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• 12 min read

The Ultimate Guide to the John Locke Essay Competition

Humanities and social sciences students often lack the opportunities to compete at the global level and demonstrate their expertise. Competitions like ISEF, Science Talent Search, and MIT Think are generally reserved for students in fields like biology, physics, and chemistry.

At Lumiere, many of our talented non-STEM students, who have a flair for writing are looking for ways to flex their skills. In this piece, we’ll go over one such competition - the John Locke Essay Competition. If you’re interested in learning more about how we guide students to win essay contests like this, check out our main page .

What is the John Locke Essay Competition?

The essay competition is one of the various programs conducted by the John Locke Institute (JLI) every year apart from their summer and gap year courses. To understand the philosophy behind this competition, it’ll help if we take a quick detour to know more about the institute that conducts it.

Founded in 2011, JLI is an educational organization that runs summer and gap year courses in the humanities and social sciences for high school students. These courses are primarily taught by academics from Oxford and Princeton along with some other universities. The organization was founded by Martin Cox. Our Lumiere founder, Stephen, has met Martin and had a very positive experience. Martin clearly cares about academic rigor.

The institute's core belief is that the ability to evaluate the merit of information and develop articulate sound judgments is more important than merely consuming information. The essay competition is an extension of the institute - pushing students to reason through complex questions in seven subject areas namely Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law​.

The organization also seems to have a strong record of admissions of alumni to the top colleges in the US and UK. For instance, between 2011 and 2022, over half of John Locke alumni have gone on to one of eight colleges: Chicago, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale.

How prestigious is the John Locke Contest?

The John Locke Contest is a rigorous and selective writing competition in the social sciences and humanities. While it is not as selective as the Concord Review and has a much broader range of students who can receive prizes, it is still considered a highly competitive program.

Winning a John Locke essay contest will have clear benefits for you in your application process to universities and would reflect well on your application. On the other hand, a shortlist or a commendation might not have a huge impact given that it is awarded to many students (more on this later).

What is the eligibility for the contest?

Students, of any country, who are 18 years old or younger before the date of submission can submit. They also have a junior category for students who are fourteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline.

Who SHOULD consider this competition?

We recommend this competition for students who are interested in social sciences and humanities, in particular philosophy, politics, and economics. It is also a good fit for students who enjoy writing, want to dive deep into critical reasoning, and have some flair in their writing approach (more on that below).

While STEM students can of course compete, they will have to approach the topics through a social science lens. For example, in 2021, one of the prompts in the division of philosophy was, ‘Are there subjects about which we should not even ask questions?’ Here, students of biology can comfortably write about topics revolving around cloning, gene alteration, etc, however, they will have to make sure that they are able to ground this in the theoretical background of scientific ethics and ethical philosophy in general.

Additional logistics

Each essay should address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, footnotes, bibliography, or authorship declaration).

If you are using an in-text-based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit.

You can submit as many essays as you want in any and all categories. (We recommend aiming for only one given how time-consuming it can be to come up with a single good-quality submission)

Important dates

Prompts for the 2023 competition will be released in January 2023. Your submission will be due around 6 months later in June. Shortlisted candidates will be notified in mid-July which will be followed by the final award ceremony in September.

How much does it cost to take part?

What do you win?

A scholarship that will offset the cost of attending a course at the JLI. The amount will vary between $2000 and $10,000 based on whether you are a grand prize winner (best essay across all categories) or a subject category winner. (JLI programs are steeply-priced and even getting a prize in your category would not cover the entire cost of your program. While the website does not mention the cost of the upcoming summer program, a different website mentions it to be 3,000 GBP or 3600 USD)

If you were shortlisted, most probably, you will also receive a commendation certificate and an invitation to attend an academic ceremony at Oxford. However, even here, you will have to foot the bill for attending the conference, which can be a significant one if you are an international student.

How do you submit your entry?

You submit your entry through the website portal that will show up once the prompts for the next competition are up in January! You have to submit your essay in pdf format where the title of the pdf attachment should read SURNAME, First Name, Category, and Question Number (e.g. POPHAM, Alexander, Psychology, Q2).

What are the essay prompts like?

We have three insights here.

