If you’ve ever participated in the John Locke Institute's Global Essay Prize, you know there’s months of waiting involved. If the thought of what else is out there has crossed your mind, you’re at the right place.
There are plenty of essay competitions like John Locke for high school students. A few are easier to place in, and several run at completely different times of year, so you're not putting all your effort into one deadline.
We’ve picked 16 of the best options and categorized them by subject, and noted who can enter, how long the essay is, what it costs and when it closes.
Quick note: This guide is published by the Oxford Centre for Advanced Research (OCAR), which runs the Oxford Essay Prize. We've put it first because its format and judging are the closest match to John Locke, and because it runs in John Locke's off-season. We've described it as plainly as every other competition here, so you can judge for yourself.
Here’s the short list:
- The Oxford Essay Prize - October to January
- Immerse Education Essay Competition - Several rounds a year
- Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition - January to May
- Lumiere Scholars Essay Award - September to December
- Horizon Academic Essay Prize - TBA
- Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest - Three cycles a year (January, May, August)
- Columbia Undergraduate Law Review High School Essay Contest - Spring to June
- JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest - September to January
- Royal Economic Society Young Economist of the Year - March to June
- King’s College Cambridge E-Lab Entrepreneurship Essay Competition - May to August
- Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests - Rounds roughly every three months
- The Concord Review - Year-round (rolling)
- New York Times Open Letters Contest - February to March
- Queen's Commonwealth Writing Competition - March to April
- Bennington College Young Writers Awards - September to November
- Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Critical Essay) - October to January
What Is the John Locke Essay Competition?
A quick recap of what we’re comparing with. The John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize is named in honour of John Locke, the eminent 17th century Oxford philosopher, and is run by an independent educational organisation.
Here's how the 2026 edition worked:
- Who can enter: Anyone under the age of 19 on the date of the submission deadline from any country. Students under 15 are judged separately as Juniors.
- Subjects: Ten categories: Economics, History, International Relations, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Public Policy, Science & Technology, and Theology.
- Length: 2,000 words maximum, excluding the endnotes and bibliography. Footnotes aren't allowed.
- Cost: Free if you register and submit on time; late entries cost £25 or £75.
- Dates: Registration was open from 2 February to 31 March 2026, and essays were due by 31 May 2026.
- Prizes: Scholarships are awarded toward John Locke Institute programmes. $5,000 for the first position in each category, $2,000 for second, $1,000 for third, and $10,000 plus an honorary Junior Fellowship for the overall winner.
In some cases, entrants may be invited to participate in an online interview as an integrity check.
If you're planning for 2027, expect a similar calendar: questions and registration early in the year, essays due around the end of May. That leaves October to January free, which is exactly when the Oxford Essay Prize runs.
What Makes a Competition "Like John Locke"?
Not every writing contest is a fair substitute. To make this list, a competition had to tick most of these boxes:
- It focuses on the argument. You take a stand and back it with evidence.
- It's judged by experts. That includes academics, journal editors and university faculty.
- The research questions help build real world experience. This is more than what is a part of the school syllabus.
- It's reasonably open. Usually free or cheap to enter, and open to most high school students.
A few entries on the list are included because they accept analytical or nonfiction essays rather than pure arguments.
Multi-Subject Competitions Like John Locke for High Schoolers
These five essay competitions for high school students let you pick from several subjects, which is the closest thing to the John Locke format.
1. Oxford Essay Prize
The Oxford Essay Prize is an essay competition run by the Oxford Centre for Advanced Research (OCAR). Each of its six prompts is set by a PhD researcher or research fellow from Oxford, Cambridge or MIT, who also sits on the judging panel.
The 2027 prompts cover topics like whether digital technology ultimately strengthens or weakens democracy, and another asks how societies should balance the needs of today's citizens with the welfare of future ones.
- Who can enter: Students aged 14 to 18 on January 31, 2027, from any country.
- Format: One essay of up to 1,500 words.
- Cost: Free; but registering after January 16, 2027 costs £5.
- Prizes: Up to £9,000 in total, including cash and scholarships to OCAR’s own programmes.
- Deadlines: The early-bird deadline is November 15, 2026, and the final deadline is January 31, 2027.
Essays submitted by the early-bird deadline earn an extra £100 on top of any scholarship. Free online preparatory workshops are also available to participants.
