2013 Commonwealth Essay Competition: Open for Entries!

Following Her Majesty The Queen's meeting with this year's Competition winners, the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) in partnership with Cambridge University Press has launched the 2013 Commonwealth Essay Competition.

Run by the RCS since 1883, the Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world's oldest and largest schools' international writing competition. Past winners include Mr Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore and Elspeth Huxley.

The theme of the competition is 'Opportunity through Enterprise' – next year's Commonwealth theme – and participants are invited to enter via post or submit entries online from January 2013.

The Competition aims to celebrate and nurture the creative talents of young people across the Commonwealth, providing a platform for students to compete with their peers in each of the 54 nations which make up this unique association.

In 2012 over 8,000 young writers took part and 1,000 participants from 245 schools, in 38 countries across the Commonwealth received an award for their entry.

Deputy Director of the RCS, Catherine Clark said: “The 2013 Commonwealth Essay Competition offers students an opportunity to explore enterprise in a creative and international environment. In 2013 we want to see students in each of the 54 Commonwealth countries receiving awards and we are confident that the success of the Jubilee Time Capsule and our recent partnership with the Cambridge University Press will help us towards that goal.”

Director of International Education, Cambridge University Press, Claudia Bickford-Smith said: “We are so pleased to be able to support the Commonwealth Essay Competition. The Press aims to advance learning, knowledge and research worldwide and this partnership will be an exciting way with engaging with thousands of young writers from the Commonwealth countries.”

For more information on the 2013 Competition, including topics and rules of entry visit: http://www.thercs.org/youth/429.