Essay Prize
Dukes Plus Essay Competition – 2025-2026
Showcase your academic talent and critical thinking in fields like education, law, healthcare, and more. Win a place on our Oxbridge Research Scholars programme, worth £1500.
Why Apply?
- Win a prize worth £1500
- Showcase your academic talent & critical thinking
- Write about fields such as education, law, healthcare, and more
- Open to students aged 15-17
Submissions for the Dukes Plus Essay Competition 2025-26 are now open and close at 12pm (UK) on 27th February 2026.
Dukes Education has held an annual essay prize since 2015. Open to students 15-17 years old, the prestigious competition provides a platform for students to showcase their academic prowess, creativity, and critical thinking.
We anticipate that some students will use the experience of entering the essay competition as evidence of their super-curricular engagement and plan to profile it on their future university applications. With that in mind, this year we are running four essay competitions, aligned to our four university consultancy brands. Whilst all students are welcome to enter, we particularly encourage those who are considering university applications in the following fields to enter the competitions:
Essay Questions
Please write your essay in answer to one of the following four questions:
‘The role of a university is not to create ‘well-rounded’ individuals; it is to effectively teach students an academic subject.’ Discuss.
Useful for those students who are planning an application to a US university. This question is a great warm-up for the supplemental essays students will write when applying.
‘The aim of an education system should be to equip students with the greatest amount of academic knowledge, at the exclusion of other goals.’ Discuss.
Useful for those students who are considering applying to a competitive UK university, such as Oxford or Cambridge.
‘Effective government cannot rely on unspoken rules and the good behaviour of rulers. All rules of government must be written down and consistently followed in all cases.’ Discuss.
Useful for students who are planning to apply for Law as their undergraduate degree.
‘What is the greatest healthcare challenge in the world at the moment, and what steps can we take to solve it?’
Useful for students who are applying to the medical field.
Prizes
The winners of each of the four essay competitions will receive a free place on our Oxbridge Research Scholars programme, worth £1500.
What is Oxbridge Research Scholars?
Delivered by Oxbridge Applications, Oxbridge Research Scholars is a programme that connects students with Oxbridge-graduate tutors and former admissions tutors to write a unique research paper on a subject that fascinates you.
Over the course of nine sessions, students identify a specific area of interest and a unique research question. Working with subject-specialist tutors, you will:
- Receive a bespoke reading list tailored to your research area
- Hone and develop your research question
- Be mentored in research techniques for your subject
- Have your drafts expertly reviewed and receive feedback and edits
- Produce a final research paper that is marked by a former admissions tutor
Top scholars from our cohort will be invited to our summer symposium at Dukes House, central London. There, they will present their work to a panel of expert judges who will select one winner from all applications.
A place on Oxbridge Research Scholars costs £1500 but is offered completely free to the four winners of the Dukes Plus Essay Competition.
You can learn more about Oxbridge Research Scholars here.
Details of the competition
Please read the following rules and criteria carefully before submitting.
Submission Guidelines
- Maximum word count: 1,500 words
- Format: Essays must be submitted as an attachment in Microsoft Word or PDF format.
- Details: Include your name and school in the submission.
- How to submit: Submit your essay using the form below by the deadline.
- Eligibility: Open to students aged 15-17 years old on Friday 27th February 2026.
- Deadline: 12pm (UK) on Friday 27th February 2026.
- Winners Announced: By 10th April 2026.
Marking Criteria
- Writing Quality: Clarity, coherence, and correctness of language.
- Structure: Logical flow and organisation of content.
- Quality of Argument: Strength and relevance of arguments presented.
- Creativity: Originality and innovative thinking.
- Referencing: Appropriate and accurate referencing (excluded from the word count).
This competition provides an exceptional opportunity for students to engage with challenging ideas, improve their essay-writing skills, and win a place on our Oxbridge Research Scholars programme. We look forward to receiving your essays!
Submit your essay
Please note: The student’s essay must be entirely their own work. Essays will be run through plagiarism and AI-detection software. AI-written essays will not be considered.
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