Firstly, true to the spirit of the enlightenment thinker it is named after, most of the prompts have a philosophical bent and cover ethical, social, and political themes. In line with JLI’s general philosophy, they force you to think hard and deeply about the topics they cover. Consider a few examples to understand this better:

“Are you more moral than most people you know? How do you know? Should you strive to be more moral? Why or why not?” - Philosophy, 2021

“What are the most important economic effects - good and bad - of forced redistribution? How should this inform government policy?” - Economics, 2020

“Why did the Jesus of Nazareth reserve his strongest condemnation for the self-righteous?” - Theology, 2021

“Should we judge those from the past by the standards of today? How will historians in the future judge us?” - History, 2021

Secondly, at Lumiere, our analysis is that most of these prompts are ‘deceptively rigorous’ because the complexity of the topic reveals itself gradually. The topics do not give you a lot to work with and it is only when you delve deeper into one that you realize the extent to which you need to research/read more. In some of the topics, you are compelled to define the limits of the prompt yourself and in turn, the scope of your essay. This can be a challenging exercise. Allow me to illustrate this with an example of the 2019 philosophy prompt.

“Aristotelian virtue ethics achieved something of a resurgence in the twentieth century. Was this progress or retrogression?”

Here you are supposed to develop your own method for determining what exactly constitutes progress in ethical thought. This in turn involves familiarizing yourself with existing benchmarks of measurement and developing your own method if required. This is a significant intellectual exercise.

Finally, a lot of the topics are on issues of contemporary relevance and especially on issues that are contentious . For instance, in 2019, one of the prompts for economics was about the benefits and costs of immigration whereas the 2020 essay prompt for theology was about whether Islam is a religion of peace . As we explain later, your ‘opinion’ here can be as ‘outrageous’ as you want it to be as long as you are able to back it up with reasonable arguments. Remember, the JLI website clearly declares itself to be, ‘ not a safe space, but a courteous one ’.

How competitive is the JLI Essay Competition?

In 2021, the competition received 4000 entries from 101 countries. Given that there is only one prize winner from each category, this makes this a very competitive opportunity. However, because categories have a different number of applicants, some categories are more competitive than others. One strategy to win could be to focus on fields with fewer submissions like Theology.

There are also a relatively significant number of students who receive commendations called “high commendation.” In the psychology field, for example, about 80 students received a commendation in 2022. At the same time, keep in mind that the number of students shortlisted and invited to Oxford for an academic conference is fairly high and varies by subject. For instance, Theology had around 50 people shortlisted in 2021 whereas Economics had 238 . We, at Lumiere, estimate that approximately 10% of entries of each category make it to the shortlisting stage.

How will your essay be judged?

The essays will be judged on your understanding of the discipline, quality of argumentation and evidence, and writing style. Let’s look at excerpts from various winning essays to see what this looks like in practice.

Level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant material: Differentiating your essay from casual musing requires you to demonstrate knowledge of your discipline. One way to do that is by establishing familiarity with relevant literature and integrating it well into their essay. The winning essay of the 2020 Psychology Prize is a good example of how to do this: “People not only interpret facts in a self-serving way when it comes to their health and well-being; research also demonstrates that we engage in motivated reasoning if the facts challenge our personal beliefs, and essentially, our moral valuation and present understanding of the world. For example, Ditto and Liu showed a link between people’s assessment of facts and their moral convictions” By talking about motivated reasoning in the broader literature, the author can show they are well-versed in the important developments in the field.

Competent use of evidence: In your essay, there are different ways to use evidence effectively. One such way involves backing your argument with results from previous studies . The 2020 Third Place essay in economics shows us what this looks like in practice: “Moreover, this can even be extended to PTSD, where an investigation carried out by Italian doctor G. P. Fichera, led to the conclusion that 13% of the sampling units were likely to have this condition. Initiating economic analysis here, this illustrates that the cost of embarking on this unlawful activity, given the monumental repercussions if caught, is not equal to the costs to society...” The study by G.P. Fichera is used to strengthen the author’s claim on the social costs of crime and give it more weight.

