commonwealth essay competition results

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 (Prize + Certificate)

If you have good essay-writing skills and want to participate in an international competition. Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is for you to show your skills and is currently open. In this article, we will explain in detail about this competition, its prize and step by step application process.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 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 recognize achievement, elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing.

To mark the 50th Anniversary of the Commonwealth Youth Programme, Commonwealth Heads of Government declared 2023 a year dedicated to youth-led action for sustainable and inclusive development and called on renewal and strengthening of our commitment to youth engagement and empowerment.

Of the Commonwealth’s population of almost 2.5 billion people, 60% are under the age of 30. This young demographic represents a dynamic ‘youth force for change’, made up of exceptional young people who are increasingly involved in advocacy, decision-making and action.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 asks entrants to explore the power young people hold within the global community and consider how this power can be harnessed to make a meaningful impact in the world.

The Society has a rich history of nurturing the creative talents of young people around the Commonwealth and we endeavour to promote literacy, expression and creativity by celebrating excellence and imagination. The Competition invites all young Commonwealth citizens and residents, regardless of region, education or background, to share ideas, celebrate their story and have their voice heard. Through partnerships with Book Aid International, Worldreader and the National Literacy Trust, the Society is working to increase access to this opportunity for a wider range of young people.

Scholarship Summary

• Level of Study: Competition
• Institution(s): The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS)
• Study in: UK
• Deadline: May 15, 2024

Essay Topics

The theme for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will take place in Samoa in October 2024, is ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth’.    

Nearly half of Commonwealth countries are Small Island Developing States like Samoa that are disproportionately affected by climate change. Communities across the Commonwealth are also facing a range of challenges, including economic growth, peace and security. Creating strong and resilient societies is now more important than ever.   

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 asks entrants to consider how they deal with adversity, and how community and culture can be used to encourage resilience and hope in a world with a growing number of global issues.  

SENIOR CATEGORY

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

• “It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”– Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. What small steps can you take to help tackle the climate crisis?   
• Write a speech highlighting what you think is the most challenging issue facing the world today, and how Commonwealth values can be used to solve it.      
• At the heart of Samoan way of life is ‘aiga’, meaning ‘family’ values including selflessness, hospitality, co-operation, respect and dignity. What core values and ideas from your culture can be used to enhance co-operation and community in the Commonwealth?  
• The Commonwealth’s London Declaration aimed to strive for peace, liberty and progress. Write a letter to your President or Prime Minister about how to achieve those aims. 

JUNIOR CATEGORY

(Born on or after 16 May 2010 (under 14 years of age))

• What new habit could you adopt to positively contribute towards a greener Commonwealth?   
• Write a dialogue between yourself and a grandparent about resilience and hope. What can you share with the older generation, and what can you learn from them?  
• You are taking part in a beach clean-up and discover that you can speak to sea creatures. What are they saying, and how do you respond?
• You’re on a school exchange in a Commonwealth country different to your own. How do you make friends with people your age? (Consider similarities and differences in culture that may unite you).

Scholarship Coverage/Prize

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition provides the recipient with the following benefits:

– All entrants receive a Certificate of Participation and one Winner and Runner-up from the Senior and Junior categories will win a trip to London for a week of educational and cultural events.

– Prizes have traditionally been awarded only to the first prize winners in the Senior and Junior categories and also vary year by year. This means they are not able to confirm what the prizes will be until after the winners are announced in August 2024. Past prizes have included:

• Resources for winner’s school
• Certificates
• Visits to Cambridge University
• A trip to London and a week of activities
• Having your entry featured in worldwide media
• Work experience at international organisations, and
• RCS regional and branch offices often hold ceremonies or offer prizes. Please contact your nearest RCS branch after the competition closes on June 30, 2024, to inquire about any activities planned.

Eligibility Criteria for Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

To participate in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, following is the criteria:

• Required Language:  All entries must be written in English.
• Eligible Countries: Nationals and residents of all Commonwealth countries and territories aged 18 and under are eligible to enter the competition, including entrants from Zimbabwe.
• Entries are accepted from residents of non-Commonwealth countries who submit through their local RCS branch.
• Entrants can be presented in any form/method of creative writing. Pictures/Illustrations are particularly encouraged in the Junior Category.

