Shenzhen College of International Education

Joshua Andrew from Anglo-Chinese School

Boris Shippey from Radley College

Wu Xintong from Shenzhen College of International Education

Jianing Wang from Ulink College of Shanghai

Question 5: “In an efficient market, at any point in time, the actual price of a security will be a good estimate of its intrinsic value.” – Eugene Fama. To what extent does this apply today?

Churuo Xia from Shrewsbury School

Ross Gallo from Chapel Hill High School

Xiang Jiayi from Guanghua Cambridge International School

Yunyang Zhang from Henrietta Barnett School

Question 6: Why did Britain choose to return to the $4.86 gold standard rate in 1925? Was this the right decision?

Yiran Zhu from the Chinese International School

Ivan Valtchev from Stuyvesant High School

Austin Jiji from The Cooper School

Question 7: Has the field of Economics become too mathematical? Is this a problem?

Raymond Zhang from Hangzhou Bay Bilingual School

XinRan Yan from Beijing New Talent Academic Cambridge International Centre

Aoife Isabella Barker from Ashton Sixth Form College

Long Yi Marc Wang from The Manchester Grammar School

Wanqing Emily Su from Tsinghua International School

Adrian Tai Li-Aun from Sunway College Kuala Lumpur

OGC RESEARCH AWARD

Qinhe yang from shenzhen college of international education, duoyao zhang from the alice smith school, shelly shen from queen ethelburga’s college, amy zhang from southridge senior school, xinning zhang from shenzhen college of international education, yuxin xu from shenghua zizhu academy, monica chen from shanghai new epoch bilingual school, jianheng lin from edward r. murrow high school, jiaqi lu from shanghai concord bilingual school, thank you so much to all those who took the time to enter and thank you for your patience. we apologise for the delay in publishing results and look forward to seeing if next year’s entries can match the remarkable standard of yours. , special thanks to dev goyal and the whole marshall society committee for their help in marking..

Thanks again to our all those who entered and to our sponsor of the 2024 Marshall Society Essay Competition, Cambridge Global Connect (http://www.camgc-edu.com).

Cambridge Global Connect are a subsidiary of Oxbridge Global Connect, an award-winning education technology platform and research think tank founded at the University of Cambridge that offers premier tutoring services.

Discover Economics

• Abigail Carroll

Young Economist of the Year 2024

Updated: Apr 16

Discover Economics is delighted to launch the 2024 “Young Economist of the Year” competition, sponsored by KPMG UK.

Discover Economics is a campaign aimed at increasing diversity in economics, by transforming perceptions of the subject and encouraging young people to consider studying economics in the future.

The 2023 competition saw over 2,000 young people enter, submitting their thoughts on a range of real-life economics problems. The winners of last year’s competition were Sami Shahadat and Yiya Zhang, from Altrincham Grammar School for Girls. Commenting on their win, Yiya said:

“Participating in the Young Economist of the Year competition has genuinely been life-changing. It was such a transformative experience, allowing me to delve deeper into the fascinating world of economics and fuel my passion to continue exploring economics in the future. This is truly something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

Discover Economics is now excited to announce that the 2024 competition will open for entries on Monday 25th March. With our sponsors at KPMG UK generously extending their funding for another two years, this is another brilliant opportunity for young people to showcase their skills, learn more about economics, and be in with a chance of being published in the Financial Times thanks to our partnership with FT Schools.

On the competition, Sarah Smith OBE, Co-Chair at Discover Economics said:

“What an opportunity for young people – to present at KPMG UK’s offices in London in front of an audience of professional economists. The quality of all the teams was really high – both the excellent economic analysis and the confident presentations. If these are the young economists of the future, we are in safe hands. I am delighted that KPMG UK are  sponsoring the event again – and am looking forward to this year’s final.”

Heather Sharp, partner, KPMG Economics, said:

“I was really impressed by the quality of the entries, finalists and of course the winners in last year’s competition. The level of commitment, confidence, and economics knowledge the young finalists displayed during their presentations was truly outstanding.

“We're pleased to be continuing our sponsorship of Discover Economics for another two years and I’m looking forward to getting underway with this year’s competition and supporting the students of today to become our economists of tomorrow.”

To find out more and enter your submission, click here .