Structure, writing style, and persuasive force: A good argument that is persuasive rarely involves merely backing your claim with good evidence and reasoning. Delivering it in an impactful way is also very important. Let’s see how the winner of the 2020 Law Prize does this: “Slavery still exists, but now it applies to women and its name in prostitution”, wrote Victor Hugo in Les Misérables. Hugo’s portrayal of Fantine under the archetype of a fallen woman forced into prostitution by the most unfortunate of circumstances cannot be more jarringly different from the empowerment-seeking sex workers seen today, highlighting the wide-ranging nuances associated with commercial sex and its implications on the women in the trade. Yet, would Hugo have supported a law prohibiting the selling of sex for the protection of Fantine’s rights?” The use of Victor Hugo in the first line of the essay gives it a literary flair and enhances the impact of the delivery of the argument. Similarly, the rhetorical question, in the end, adds to the literary dimension of the argument. Weaving literary and argumentative skills in a single essay is commendable and something that the institute also recognizes.

Quality of argumentation: Finally, the quality of your argument depends on capturing the various elements mentioned above seamlessly . The third place in theology (2020) does this elegantly while describing bin-Laden’s faulty and selective use of religious verses to commit violence: “He engages in the decontextualization and truncation of Qur'anic verses to manipulate and convince, which dissociates the fatwas from bonafide Islam. For example, in his 1996 fatwa, he quotes the Sword verse but deliberately omits the aforementioned half of the Ayat that calls for mercy. bin-Laden’s intention is not interpretive veracity, but the indoctrination of his followers.” The author’s claim is that bin-Laden lacks religious integrity and thus should not be taken seriously, especially given the content of his messages. To strengthen his argument, he uses actual incidents to dissect this display of faulty reasoning.

These excerpts are great examples of the kind of work you should keep in mind when writing your own draft.

6 Winning Tips from Lumiere

Focus on your essay structure and flow: If logic and argumentation are your guns in this competition, a smooth flow is your bullet. What does a smooth flow mean? It means that the reader should be able to follow your chain of reasoning with ease. This is especially true for essays that explore abstract themes. Let’s see this in detail with the example of a winning philosophy essay. “However, if society were the moral standard, an individual is subjected to circumstantial moral luck concerning whether the rules of the society are good or evil (e.g., 2019 Geneva vs. 1939 Munich). On the other hand, contracts cannot be the standard because people are ignorant of their being under a moral contractual obligation, when, unlike law, it is impossible to be under a contract without being aware. Thus, given the shortcomings of other alternatives, human virtue is the ideal moral norm.” To establish human virtue as the ideal norm, the author points out limitations in society and contracts, leaving out human virtue as the ideal one. Even if you are not familiar with philosophy, you might still be able to follow the reasoning here. This is a great example of the kind of clarity and logical coherence that you should strive for.

Ground your arguments in a solid theoretical framework : Your essay requires you to have well-developed arguments. However, these arguments need to be grounded in academic theory to give them substance and differentiate them from casual opinions. Let me illustrate this with an example of the essay that won second place in the politics category in 2020. “Normatively, the moral authority of governments can be justified on a purely associative basis: citizens have an inherent obligation to obey the state they were born into. As Dworkin argued, “Political association, like family or friendship and other forms of association more local and intimate, is itself pregnant of obligation” (Dworkin). Similar to a family unit where children owe duties to their parents by virtue of being born into that family regardless of their consent, citizens acquire obligations to obey political authority by virtue of being born into a state.” Here, the author is trying to make a point about the nature of political obligation. However, the core of his argument is not the strength of his own reasoning, but the ability to back his reasoning with prior literature. By quoting Dworkin, he includes important scholars of western political thought to give more weight to his arguments. It also displays thorough research on the part of the author to acquire the necessary intellectual tools to write this paper.

The methodology is more important than the conclusion: The 2020 history winners came to opposite conclusions in their essays on whether a strong state hampers or encourages economic growth. While one of them argued that political strength hinders growth when compared to laissez-faire, the other argues that the state is a prerequisite for economic growth . This reflects JLI’s commitment to your reasoning and substantiation instead of the ultimate opinion. The lesson: Don’t be afraid to be bold! Just make sure you are able to back it up.

