About the Competition

The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world's oldest international writing competition for schools, established in 1883. With thousands of young people taking part each year, it is an important way to recognise achievement, elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing. View the topics for 2024.

Each year, aspiring young writers are asked to submit their pieces in response to a theme. Recent themes have included Climate Action in the Commonwealth (2020), A Connected Commonwealth (2019), Towards a Common Future (2018), A Commonwealth for Peace (2017) and ‘An Inclusive Commonwealth’ (2016); drawing out innovative ideas for positive change and encouraging entrants to consider new perspectives. The theme is rooted in Commonwealth values, providing an interesting introduction to the network and allowing young people to explore their own connection to the Commonwealth, whilst fostering an empathetic and open-minded world view.

Host Country:

• United Kingdom

Organized By:

• Royal Commonwealth Society

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition Awards:

• One week fully-funded trip to London for educational and cultural events.

• Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals

• Certificate of Participation.

Eligibility Criteria of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition:

• In this essay writing competition, entrants are divided into two categories.

  • Senior Category: (Born between 16 May 2005 and 15 May 2010 (14-18 years of age) 

  • Junior Category: (Born on or after 16 May 2010 (under 14 years of age)

Requirements of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024:

• Entries must be submitted in the English language. The essays from any other language will not be accepted.

• The maximum word count for the Senior Category is 1500 words and for the Junior Category the maximum word limit is 750 words. 

• Exceeding the word limit will result in disqualification.

• The word limit applies to every format of writing, e.g. essay, poem, letter, etc.

• Reference and footnotes are excluded from the word count.

• The uploaded essay should not include the personal details of the participants. 

• Personal details will be given separately during the application process.

• The topics must be selected according to the topics given in the Senior and Junior categories.

• No plagiarism will be entertained and plagiarized entries will be automatically rejected.