How to Apply for Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition?

Please follow the following important application instructions to participate in Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition:

Online Submission:

• The Royal Commonwealth Society is building a new online platform that will be much easier to use and accessible on all devices, but it’s not quite ready yet.
• They are encouraging young people to begin writing their pieces and will open the new platform for submissions in early 2024.
• Please note: They do not accept essays sent by email.

Offline Submissio n  ( P ost):  (Check the  How to Enter  section in the official website for more details)

• Offline submissions are very difficult to process and can mean that your entry arrives after the Competition closing date. They will only accept an offline entry where the person submitting has no access to internet and is unable to submit online.
• If you are submitting your entry by post, please complete an entry form (Can be found in the official website) in block capitals and attach it to the front of your essay. Entries should be sent to your nearest postal hub, details of which are listed below.
• Please note that for postal entries, your essay must be received by June 30, 2023 in order to be eligible. They, therefore, suggest that you send your essay with plenty of time for delivery, as essays received by a postal hub after June 30 will not be considered in the competition.
• Check the official website for posting address.

To know more about Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, please visit the official website:

Official Website

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Winners Of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 Announced!

2023 has been a fantastic year for The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC).

Celebrating the Commonwealth Year of Youth, the theme, 'A Youth-Powered Commonwealth,’ asked QCEC entrants to explore the power young people hold within the global community and to consider how this power can be harnessed to make a meaningful impact in the world.

In the 140th year of this competition, the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools, we were delighted to receive a record-breaking 34,924 entries , an increase of almost 9,000 entries on the previous year, and from 50 Commonwealth countries, the most in the history of the competition!

This year’s top participating countries included Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Malaysia, the Maldives, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

In this special year, we are delighted to announce the winners of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition:

• Senior Winner: Miss Siddhi Deshmukh aged 17 from Mumbai, India for her piece titled, ‘An Angel that Burns’.
• Junior Winner: Miss Shreeya Sahi aged 12 from Panchkula, India for her entry titled, ‘Dear Little Prince’.
• Senior Runner-up: Miss Yong Sin Kong aged 15 from Kluang, Malaysia for her entry titled, ‘Observations made at a Local Kopitam, 13th of March, 2023’.
• Junior Runner-up: Miss Mitali Ragtah aged 11 from New Delhi, India for her piece titled, ‘Water Girl of India’.

We look forward to meeting these talented young writers in London next month for Winners Week and to celebrating their writing during a special Award Ceremony at Buckingham Palace hosted by Her Majesty Queen Camilla!

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Two Singaporeans receive The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition awards in Buckingham Palace

LONDON - Gauri Kumar, 14, lived in London for three years until she moved home to Singapore last year.

While she was here, she had only seen Buckingham Palace from the outside. On Wednesday (Oct 26), she and fellow Singaporean Tan Wan Gee, 14, were escorted into the palace, put through a rehearsal and taught how to curtsy.

It was to get them ready to meet Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The Duchess was presenting certificates to the two teenagers: Gauri came in tops in the junior category of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, while Wan Gee was the runner-up. The senior category was won by Inessa Rajah from South Africa and the runner-up was Esther Mungalaba from Zambia.

They beat 13,500 others from nearly all the Commonwealth countries, earning themselves a "Winners Week" in London which includes cultural and educational activities such as visits to Cambridge University, Houses of Parliament, The London Evening Standard newspaper, British Library and an award ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

Gauri said she was "extremely nervous" about the royal experience. "I haven't processed it yet. Hopefully, I'll be able to understand in a few days. But I'm still really confused about what's been happening," she said after receiving her award from the Duchess.

Wan Gee described the Duchess as "incredibly nice". She had asked the girls about the inspiration behind their winning essays, which had to reflect on the theme of the competition: An Inclusive Commonwealth.

Founded in 1883, The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world's oldest international schools writing competition. This year drew the most number of entries. Singapore alone sent in 4,585 entries - more than any other country.

