John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize - Psychology
$10,000 Scholarship
An international essay competition for students up to age 18, encouraging independent thought and persuasive writing on challenging psychology questions.
Mode
Online
Fee
Free
Participation format
Individual
Duration
Approximately 1 month for submission.
Time needed
Depends on individual research and writing time
Eligibility
Open to students of any nationality. Only one essay submission is permitted per student.
- Age range
- 6 to 18 years
- Eligibility region
- Available nationwide across India
- Academic requirement
- Open to students from any country and educational background.
- Prerequisites
- Strong command of the English language.
- Ability to write a structured and persuasive academic essay.
- Interest in complex psychological questions.
See if your child qualifies.
Rewards and recognition
Award
$10,000
The best essay overall wins a Grand Prize scholarship of $10,000. The winner of the Psychology category receives a $5,000 scholarship, with $2,000 for second place and $1,000 for third. These scholarships are for attending John Locke Institute programs.
Certificate
eCertificate of Achievement
All shortlisted candidates receive a downloadable eCertificate to acknowledge their achievement.
Opens doors to
Winning or being shortlisted provides significant international recognition, which is a valuable addition to applications for top universities.
Recognition
International recognition
Skills your child builds
Key dates
Last edition
- Registration opened
- 2 Feb 2026
- Registration closed
- 31 Mar 2026
- Competition
- 1 Apr 2026 to 31 May 2026
- Results
- 3 Oct 2026
How to apply
- 1Register on the official John Locke Institute website.
- 2Choose one essay question from the Psychology category.
- 3Write an essay of no more than 2000 words.
- 4Submit the essay in PDF format through the online portal by the submission deadline.
Rules and guidelines
- Each essay must address only one of the questions from the chosen subject category.
- The essay must not exceed 2000 words (this excludes diagrams, bibliography, etc.).
- The candidate's name must not appear anywhere within the essay document.
- Footnotes are not permitted, but endnotes and a bibliography are allowed.
- The submitted PDF file must be named in the format: FirstName-LastName-Category-QuestionNumber.pdf.
Technology requirements
- A computer with a stable internet connection.
- Word processing software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Google Docs).
- PDF creation software to save the final essay for submission.
About this opportunity
The John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize is a prestigious international competition that invites young people to cultivate the characteristics of great writers. It encourages independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis, and persuasive style by exploring challenging questions beyond the standard school curriculum.
This competition is open to students globally, with a senior prize for those aged 18 or younger. Participants select one question from the psychology category and compose a compelling, well-researched essay of up to 2000 words to showcase their intellectual abilities. Key benefits include significant scholarships, international recognition that can enhance university applications, and having work assessed by senior academics from leading universities like Oxford and Princeton.
Rounds and format
Single submission round.
How entries are judged
Essays are judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style, and persuasive force. The best essays are those capable of changing someone's mind.
Selection process
A panel of senior academics from leading universities, including Oxford and Princeton, selects the best essays based on the defined judging criteria. Shortlisted candidates are notified, and winners are chosen from this pool.
Academic details
Difficulty: Advanced
What's covered
The competition is not based on a specific curriculum but requires a deep knowledge of psychology.
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