Comparison with John Locke: The judging philosophy is very close. Judges are looking for a well-researched argument, and not original research. Because it closes in January, you can enter it and still have February to May free for John Locke.
Tip: The rules say personal anecdotes can't be used as evidence. Stick to a formal tone and build your case from reliable sources rather than your own experiences.
2. Immerse Education Essay Competition
If you’ve never entered an essay competition before, the Immerse Education Essay Competition is the right way to break into this list. You pick a question from more than twenty subjects, from economics and law to medicine and architecture, and write a 500-word academic essay.
- Who can enter: Students aged 13 to 18 from any country.
- Format: 500 words; one question from the Essay Competition Guide.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: Full and partial scholarships to Immerse summer programs in Oxford, Cambridge, London and online.
- Deadlines: It runs throughout the year. The current round opened on August 3, 2026 and closes on October 25, 2026.
Comparison with John Locke: A quarter of the length and judged more on clarity, research and analysis than bold originality. If you're also weighing up its paid summer programmes, read our review of Immerse Education.
Tip: 500 words go very fast. Pick one clear argument and cut every sentence that doesn’t support your argument.
3. Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition
Re:think is unique because it asks questions about ethics, technology, politics and society. In 2026, the competition received more than 15,000 essays from more than 50 countries.
Note that it’s run by the Cambridge Centre for International Research, a private organisation, not by the University of Cambridge itself.
- Who can enter: Open to students worldwide across Junior (ages 11-13) and Senior (ages 14-18) divisions.
- Format: One essay of 1,000-2,000 words.
- Cost: A registration fee applies.
- Prizes: The winners get published and attend the award ceremony in Cambridge.
- Deadlines: Around May 10, and usually opens in mid-January.
Comparison with John Locke: The questions are deliberately contested, and essays go through several rounds of blind review.
Tip: The best Re:think essays pick a side and then honestly deal with the strongest objection.
4. Lumiere Scholars Essay Award (and Junior Scholars Essay Contest)
The Lumiere Scholars Essay Award is run by Lumiere Education, a one-on-one research mentorship organization founded by Harvard and Oxford researchers.
- Who can enter: Open to high school students worldwide.
- Format: One essay of up to 2,000 words on one of five prompts.
- Cost: Registration is free until November 30, 2026; then $5.
- Prizes: Six medal winners share more than $11,000 in cash and scholarships. Top essayists are invited to the Lumiere Research Symposium and Gala Dinner at Oxford University.
- Deadlines: Essays for the Fall 2026 round are due on December 20. The Spring 2026 round closed on April 26.
For middle schoolers: The Junior Scholars Essay Contest is an essay contest for students in Grades 6 to 8. It's free and essays are capped at 1,000 words.
Comparison with John Locke: This competition follows the same 2,000-word length and focuses on arguments backed by evidence.
Tip: Register before November 30 to avoid late fees, even if you haven’t picked your prompt yet.
5. Horizon Academic Essay Prize
The Horizon Academic Essay Prize is a free annual competition run by Horizon Academic, another research mentorship program for high schoolers. It has one theme each year with five prompts to choose from.
- Who can enter: Open to high school students worldwide.
- Format: One essay of up to 1,000 words on one of five prompts from one theme.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: The top award is $1,000 in cash plus a scholarship to the Horizon Academic Research Program.
- Deadlines: The 2025 edition closed in July, and the 2026 edition closed in February.
Comparison with John Locke: Half the length, and every prompt connects to one theme.
Tip: Pick one sharp argument and follow through with it. 1,000 words will finish faster than you realize.
Politics, International Relations & Law Essay Competitions
If your John Locke entry was in Politics, International Relations or Law, start here.
6. Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest
The Harvard International Review is a journal run by Harvard undergraduates. Their contests ask participants to write an article on international affairs in the journal’s own style.
- Who can enter: Students in Grades 7-12 at US schools and US citizens studying abroad.
- Format: One article between 800-1,200 words on one of the set themes.
- Cost: This is a paid competition.
- Prizes: Medals and certificates.
- Deadlines: Three cycles a year.
Comparison with John Locke: Shorter, journalistic and more about explaining a complex issue fairly than winning an argument.
Tip: Try picking a topic that is unique. Judges see a lot of essays on the same headline story.