For more information and the latest updates on the competition, sign up to our newsletter here !

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes to editors:

About KPMG UK

KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, operates from 20 offices across the UK with approximately 18,000 partners and staff. The UK firm recorded a revenue of £2.96 billion in the year ended 30 September 2023.  

KPMG is a global organisation of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Legal, Tax and Advisory services. It operates in 143 countries and territories with more than 273,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients. 

The Financial Times has created a hub for schools and colleges. Teachers in schools around the world with students aged 16-19 years old can get free access to the FT here  and request individual FT accounts. Colleges in the UK can also sign up. You can check to see  if your institution is already registered.

Schools Digest, a weekly newsletter from global education editor Andrew Jack, features student competitions, quizzes and the best of the Financial Times' expert analysis and coverage. All FT subscribers and those on the free schools programme can subscribe here  to receive it every Monday at 7am.

Click here  for more information.

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FT Schools competition: Young Economist of the Year

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This article is part of the Financial Times free schools access programme. Details/registration  here .

School students across the UK in years 12 and 13 are invited to enter the Young Economist of the Year competition run by the Royal Economic Society in association with the Financial Times.

Applicants — who need not be studying economics — have until July 10 to write up to 1,000 words on one of the five questions picked for this year.

The winning article will be published in the Financial Times and on the RES website and the author will receive £1,000, with £200 for each of the runners up.

Entries will be judged on originality, quality of writing, economic content and quality of the economic argument. They should answer a question on one of the following topics, described in detail on the competition website along with further guidance:

Regional inequality and “levelling up”

The UK’s “cost of living crisis”

The value of a university degree

Cryptocurrency and financial stability

The competition is part of the  FT’s schools programme , which provides free access to the FT for students aged 16-19, their teachers and schools around the world.

Supporting ideas and data for entrants can be found in the FT. Full details and information on submission are available on the  RES competition website .

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• Winners of the Young Economist of

Winners of the Young Economist of the Year 2021

• October 4, 2021

Each year the Royal Economic Society asks Year 12 and 13 students to submit an essay for The Young Economist of the Year Essay Competition, with this year’s competition open to those studying A-Level, International Baccalaureate (IB) or Scottish Highers qualifications.

For 2021, students were asked to write an essay of up to 1,000 words on one of five given topics, ranging from the pandemic to Brexit. This year the competition had over 1,000 submissions from students across the country.

The Royal Economic Society is pleased to announce that the overall winner of this year’s competition is Marc Kadir of Manchester Grammar School. Marc will receive a cash prize and have his essay published in the Financial Times , which will be available to read on our website and on the FT’s in the coming weeks. Alongside the overall winner, the Society are pleased to name the remaining three winners:

• Bruno Moura (“When, if ever, is it a good idea for central banks to set interest rates below zero?”
• Haoyu Wang (“We will fail to address climate change because Covid-19 showed we are unable to muster a concerted global response to common crises? Do you agree?” )
• Konrad Kurczynski (“Technological change will mean the wage gap between the skilled and unskilled will simply keep growing? Do you agree with this assessment?”)

The following were shortlisted and highly commended by the judging panel:

• Henry Ward of The Downs School, Newbury
• Jessica Cheung, Sutton Grammar School
• Tilly Mobley, Marlborough College
• Manav Sood, Rushcliffe School, West Bridgeford
• Oluwajoba Thomas, Bedford School, Hemel Hempstead
• Oliver Greenfield, Lingfield College, Surrey
• Jasmeen Johal, Guildford High School
• Melinda Zhu, Westminster School, London
• Yana Imykshenova, St Paul's Girls School, London

The following candidates were commended by the judging panel:

• Zhong Tong Zhang, St. Edward's School, Oxford
• Matthew Bonin, The Skinner's School, Tunbridge Wells
• Nevis Tompkins, Sutton Grammar School
• Henry Hall, Southend High School for Boys
• John Chang, Eton College, Windsor
• Sumayya Manji, North London Collegiate School, London
• Arjun Manoj Nair, St. Alban's School
• Isaac George Gilroy Baxter, King's School, Bruton
• Sameera Anjali Bhalotra Bowers, Colchester County High School for Girls
• Rachel Large, Churcher's College, Petersfield
• James Bradshaw, Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby
• Jin Samson, Christ's Hospital School, Horsham
• James Trotman, St Paul's School, London
• Keyi Xue, The Abbey School, Reading
• Xinyu Fu, St Paul's School, London
• Helen Tianying Deng, King Edward's School, Bath
• Dylan Sellors, Aylesbury Grammar School
• Anya Saund, Westminster School, London
• Thomas Wright, Royal Grammar School, Guildford
• Dev Patel, Wembley High Technology College, London
• Luke Philipson, Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham
• Oladipo Olukanni, King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford
• Matthew Stubbs, Kimberley Sixth Form College, Bedford
• Francesca Shi, Westminster School, London
• Issah Ali Merchant, Harrow School, London
• Shampavi Sabesan, The Tiffin Girl's School, Richmond
• Samuel Oloniluyi-Abel, Finchley Catholic High School, London
• Oluwatope Omole, London Academy of Excellence
• Ollie Max McPherson Robinson, Royal Grammar School, Guildford
• Dawid Polus, Peter Symonds College, Winchester

The Society would like to congratulate all of 2021’s winners and thank everybody who participated.

The Society would also like to remind you to take advantage of free access to the Financial Times for schools and students .

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2024-5 Essay Competition

Every year Cambridge Society for Economic Pluralism hosts its essay competition to encourage students to go beyond their curriculum and explore important questions society faces today. Below are the questions for the 2024 edition of the competition:

1) What are the particular economic problems facing the nascent UK Labour government in implementing its intended program? Outline some steps it should take in facing these.

2) Is the US’ political and financial strength a good thing for its domestic economy?

3) How do power and conflict (personal, sectional, class-based etc.) manifest in micro- and macro- economic outcomes? Discuss with reference to a specific outcome such as inflation or income distribution.

4) Robert Solow once said, “You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.”. Was he right, and will the rise of AI be much the same? What are the broader lessons we should draw for the theory and data-analysis of technical change?

5) What is the root cause of the continued plight of the undeveloped world? Are they just unlucky or do developed countries have responsibility for their situation?

Essential information

• Please submit your final essay at https://forms.gle/8z7WTEabMmWkBFUW9

• The competition is open to all students starting Year 12 or 13 (i.e. taking A Levels or IB or equivalents in the next two years) in September 2024. • Please submit just one essay for just one of the questions posed. • Please write in English , with good grammar, and assume a basic knowledge on the behalf of those assessing your essay. • We encourage you to be open to a broad range of economic and non-economic perspectives and to deliver your argument in a clear and well-evidenced manner. • The essay should be between 1500 and 2500 words (excluding citations, bibliography, footnotes, headers etc.) • Entries should be submitted by Sunday 8th September at 23:59 UK Time (GMT +1) • Please include a bibliography and references to your sources throughout. As long as it is clear, the style does not matter, but Harvard-referencing is preferred. • The use of Generative AI is not banned, however we would prefer it if you ensured any use was a complement to the creativity of your own argument, rather than a substitute. If it used, it must be declared, or you may face disqualification.

Format and submission details

• At the beginning of your essay please write your question number or title, but do not put your name or school. • At the end of your essay please note the wordcount, excluding the bibliography, citations, footnotes and headers. If you used AI,  please declare this at the end also. • As long as the formatting is clear, there are no specific rules, but please ensure the font is at a readable size and the text is not obscured. • Please upload your entry at the following link: https://forms.gle/8z7WTEabMmWkBFUW9 • Please ensure it is a PDF saved under the filename 'Your_Name-Question#' (e.g. John_Maynard_Keynes-Q1) • Late submissions will not be considered. • If there are issues with submission please email [email protected] with any queries.

• We will shortlist the top 4 entries and have them read by a faculty member at Cambridge to assist in our final decision.

• This prize awarding process should be conducted within 1-3 weeks of the deadline. • First prize receives £50. • Three runners-up, each receiving £15.

• Top 10% receiving a note of commendation

• All winners will receive a certificate and be featured on our website.