The last Singaporean winner was Selina Xu from Nanyang Girls High School, who was senior runner-up in 2014.

The entries were judged by a pan-Commonwealth body of judges from more than 30 countries, who have described the entries as "inspirational", "imaginative" and "moving".

For her winning essay "Tales Of An Insider/Outsider", Gauri, who attends Tanglin Trust School, wrote about her experience of feeling disconnected from her relatives and culture because she does not speak Hindi well.

Wan Gee, who is studying in Temasek Junior College, wrote a poem "Are We Really So Different? Dear Santa", in which she advocated the importance of equality.

The two are voracious readers, with Gauri enjoying dystopian novels and authors like J K Rowling and George Orwell, and Wan Gee finding inspiration in Charles Bukowski and Sylvia Plath.

"There's something about their poetry that resonates with me," said Wan Gee, who confessed to hating poetry before she took a module in school last year.

"I bought a book by Charles Bukowski the other day. It's the way he makes something very ordinary feel very relatable. I really like that kind of expression."

Mr Michael Lake, director of the Royal Commonwealth Society, which organises the competition, said the four winners represent the "very best and brightest that the Commonwealth has to offer".

"Their essays and poems explore contemporary themes with maturity, intelligence and depth beyond their years."

About 70 guests were at the ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to celebrate the young writers' achievements. They included Mr Chia Wei Wen, Deputy High Commissioner for Singapore, The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster Abbey and Ms Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former prime minister of Denmark and now CEO of Save the Children International.

Watching on proudly were Gauri's parents and younger sister, and Wan Gee's mother.

The girls are only too aware that when they go back to Singapore, their friends will ask them if they met the Queen. They had words of encouragement for aspiring young writers who might now be inspired to join the competition.

"There's no harm in entering the competition and if you do well, that's the most amazing thing," said Gauri.

Added Wan Gee: "Never give up on your writing. You never know where it'll take you, for example, here."

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Commonwealth Short Story Prize

The 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize is now closed for entries and the judging process is underway.

The shortlist will be announced in April, the regional winners in May, and the overall winner in June 2024.

We would like to thank the 7,359 writers who submitted a short story.

The 2024 judging panel is chaired by Ugandan fiction writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi. Jennifer’s fellow judges, drawn from the five regions of the Commonwealth, are South African writer Keletso Mopai (Africa), Singaporean short story writer, screenwriter and novelist O Thiam Chin (Asia), Canadian writer and editor Shashi Bhat (Canada/Europe), poet and author Richard Georges from the British Virgin Islands (Caribbean), and award-winning Australian Bundjalung writer Melissa Lucashenko (Pacific). You can find out more about the judging panel below.  

The 2025 prize will open for submissions on 1 September 2024.  

For any inquiries regarding the prize, please email: [email protected]

The 2025 prize will open for submissions on 1 September 2024. 

The Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from the Commonwealth. Regional winners each receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000.  

Scroll down to read answers to frequently asked questions about the prize, including who can enter, how stories are judged and what languages we accept.  

CSSP2024 Menu:

• FAQs & Resources

This year’s judging panel

Jennifer nansubuga makumbi.

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi wrote   The First Woman (2020), which in 2021 won the Jhalak Prize , was shortlisted for The Diverse Book Award, the Encore Prize and the James Tait Black Prize , and longlisted for The Aspen Words Literary Prize . Her first novel, Kintu , won the Kwani ? Manuscript Project in 2013, the Prix Transfuge d u m eilleur p remier r oman f rancais in 2019 and, in the same year, she was shortlisted for Edward Stanford Awards and l onglisted for the Prix Médicis . Her collection of short stories, Manchester Happened , was shortlisted for The Big Book prize: Harper’s Bazaar in 2019 and longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize. Jennifer was the recipient of the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize in 2018. She was also the overall winner of the Commonwealth Short S tory P rize in 2014. She was part of the DAAD Artist-in – Berlin programme in 2022 and currently she is Artist in Residence at STIAS Stellenbosch. She has a PhD from Lancaster University and has taught in several universities in the United Kingdom.