7. Columbia Undergraduate Law Review High School Essay Contest
This Columbia Undergraduate Law Review High School Essay Contest is one of the few free international essay contests specifically for students thinking about pursuing a career in law. They set one prompt a year for participants to work on.
- Who can enter: Open to high school students worldwide.
- Format: One essay up to 1,500 words citing at least one court case or legal document.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: The winning essay is published on the CULR website, and winners and runners-up are invited to a CULR speaker event.
- Deadlines: Late June.
Comparison with John Locke: Very similar to a John Locke Institute Law essay, except this has a single prompt which makes reading cases matter even more.
Tip: Don’t summarize the law, use it instead to show that you understand its application. For more ways to prepare for a law application, see our guide to super-curriculars for law.
8. JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest
The JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest asks participants to describe and analyze an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1917.
- Who can enter: Open to students in Grades 9-12 at US schools and US citizens studying abroad.
- Format: One essay between 700-1,000 words using government documents, letters, newspapers and interviews.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: $10,000 for first place, with smaller awards for finalists.
- Deadlines: 11 January 2027; submissions opened on 1 September 2026.
Comparison with John Locke: Narrower in scope but just as demanding on research. The big cash prize makes it one of the most valuable high school essay awards in the US.
Tip: Past winners often write about lesser-known figures. A state legislator who took a real risk can beat another essay on a famous senator.
Economics, Business & Philosophy Essay Competitions
Two of these are UK-only. International students interested in economics and business should also look at the Oxford Essay Prize (listed above), which has two economics and policy prompts. For more ways to build an economics application, see our guide to super-curriculars for economics.
9. Royal Economic Society Young Economist of the Year
The Young Economist of the Year competition is the UK’s best-known school economics prize, sponsored by KPMG and supported by FT schools.
- Who can enter: Students in Years 10-13 in the UK (or the Scottish and Northern Irish equivalents). Entries can be individual or group entries of 2-5 students.
- Format: Pick one of five questions and answer it in a blog of up to 1,000 words or a video, podcast or slides up to 5 minutes.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: Five shortlisted entries present at an in-person final at KPMG's offices, where the winner is announced.
- Deadlines: Late June (29 June in 2026).
Comparison with John Locke: This competition is shorter and requires more practical application. Judges are not looking for theory but want clear economic reasoning about a real problem.
Tip: Use real data, and present it in a chart or statistic. It often carries more weight than one page of explanation.
10. King's College Cambridge E-Lab Entrepreneurship Essay Competition
The King's College Cambridge E-Lab Entrepreneurship Essay Competition is run by the Entrepreneurship Lab at King's College, Cambridge. This competition is about business thinking rather than textbook economics.
- Who can enter: Students in Years 11-13 in the UK (S4-S6 in Scotland and Years 12-14 in Northern Ireland). It isn’t open to students studying outside the UK.
- Format: 1,000 words on one of four questions.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: £1,500 for the winner, £750 for two runners-up, and a prize-giving at King's College in December.
- Deadlines: Early August; winners are announced in October.
Comparison with John Locke: This competition is less philosophical and more practical. Every essay is checked for AI usage.
Tip: Organizers suggest interviewing local business owners and using them as examples. It's an easy way to stand out.
11. Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests
The Ayn Rand Institute has run essay contests on Rand's novels for more than thirty years.
- Who can enter: Open to high school students worldwide. The Fountainhead contest suits younger high schoolers, and Atlas Shrugged is aimed at older students.
- Format: 800-1,600 words in response to the prompts provided.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: Cash prizes are given every round, with seasonal winners moving forward to an annual grand prize. The total prize money pool is $25,000.
- Deadlines: A new round opens roughly every three months.
Comparison with John Locke: Arguments are restricted to ideas in one book rather than a wide-open question.
Tip: You don’t have to agree with Rand to win, as long as you can show you understand her argument precisely.
History & Research Essay Competitions
If you love the research side of John Locke and wished you had more than 2,000 words, this is your step up.
12. The Concord Review
The Concord Review is a quarterly journal that has published history essays by high school students since 1987. Getting accepted is seen as one of the hardest things a high school writer can achieve. The publication rate is roughly 5%.
- Who can enter: Open to high school students worldwide, whose paper was finished before they left high school.