Final comments

Click this link to see past winners: https://www.cambridgepluralism.org/essay-archive If you have any queries about the competition, please send an email with your question to [email protected]. By submitting your essay, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions of the CSEP Essay Competition. Terms and conditions Please make sure you have read and agree to the terms and conditions before entering the competition. By entering the CSEP essay competition you agree to the following terms and conditions: Schedule A – Submission The submission must be entirely your own work, you may not receive assistance from any other Person (see below, for AI) and the submission must be produced solely for the purpose of the Cambridge Society for Economic Pluralism (CSEP) essay competition. The use of Generative AI is not banned. Any use of AI must be declared, and any essays found to have used AI without this declaration, will be, at the decision of the committee, disqualified. The submission may not be used in any other essay competition, any public examinations or otherwise used to receive credit outside of the CSEP essay competition. Once submitted, changes cannot be made. If multiple submissions are received, CSEP will only consider the earliest submission, regardless of differences between submissions. CSEP reserves the right to not consider essays that fall outside of the word limit, or are submitted after the deadline, or are not submitted in an accepted format. Essays must be written in English. CSEP reserves the right to check for plagiarism and to disqualify any entries believed to be wholly or in part plagiarised. Schedule B – Eligibility Currently in full-time secondary education. In Year 12 or 13 or equivalent in September of the year of competition (i.e. year 2024 for 2024 Essay Competition). Year 12/13 is the penultimate/final year of secondary education in the United Kingdom. Standard school leaving age differs across countries. ‘Or Equivalent’ is deemed to be in the penultimate/final year of full-time secondary education. Students do not have to be studying in the United Kingdom. Schedule C – Usage and Adjudication By submitting this essay you give CSEP permission to publish or reproduce all or part of your submission without compensation of any kind. CSEP is unable to give feedback on all submissions. CSEP reserves the right to select winners, runners up and a shortlist at the discretion of the CSEP committee.

The CSEP committee can alter the number of winners, runners up and the size of the shortlist without notice and reserves the right to not give reasons for these changes. There is no appeals process and CSEP reserves the right to not explain or publish reasons for any of its decisions. The CSEP committee is appointed at the discretion of previous committees. Schedule D – Data protection Any personal data relating to entrants will be used solely for the purposes of this competition. By entering the competition, you consent to the CSEP committee giving any personal details you submit to external judges solely for the purpose of adjudicating the CSEP essay competition. Personal data will not be passed on to third parties without the entrant’s prior consent.  

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Marshall Society Essay Competition

Resource details.

The Marshall Society Essay Competition is run by the Economics society at Cambridge, so the essays are all Economics-based. Entering essay competitions is a great way to expand your knowledge and interest into new areas, or to explore an issue you are already interested in in greater depth.

Undergraduate Essay Competition 2023/24

Are you interested in how economics can be applied to contemporary issues are you looking for a competitive edge when applying for internships want to stand out in cvs, cover letters, and other applications then we have just the opportunity for you   , this christmas, the durham university economics society is running an essay competition open to all those who study an economics degree., taking part is a great way to demonstrate your interest in economics beyond the academic course requirements, which will help you stand out in cvs, cover letters, and other applications., eligibility:.

All entrants must be an undergraduate student at Durham  University  and study  Economics as part of their degree.

There are two Amazon Vouchers up for grabs:

£75 for the overall best essay.

£50 for the best essay written by a first year student.

Winning entries will have their essays published on the DUES blog!

Requirements:

The essay should be a maximum of 1500 words, written analytically using sound economic reasoning, and provide an answer to one of the following questions:

1. Examine how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the structure of employment. Discuss the potential shifts in the labour market dynamics due to AI in the short and long term and propose how regulation and policy could mitigate challenges while maximizing opportunities.

2. Critically assess the balance between environmental sustainability and economic growth. Explore the differing challenges and opportunities this balance presents for developed versus developing nations, using specific case studies to anchor your analysis.

3. Identify the critical factors influencing productivity in the United Kingdom. Evaluate the effectiveness of recent policy initiatives on productivity enhancement and suggest evidence-based policy recommendations for future action.

4. Analyse the effects of China's economic strategies and outbound investments on the economic landscapes of other emerging markets. Discuss the dual nature of China's impact as both an opportunity and a challenge for these economies.

5. Explain the role of financial markets in shaping the contemporary global economy. How are technological innovations redefining the efficiency and stability of these financial markets?