Keletso Mopai

Keletso Mopai is a South African writer and geologist. Her award-nominated and acclaimed debut collection of short stories If You Keep Digging , a social commentary on Post-Apartheid South Africa, was published in 2019 by Blackbird Books. Her work has been published in several journals internationally including Internazionale , The Johannesburg Review of Books, Catapult, Portside Review, Imbiza Journal, Kaleidoscope Magazine, Lolwe , and anthologies such as Joburg Noir . She returned to university in 2022 to pursue an MA in creative writing at The University of Cape Town where she wrote a novel-in-stories about a farm murder set in her hometown, Tzaneen .

O Thiam Chin

O Thiam Chin is a short story writer, screenwriter, and novelist from Singapore. His work has been published in Granta, The Cincinnati Review, M ā noa , The Brooklyn Rail, World Literature Today, The International Literary Quarterly, Asia Literary Review, Kyoto Journal, The Jakarta Post and Quarterly Literary Review Singapore . Thrice longlisted for the Frank O’ Connor International Short Story Award, he is the author of six story-collections, including Love, Or Something Like Love , which was shortlisted for the 2014 Singapore Literature Prize. His debut novel, Now That It’s Over , won the inaugural Epigram Books Fiction Prize in 2015 and the Best Fiction title at the 2017 Singapore Book Awards. His second novel, Fox Fire Girl , is currently being adapted into a feature film. He was an honorary fellow of the Iowa International Writing Program in 2010, and a recipient of the Singapore National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in 2012.

Shashi Bhat

Shashi Bhat is the author of the forthcoming story collection Death by a Thousand Cuts (McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House Canada), and the novels The Most Precious Substance on Earth (McClelland &Stewart/Grand Central), a finalist for the 2022 Governor General’s Award for fiction, and The Family Took Shape (Cormorant), a finalist for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Her fiction has won the Writers’ Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize and been shortlisted for a National Magazine Award and the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award, and has appeared in publications across North America, including The Threepenny Review, The Missouri Review, The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, Best Canadian Stories , and The Journey Prize Stories . Shashi holds an MFA from Johns Hopkins University and a BA from Cornell University. She lives in New Westminster, BC, where she is the editor-in-chief of EVENT magazine and teaches creative writing at Douglas College.

Richard Georges

Richard Georges is a writer of essays, fiction, and three collections of poetry. His most recent book, Epiphaneia (2019), won the 2020 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, and his first book, Make Us All Islands (2017), was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. Richard is a founding editor of Moko magazine, a Fellow of the Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study, and the first Poet Laureate of the British Virgin Islands. He works in higher education and lives on Tortola with his wife and children.

Melissa Lucashenko

Melissa Lucashenko is a multi-award winning Bundjalung novelist from Brisbane. She is a Walkley Award winner for her non-fiction writing and a founding member of human rights group Sisters Inside.

Frequently asked questions

Who is eligible to submit.

The prize is open to all Commonwealth citizens aged 18 and over –  please see the full list of Commonwealth countries here .

What do the winning writers receive?

The regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives a total of £5,000. The winning stories are published online by Granta and in a special print collection by Paper + Ink . The shortlisted stories are published in adda , the online literary magazine of the Commonwealth Foundation.

What is the word limit?

The story must be between 2,000 and 5,000 words.

Is there any required theme or genre?

The prize is only open to short fiction, but it can be in any fiction genre–science fiction, speculative fiction, historical fiction, crime, romance, literary fiction–and you may write about any subject you wish.

In what languages do you accept entries?

Submissions are accepted in Bengali, Chinese, Creole, English, French, Greek, Malay, Maltese, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish. Stories that have been translated into English from any language are also accepted and the translator of any winning story receives additional prize money.

Can the story be published?

Your submission must be unpublished in any print or online publication, with the exception of personal websites.

How is the prize judged?

Entries are initially assessed by a team of readers and a longlist of 200 entries is put before the international judging panel, comprising a chair and five judges, one from each of the Commonwealth regions – Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. All judges read entries from all regions.