- Format: A history research paper, usually 5,000-10,000 words or more.
- Cost: Submission fee starts at $70, which includes a subscription to the journal.
- Prizes: Publication and the Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize for a small number of published authors.
- Deadlines: Rolling with cut-offs for each issue on 1 February, 1 May, 1 August and 1 November.
Comparison with John Locke: Four or five times the length and far more research heavy. Some admissions consultants rate publication here above the John Locke prize.
Tip: Pick a narrow topic with good primary sources. A focused paper on one treaty or local event can beat a broad survey of a whole war.
Other Writing Competitions for High School Students
These competitions aren't pure argument contests, but each one accepts persuasive or analytical essays, and is well known to admissions officers.
13. New York Times Open Letters Contest
The New York Times Learning Network runs several contests for students each year. For John Locke participants, Open Letters is the one to target since it's an opinion-writing contest.
You write a public letter to a person or organization that has the power to fix a problem you care about.
- Who can enter: Open to high school and middle school students (ages 13-19) worldwide.
- Format: Up to 500 words, citing at least one New York Times source and another source from elsewhere.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: Winning letters are published by The Learning Network.
- Deadlines: Runs February to March every year.
Comparison with John Locke: Far shorter and aimed at general readers.
Tip: Address someone specific who can actually act. Vague letters to “society” rarely win.
14. Queen's Commonwealth Writing Competition
This is the world’s oldest international schools’ writing competition, run by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. It was renamed from the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition in 2026.
It’s especially relevant for students in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Australia, Canada and other Commonwealth countries.
- Who can enter: Students aged 18 and under who are nationals or residents of a Commonwealth country, plus a few others (such as Hong Kong and Ireland).
- Format: Up to 1,000 words on the year’s theme in any written form.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: Regional winners and an overall winner are invited to London for a week of events and an award ceremony.
- Deadlines: Opens in March and closes in April.
Comparison with John Locke: More open and creative but a sharp write up is still a strong way to answer the theme.
Tip: Stick close to the theme brief rather than focusing your write up on the general idea.
15. Bennington College Young Writers Awards
The Young Writers Awards, run by Bennington College in Vermont, take entries in poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and nearly 5,000 students enter each year.
- Who can enter: Students in grades 9-12 anywhere in the world. A high school teacher must sponsor your entry.
- Format: Up to 1,500 words for a non-fiction, personal or academic essay.
- Cost: 100% free to enter.
- Prizes: $2,000, $1,000 and $500 in each category, plus $250 Distinguished Writer awards. Winners and finalists who enrol at Bennington also get large scholarships.
- Deadlines: Usually November.
Comparison with John Locke: You set your own topic. Judges are writers so writing style matters as much as the argument.
Tip: If you already have an essay written for another competition, you could repurpose it as long as the rules allow it.
16. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Critical Essay)
The Scholastic Awards have been running since 1923 and are probably the most well known student writing awards in the US. The Critical Essay category closely matches the John Locke writing style.
- Who can enter: Students in grades 7-12, aged 13 or older, living in the US.
- Format: Critical Essay entries need to be between 500 to 3,000 words.
- Cost: A small fee per entry, which can be waived if cost is a barrier to enter.
- Prizes: Regional Gold Keys, national medals, and scholarships are awarded to top winners.
- Deadlines: Regional deadlines fall between December and January.
Comparison with John Locke: You write your own question, and work is judged first in your own region and then nationally.
Tip: Look up your region’s deadline on the first day so you’re not caught off guard later.
John Locke vs. the Alternatives: Which Should You Enter?
With this many John Locke essay competition alternatives, you don't need to enter them all. Two or three competitions done properly are better than ten rushed entries. Here’s how we’d choose.
If you’re planning by the season: The biggest mistake we see students make is cramming every essay into spring, when John Locke, Re:think and the NYT contest all close within weeks of each other. A simple year looks like this:
- Winter (October to January): the Oxford Essay Prize as your main argumentative essay, plus Bennington, JFK or Lumiere if they fit.
- Spring (February to May): John Locke as your main essay, with Re:think or the NYT contest alongside.
- Summer (June to August): the Columbia law contest, RES or King's E-Lab (UK), or a longer Concord Review paper.
For Oxford, Cambridge, or top US universities, make John Locke your anchor and add one essay prize in the opposite season, such as the Oxford Essay Prize.