6. Analyse the risks to the global economic forecast presented by geopolitical instabilities and residual pandemic upheavals. What pre-emptive policy measures could be designed to buffer these risks and foster economic resilience?

Submission:

Please submit all entries by email to [email protected] by Wednesday 31st January 2024 .

The winners will be announced shortly after the deadline closes. 

We look forward to reading your submissions!

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31 May 2023

2023 essay competition now open your chance to win £5,000.

Entries are invited for this year’s Rybczynski economics essay competition - kindly sponsored by KPMG.

This prestigious award is given to the best piece of writing on an issue of importance to economists, and offers the opportunity to help your own work gain a higher profile among professional colleagues.

The prize of £5,000 is kindly offered by KPMG , who are sponsoring the competition, and is awarded at the Society’s Annual Dinner and the author(s) of the final shortlisted entries will be invited to the dinner as guests of the SPE.

Essays - which can cover any field of economics - must be submitted by 31 July 2023 and should not have been published before 1 January 2022 ie. this prize is for work written and/or published between the start of the calendar year 2022 and the closing date.

The judges will be looking for around 3000 (with an absolute maximum of 4000) well-written words. Please note that the Judging Panel mark ‘blind’,  ie. all entries are anonymised before sending on to the Judges. Click on page links for terms and conditions and entry form. Good luck!

Related pages

Rybczynski Prize

Next SPE Courses - 2023 10 May 2023

Previous King's Birthday Honours List 2023 28 June 2023

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Home → Study Here → Outreach → Essay Competitions

St Hugh’s College runs annual Sixth Form Essay Competitions in the following subject areas: History, Classical Reception, PPE (Politics, Philosophy, and Economics), and Law. These prize competitions are a fantastic opportunity to explore a topic of interest in a particular subject in more depth – whether something you have studied at school has inspired you, or whether you are keen to broaden your horizons in a new academic discipline.

Please note that our 2024 Essay Competitions have now concluded. The competition winners and their essays can be found on the prize webpages accessed via the links below. Details of the 2025 competitions will be published in late January/early February 2025.

To find out more about these competitions, please visit the individual prize webpages using the links below:

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Young Economist of the Year Essay Competition 

The Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize .

The Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize 2023-24.

We are delighted to announce this year’s competition for A- Level and IB students, with a 1 st prize of £500 and £250 each for three runners up. There is also a prize of £500 for the school with the highest number of entrants. The top entries will all be invited to a special one-day event at the IEA in the Spring term.

The competition is open to students studying International Baccalaureate or A Level. Entries closed on 26 January 2024.

This competition is named after Dorian Fisher, the wife of IEA founder Sir Antony Fisher, who was a long-time supporter of the Institute and its work.

Entries to the competition should contain the following three pieces of work:

• A short essay, of roughly 1,200 words, on one of the following questions:

(a) Why is the inflation being experienced by the U.K. proving to be more ‘sticky’ than expected?

(b) Why is it that some laws and policies that almost all economists think are misguided (eg protectionism, fossil fuel subsidies, rent control, the Jones Act) attract popular support and are very hard to reverse?

(c) Should countries be looking to adopt an ‘industrial policy’? If yes then why, if not then why not?

• A 500-word answer to one of the following two questions:

(a) How do different schools of economics understand the concept of ‘equilibrium’?

(b) What is ‘money’ as a concept in economic thinking?

• A 500-word answer to the following question.

Why and how does time matter in economics?

Are international students allowed to apply?

Yes! You cannot have been in tertiary education (university or equivalent).  

Do I have to study A-level Economics to apply ?

No, you do not have to study A-level Economics, but you must be in Sixth Form or equivalent (last two years of high school).

How do I submit my entry?

Entries for the 2024 competition closed on 26 January 2024.

What style of referencing should I use?

Harvard style referencing is preferred. A guide for doing this can be found here .

Should I include a bibliography? Does the bibliography count towards the word count?

A bibliography is recommended to state your sources. The bibliography does not count towards the word count, but the embedded references do.            

Can I include graphs and diagrams?

Yes, graphs and diagrams are allowed, but not compulsory.

How stringent is the word count?

Please stick to the word count provided. We will not stop reading past the word count given, but do not go over by more than 5%.

The IEA is an educational charity and free market think tank .

Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.

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