Entries in other languages are assessed by relevant language readers and the best submissions are selected for translation into English to be considered for inclusion on the longlist.

The judging panel select a shortlist of around twenty stories, from which five regional winners are chosen, one of which is chosen as the overall winner.

Resources & News

• 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Entry Rules
• Perfecting your story: tips for crafting your prize submission
• A short story by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
• Sharma Taylor in Conversation with Alexia Tolas
• Ntsika Kota in Conversation with Damon Galgut
• The Art and Craft of the Short Story
• 'The Fishing Line' by Kevin Jared Hosein
• Kritika Pandey in conversation with Nii Ayikwei Parkes
• The Origins of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize
• Commonwealth Writers’ Conversations- Cyprus at 60

Get the latest about the Short Story Prize

Stay up to date on all the latest updates from the Short Story Prize, including deadlines, submission info and winners.

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Indian student wins Queen’s Commonwealth essay prize for true story 

Maulika pandey from uttarakhand was named the junior runner-up for her essay entitled ‘the molai forest' and received her citation at a reception in buckingham palace.

A 13-year-old Indian schoolgirl travelled to London to receive her Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) Prize from Queen Consort Camilla for a true story based on the Forest Man of India, Padma Shri Jadav Molai Payeng.

Maulika Pandey from Uttarakhand was named the Junior Runner-up for her essay entitled ‘The Molai Forest’ and received her citation at a reception in Buckingham Palace on Thursday. It marked the first ceremony of the competition since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September.

“All of us are bound together by a profound appreciation of the written word and of our Commonwealth,” said Camilla, wife of King Charles III.

“This wonderful, extraordinary, richly diverse association of independent and equal nations and friends is, truly, ‘ours’, belonging to each one of us, and the connections between us run deep,” said the Queen Consort, who also paid tribute to her late “dear mother-in-law… who is much in our thoughts today”.

During the palace awards ceremony, the winners aged between 13 and 17 years old travelled from India, New Zealand, Australia, and around the UK to be awarded their certificates.

The Senior Winner for 2022 was Sawooly Li, 17, from Auckland for a pandemic-related essay and the Junior Winner was Madeleine Wood, 14, from Melbourne for an inspirational bedtime story.

Also read | Indian students studying abroad are facing accommodation issues, here’s why

The Senior Runner-up was 17-year-old Amaal Fawzi from London, also for an essay related to frontline workers in the pandemic, and Pandey the Junior Runner-Up for her tale of Jadav Molai Payeng’s world-famous tree planting mission in Jorhat , Assam.

Extracts from their winning pieces were read by Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) ambassadors, including Indian-origin actor Ayesha Dharker.

The QCEC is described as the world’s oldest international school writing competition, founded in 1883 by the RCS to promote literacy, expression, and creativity among young people throughout the Commonwealth and help nations achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 of “Quality Education”.

“In 2022, we asked children around the Commonwealth to reflect on the inspiring example of the steadfast commitment Queen Elizabeth II gave to our Commonwealth family for over 70 years,” said Dr Linda Yueh, RCS Executive Chair.

“As the Patron of our Society, we were immensely grateful to the late Queen for her unstinting support of our efforts to improve literacy across the Commonwealth. We are deeply honoured that Her Majesty The Queen Consort, like late Queen Elizabeth II, is tireless in her own support for this important competition and its ability to improve the lives and prospects of children around the Commonwealth,” she said.

For this year’s competition, 150 volunteer judges from across the Commonwealth assessed the entries on the theme “Our Commonwealth” and the final judging decision was taken by an expert panel, which included Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2014 winner Imtiaz Dharker among other literary figures.

Each year, entrants write on a theme that explores the Commonwealth’s values, fostering an empathetic world view in the next generation of leaders and encouraging young people to consider new perspectives to the challenges that the world faces. In 2022, the RCS said it received a record-breaking 26,322 entries to the QCEC from every Commonwealth region.