If you’re planning by subject:
| Your subject | Start with | Then try |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy and ethics | John Locke, Oxford Essay Prize | Cambridge Re:think, Ayn Rand Institute |
| Politics and international relations | John Locke, Oxford Essay Prize | Harvard International Review, NYT Open Letters |
| Law | Columbia Undergraduate Law Review | John Locke (Law) |
| Economics | John Locke, Oxford Essay Prize | RES Young Economist (UK only), King’s E-Lab (UK only) |
| Science and technology | John Locke (Science & Technology), Oxford Essay Prize | Horizon, Lumiere |
| History | The Concord Review | JFK (US only) |
| Not sure yet | Immerse Education | Lumiere, Horizon |
If you’re outside the US and UK: These international essay competitions are open to you: John Locke, the Oxford Essay Prize, Immerse, Re:think, Lumiere, Horizon, Columbia's law contest, Ayn Rand, The Concord Review, the NYT contest and Bennington. Students in India and other Commonwealth countries should add the Queen's Commonwealth Writing Competition.
If money is tight: Most of these are free essay competitions for high school students. The ones that charge are Re:think, Harvard International Review, The Concord Review and Scholastic (which offers fee waivers). The Oxford Essay Prize and Lumiere are free if you register before their cut-offs.
If you’ve never entered before: Start with a 500-word piece for Immerse or the NYT. Then try a 1,000-1,500 word essay, such as Horizon or the Oxford Essay Prize. Then take on John Locke. Writing short first teaches you to cut, which is the skill most first-time John Locke essays are missing.
A Year-Round Essay Competition Calendar (2026-27)
| Month | What’s due |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | Oxford Essay Prize open. Lumiere fall round open. Immerse round closes 25 Oct. Scholastic, JFK and Bennington are all open. |
| November 2026 | Bennington closes. Concord Review cut-off 1 Nov. Oxford Essay Prize early-bird deadline 15 Nov. Lumiere free registration ends 30 Nov. |
| December 2026 | First Scholastic regional deadlines from 1 Dec. Lumiere essays due 20 Dec. Oxford Essay Prize free registration closes 20 Dec. |
| January 2027 | HIR closes 2 Jan. Oxford Essay Prize final deadline 3 Jan. Last Scholastic regional deadlines 6 Jan. Oxford Essay Prize shortlist 10 Jan. JFK closes 11 Jan. Oxford Essay Prize ceremony 17 Jan. Re:think expected to open mid-January. |
| February 2027 | Concord Review cut-off 1 Feb. John Locke questions and registration expected early February. NYT Open Letters opens 17 Feb. Horizon's next date to be confirmed (the 2026 prize closed 1 Feb). |
| March 2027 | NYT Open Letters closes 31 Mar. John Locke registration is expected to close at the end of March. Queen's Commonwealth and Lumiere spring round are expected to open. |
| April 2027 | Queen's Commonwealth is expected to close at the end of April. Lumiere spring round expected to close late April. |
| May 2027 | Concord cut-off 1 May. Re:think expected around 10 May. John Locke and HIR spring cycle expected around 31 May. |
| June 2027 | Columbia law contest and RES Young Economist expected late June. |
| July - August 2027 | Concord cut-off 1 Aug. King's E-Lab expected early August. HIR summer cycle expected late August. |
| September - October 2027 | Oxford Essay Prize 2028 expected to open early October. |
How to Write a Winning Argumentative Essay
We’ve compiled a list of habits that winners across competitions practice.
Answer the question: Sounds obvious, but it's where many essays fall short. If the question is ambiguous, explain your interpretation upfront and stick to it.
Take a clear position: Don't spend your opening summarising both sides. State your argument early and build from there.
Tackle the strongest counterargument: Ask yourself what someone who disagrees with you would say. Address their best point, not their easiest one.
Back up your claims: Use evidence readers can check: studies, statistics, historical documents or specific cases. Vague appeals to what "experts agree" won't cut it. Our guide to writing a literature review covers how to find and judge sources.
Cut the filler: First drafts are rarely tight enough. Cut anything that doesn't strengthen your argument.
Get feedback, but do your own edits: Teachers and mentors can flag weak spots. The thinking and rewriting should still be yours.