Congress MP  Shashi Tharoor  too reacted to her comments, saying, “After Anant Hegde let the cat out of the bag, BJP leaders hastily stuffed it back in and dropped him from their candidate list. Now another BJP candidate openly says the BJP’s aim is to change the Constitution. How many more candidates can the BJP disavow for revealing the truth?”

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Christabel, Rui Yu among gold winners in Commonwealth essay competition

Christabel Lau

KUCHING (Oct 5): Christabel Lau and Ong Rui Yu of St Joseph’s International School (SJIS) here were among 171 gold finalists out of 25,648 participants in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2021.

According to a press statement, the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC), which was established in 1883, is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools.

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.

This year’s competition is themed ‘Community in the Commonwealth.’

For Lau, participating in competitions like QCEC allowed her to explore the depths of her creativity and expand her knowledge on what was happening around her.

“It took about a week for me to come up with different ideas on how I’d want the story to go. The story concept had been revised thrice before I was set on the current concept.

“It was my goal to make the drafting journey as fun as possible and it took about two months before I came up with a final draft that I was proud of,” she said.

She thanked her English teacher Ann Armstrong for introducing a variety of writing competitions last year and encouraging her students to participate in them.

“I probably wouldn’t have been aware of the QCEC without her. It was also because of her that I was able to improve my writing skills so drastically,” she said and encouraged students to challenge themselves in writing competitions.

“You really do learn and gain a lot of awareness on a variety of topics such as climate change, life and so on.”

Ong meanwhile chose to write on the topic ‘Keeping Connected through the Covid-19.’

“It was a challenge to gather my thoughts and feelings about an ongoing pandemic when all I wanted to do was escape from this world. It took one month of many idea changes, drafts, and edits before this work today.

”I wanted to show people and document their experiences – both highs and lows. Major sources of inspiration were ‘Night’ by Elie Wiesel and two pieces of music – ‘Moon Song’ by Karen O and ‘I’m Forrest…Forrest Gump’ by Alan Silvestri,” she said.

When Ong heard that she was one of the gold finalists, she said the news came like a “spring breeze amidst a period of stressful studying.”

“I felt grateful that God has granted me this achievement and I was pleased that my results have improved compared to last year’s Silver.

“I hope to hone my skills even more to achieve Winner next year if God wills it,” she said.

She encouraged aspiring writers to read more to expose themselves to different ways of expressions; to know what they’re trying to convey and to be creative.

“Understand your audience. QCEC is searching for creative, profound works and it’s an avenue to spill your hearts out. Most importantly, don’t stop halfway,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lydia Ting, also from SJIS, achieved a Silver Award from QCEC.

“It took me around five days to finish the essay and when news reached me that I had won Silver, I was very surprised and glad as it was really unexpected.

“I am beyond grateful and privileged to receive this award,” she said and thanked Armstrong for introducing and encouraging both her and her classmates to join this competition.

She said joining QCEC had opened her eyes and motivated her to become a better version of herself.

“I would like to encourage other students to join because you never know what you can achieve if you don’t try. Anything is possible if you set your heart on it and work hard.

“I myself am looking forward to writing again in the future,” said Ting.

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The queen’s commonwealth essay competition 2023.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 asks entrants to explore the power young people hold within the global community and consider how this power can be harnessed to make a meaningful impact in the world.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023 is now open for entries until 30 June 2023 . The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest international writing competition. 2023 marks 140 years since it was established in 1883. With thousands of young people taking part every year, it is an important way to recognize achievement, elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing.

Categories:

• Senior Category The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023

(born between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2009; 14-18 years of age ) ​

• As Head of the Commonwealth His Majesty the King is opening an international conference on the importance of young people in decision making. Write his speech. 
• Does age matter? 
• The 2023 Year of Youth was a moment of significant social change – what was its impact on the world? 
• Script a dialogue between two people, with contrasting viewpoints, on an issue that divides generations. 

2. Junior Category    The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023

(Born on or after 1 July 2009; under 14 years of age )

• In fiction and throughout history, young people have performed numerous acts of heroism. Choose your favourite young hero and write to them about why you admire them.
• What is your youthful superpower, and how can it make a positive difference to the world?
• You have been stranded on a planet where everyone is 18 or under. Journal your experience.
• Why does your voice matter?

For more information and submission, kindly please VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE

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Queen's Commonwealth Essay 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.

For 2021 the Competition theme is  Community in the Commonwealth . It is possible to   View the topics for 2021.

The essay writing competition is a side event of the commonwealth head of state meeting CHOGM under the patronage of HRH the Duchess of Cornwall.

This year, it will be a co-host with The First Lady of Rwanda, Mrs Jeannette Kagame.

 We are calling upon the Rwandan Youth to participate bearing in mind that Rwanda is the host country this year.

Kindly check the following link to be able to participate:  https://www.royalcwsociety.org/the-qcec

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Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 | Win a Trip to London

• Awards , Competitions

• Funding Type: Fully funded
• Region: Online
• Deadline: May 15, 2024
• Opportunity Type: Awards , Competitions

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the oldest and most amazing international essay writing competition in the world. This international competition is offered to school students. It has been organized by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. Thousands of students from different schools participate in this international writing competition yearly. This international essay writing competition will help youth convey and deliver their thoughts through essay writing. The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) will motivate the youth and provide an opportunity to raise their voices for a change in society. The students will participate in this amazing international competition and make this world a better place through their writing skills. 

Similarly, the Commonwealth Program is a prestigious Royal Essay Competition that will allow young people to share their ideas on emerging global issues. 2024 celebrates 75 years of the Commonwealth. The theme of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition for the year 2024 is ‘Our Common Wealth’. Likewise, the theme for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that will take place in October 2024 is ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth.’ This international Essay Contest will produce a meaningful change through youth perspective and thinking. There is no application fee for this Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024. The Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is a great opportunity to earn achievement internationally and get recognized by a well-known organization.

Moreover, applicants will positively impact society through their creative writing and thinking.  Selected applicants of this international essay contest will have the chance to get a fully funded trip to London by winning this international competition. The International Writing Contest 2024 from Commonwealth countries is divided into the Junior Category and Senior Category. In addition, the applicants between the age of 14-18 fall in the Senior Category. Similarly, applicants under the age of 14 years fall in the Junior Category. Each category of QCEC 2024 has a different topic for essay writing, a winner and a runner-up. In addition to the fully funded trip to London, the winners of both categories of this Commonwealth Essay Writing Contest 2024 will receive gold, silver, or bronze medals, and all successful participants will receive a certificate of participation. Therefore, the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 will polish the writing skills of the entrants and will broaden their vision by interacting with international students.

Topics for Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 (QCEC2024):

Senior Category Topics (14-18 years):

• Write a speech on what you think is the most challenging issue the world is facing today and how Commonwealth values can be used to solve it.
• “It is important to remember that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”– Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. What small steps can you take to help tackle the climate crisis?
• The Samoan lifestyle revolves around ‘aiga’ or family values such as, selflessness, hospitality, respect, cooperation and dignity. Write about the core values and ideas from your culture and how they can be used to enhance cooperation and community in the Commonwealth?
• The Commonwealth’s London Declaration strives for peace, liberty and progress. Write a letter to your President or Prime Minister about how to achieve those aims.

Junior Category Topics (under 14 years):

• Come up  with a dialogue between yourself and a grandparent about hope and resilience. What can you share with the older generation and what can you learn from them?
• Imagine participating in a beach clean-up where you can speak to sea creatures. What are they saying and how will you respond?
• While on a school exchange in a Commonwealth nation, how will you make friends with people your age? (keep in mind the similarities and differences in culture that may unite you).
• What new habit could you adopt to positively contribute towards a greener Commonwealth?

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Queen elizabeth commonwealth scholarships 2024 | fully funded, imb international phd programme 2024 in germany, npu president scholarship 2024 in china | fully funded, wfp internship program 2024 | paid internships , eligibility criteria :.

Do you want to bring change in this world through your writing? Then send in submissions for the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024. Before starting the application, make sure to check the eligibility criteria for the Royal Commonwealth Society essay competition to ensure your eligibility.