Be careful with AI: Rules vary by competition. Some ban AI-written content; John Locke allows limited use but warns it can hurt your score. When in doubt, write it yourself.
Reuse your research, not your essay: Most competitions want an original response to their specific question. But research from one essay can give you a head start on another, provided you write a fresh piece.
Do Essay Competitions Actually Help With College Admissions?
A prize helps, and the bigger the name the more it helps. The bigger benefit, though, is what the essay gives you to talk about.
A 2,000-word argument on whether foreign aid helps poor people is exactly the kind of thinking UK universities want to see in a personal statement and in interviews.
For US applications, it gives you a concrete answer to "tell us about something you've explored on your own". If you're applying to both systems, here's how UK and US applications differ.
Here are a few more practical points:
List shortlists, not just wins: Being shortlisted from tens of thousands of entries is worth mentioning.
Describe what you did, not just what you won: "Researched and argued a 2,000-word essay on criminal sentencing" says more than an award title alone.
Connect it to your course: For UCAS, link the essay to the subject you're applying for, as part of the super-curricular work Oxford and Cambridge look for. For the Common App, use it in the activities or honors section and, if it fits, in a supplemental essay.
Don’t overload your list: Two serious entries in your subject read better than many scattered ones.
FAQs About Essay Competitions Like John Locke
What is the most prestigious essay competition for high school students?
The John Locke Global Essay Prize is usually considered at the top for philosophy, politics and economics. For history, The Concord Review ranks higher. In the US, JFK Profile in Courage contest and the Scholastic Awards are very well respected.
What's a good essay competition to enter before John Locke?
The Oxford Essay Prize is the closest match in timing and format. It closes on 3 January, before John Locke opens. It asks for the same kind of argument-led essay, and it's judged in a similar manner.
Is the Oxford Essay Prize run by the University of Oxford?
No. It's run by the Oxford Centre for Advanced Research (OCAR), an independent organisation based in Oxford. Its prompts are set and judged by PhD researchers and research fellows from Oxford, Cambridge and MIT.
Is the John Locke essay competition free?
Yes. It's free if you register and submit on time. You only pay if you miss the regular deadline and use one of the late-entry options.
Are there competitions like John Locke for middle school students?
Yes. John Locke judges participants under the age of 15 separately in a Junior category. Lumiere's Junior Scholars Essay Contest is built for grades 6-8. Cambridge Re:think has a Junior division for ages 11-13, and the Harvard International Review contest has one for grades 7-8. The Oxford Essay Prize and Immerse accept students from ages 14 and 13, respectively.
Can international students enter US essay competitions?
Most of them, yes. Bennington, the NYT contests, the Columbia law contest, Lumiere, Horizon, The Concord Review and the Ayn Rand Institute all accept students from any country. But the JFK contest and Scholastic Awards are mainly for US students.
Which of these are open to students in India?
John Locke, the Oxford Essay Prize, Immerse, Cambridge Re:think, Lumiere, Horizon, the Columbia law contest, the Ayn Rand contests, The Concord Review, the NYT Open Letters contest, Bennington and the Queen's Commonwealth Writing Competition are all open to students in India.
Can I submit the same essay to more than one competition?
Not usually. That’s because each competition has its own question, and many require original work that hasn’t been entered or published elsewhere. Reusing research is fine but reusing your essay word for word usually isn’t.
Can I use AI to write my essay?
It depends on the competition, but the safe answer is no. Several contests, including the Oxford Essay Prize, ban AI-written content. Even John Locke, which allows limited use of AI, says its involvement can hurt your score.
When does the 2027 John Locke competition open?
It hasn’t been announced yet. But based on the 2026 cycle, we can expect questions and registrations to open in early February 2027, with essays due around the end of May. Check the official website of the John Locke Institute for latest updates.
Choosing Your Next Essay Competition
John Locke deserves its reputation, but it shouldn't be the only essay competition on your list. It’s a smart decision to spread your effort across the year.
If you want an essay in the same spirit as John Locke, the Oxford Essay Prize closes on 3 January, and essays by 15 November earn an extra £100 on any scholarship. If you want to go deeper in one subject, try the Columbia law contest, the Harvard International Review or The Concord Review.
Pick two or three competitions that match your interest, and give them your full attention. A single essay you’re proud of is worth far more than a pile of rushed entries.