Eligibility Criteria for the QCEC 2024:

• Applicants of the Senior Category should be between 14-18 years (born between 16 May 2005 and 15 May 2010) and in the Junior Category, applicants should be under 14 years of age (born on or after 16 May 2010).
• The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is an international annual writing contest for students and schools.
• The essay entries must be submitted in the English language. Any other language is not accepted. 
• The word count for Senior Category is 1500, while for the Junior Category, it is 750 words.
• The essays should not contain the personal details of the applicants. Personal details will be given in the application process.
• The essay topics must be selected from those topics provided in the Senior and Junior categories.
• Plagiarism is not allowed, and plagiarized essays will automatically be rejected.

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Do you meet the eligibility criteria above? If yes, keep on reading. The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 for young people is full of benefits. Information about the benefits of the Queen’s international essay contest is provided in this section. So please read it carefully without skipping any points.

Benefits of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024:

• Winners in both categories of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition will get a one week trip to London to attend educational and cultural events.
• They will also be part of the Special Awards Ceremony at a Royal Palace.
• Moreover, outstanding entries will receive Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards for their exceptional writing.
• Successful participants will receive a certificate of participation. 
• The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is a great contest for international recognition and networking opportunities. 
• Applicants will be able to improve their writing skills and learn how to write for international platforms and contests.

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Application Process:

• Wondering how to apply for the Queen’s Commonwealth Contest? The application process for the essay competition 2024 is easy and online.
• Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria and requirements for the Commonwealth Essay Competition.
• The applicant must start the application process for QCEC2024 through the link given below. Click on ‘Start’ and select the group or individual submission, then provide personal details and category of submission, email address, nationality, country of residence, topic, title, word count and more details.
• At the end of the application, upload an essay entry or copy/paste it and then submit the form.
• Make sure to submit your application before the QCEC 2024 deadline.

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 Application Deadline:

• The deadline to apply for the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is 15 May 2024 . 

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• March 24, 2024
• Commonwealth , Competition , contest , essay competition , Essay writing , International Essay Competition 2024 , May 2024 , Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth

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COMMONWEALTH DAY SERVICE OF CELEBRATION

Organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Commonwealth Service is the world’s premier public event to celebrate the Commonwealth and provides an opportunity to focus attention on this voluntary association of 56 countries. Find out about this year's Service.

The  Royal Commonwealth Society is a network of individuals and organisations committed to improving the lives and prospects of Commonwealth citizens across the world. Find out more about our vision and how we aim to achieve this. 

OUR VISION AND MISSION

OUR HISTORY 

Founded on 26 June 1868 as a ‘literary and scientific body’ the Society was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria a year later. Since our establishment the Society has welcomed speakers including Nelson Mandela and evolved to meet the changing nature of the Commonwealth. 

COMMONWEALTH VOICES

'Commonwealth Voices' is the Society's magazine containing observations on Commonwealth-wide news, developments and concerns, and includes high-profile guest contributions, research pieces and contemporary news. Read the latest edition.

Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration 2024, 11 March 2024

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COMMONWEALTH DAY SERVICE

11 MARCH 2024

Organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society and held at Westminster Abbey the Commonwealth Day Service and celebration is the premier public event to celebrate the Commonwealth and is attended by His Majesty The King, Senior Members of the Royal Family, Commonwealth political & diplomatic representatives as well as hundreds of young people. 

COMMONWEALTH BANQUET

12 MARCH 2024

Held annually in Commonwealth Week each March, this black tie dinner takes place in London with live entertainment from around the Commonwealth. For 2024, the gala will take place on the evening of Tuesday, 12 March, at the St James’ Court, a Taj Hotel, and will feature Gyles Brandreth, broadcaster and RCS Ambassador, alongside live musical performances.

LAUNCH: THE QUEEN'S CW ESSAY COMPETITION 15 MARCH 2024

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools and has been delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. In the past decade alone, the competition has engaged over 140,000 young people, 5,000 schools and 1,000 volunteer judges.