Establish your framework well: A paragraph (or two) that is able to succinctly describe your methodology, core arguments, and the reasoning behind them displays academic sophistication. A case in point is the introduction of 2019’s Philosophy winner: “To answer the question, we need to construct a method that measures progress in philosophy. I seek to achieve this by asserting that, in philosophy, a certain degree of falsification is achievable. Utilizing philosophical inquiry and thought experiments, we can rationally assess the logical validity of theories and assign “true” and “false” status to philosophical thoughts. With this in mind, I propose to employ the fourth process of the Popperian model of progress…Utilizing these two conditions, I contend that Aristotelian virtue ethics was progress from Kantian ethics and utilitarianism.” Having a framework like this early on gives you a blueprint for what is in the essay and makes it easier for the reader to follow the reasoning. It also helps you as a writer since distilling down your core argument into a paragraph ensures that the first principles of your essay are well established.

Read essays of previous winners: Do this and you will start seeing some patterns in the winning essays. In economics, this might be the ability to present a multidimensional argument and substantiating it with data-backed research. In theology, this might be your critical analysis of religious texts .

Find a mentor: Philosophical logic and argumentation are rarely taught at the high school level. Guidance from an external mentor can fill this academic void by pointing out logical inconsistencies in your arguments and giving critical feedback on your essay. Another important benefit of having a mentor is that it will help you in understanding the heavy literature that is often a key part of the writing/research process in this competition. As we have already seen above, having a strong theoretical framework is crucial in this competition. A mentor can make this process smoother.

Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you’re looking for a mentor to do an essay contest like John Locke or want to build your own independent research paper, then consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program . Last year over 2100 students applied for about 500 spots in the program. You can find the application form here.

You can see our admission results here for our students.

Manas is a publication strategy associate at Lumiere Education. He studied public policy and interactive media at NYU and has experience in education consulting.

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Everything You Should Know about the John Locke Institute (JLI) Essay Competition

By Jin Chow

Co-founder of Polygence, Forbes 30 Under 30 for Education

2 minute read

We first wrote about the world-famous John Locke Institute (JLI) Essay Competition in our list of 20 writing contests for high school students . This contest is a unique opportunity to refine your argumentation skills on fascinating and challenging topics that aren’t explored in the classroom.

The Oxford philosopher, medical doctor, political scientist, and economist John Locke was a big believer in challenging old habits of the mind. In that spirit, the JLI started this contest to challenge students to be more adventurous in their thinking. 

While not quite as prestigious as getting published in The Concord Review , winning the grand prize or placing in one of the 7 categories of the JLI Essay Competition can get your college application noticed by top schools like Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge. Awards include $2,000 scholarships (for category winners) and a $10,000 scholarship for the grand prize. (The scholarships can be applied to the JLI’s Summer Schools at Oxford, Princeton, or Washington D.C., or to its Gap Year programs in Oxford, Guatemala, or Washington, D.C.) 

But winning isn’t necessarily the best thing about it. Simply entering the contest and writing your essay will give you a profound learning experience like no other. Add to that the fact that your entry will be read and possibly commented on by some of the top minds at Oxford and Princeton and it’s free to enter the competition . The real question is: why wouldn’t you enter? Here’s a guide to get you started on your essay contest entry.

Eligibility

The John Locke Institute Essay Competition is open to any student anywhere in the world , ages 15-18. Students 14 or under are eligible for the Junior prize. 

JLI Essay Competition Topics

The essay questions change from year to year. You can choose from 7 different categories (Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law). Within each category, there are 3 intriguing questions you can pick from. When you’re debating which question to write about, here’s a tip. Choose whichever question excites, upsets, or gives you any kind of strong emotional response. If you’re passionate about a topic, it will come through in your research and your writing. If you have any lived experience on the subject, that also helps. 

re are some sample questions the 2023 contest for each of the seven JLI essay subject  categories and the Junior Prize (the questions change each year):

Philosophy : Is tax theft? 

Politics : Do the results of elections express the will of the people?

Economics : What would happen if we banned billionaires?  

History : Which has a bigger effect on history: the plans of the powerful or their mistakes?

Psychology : Can happiness be measured?

Theology : What distinguishes a small religion from a large cult?

Law : Are there too many laws?

Junior Prize : What, if anything, do your parents owe you?

John Locke Writing Contest Requirements

Your essay must not exceed 2,000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography, or authorship declaration) and must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category. No footnotes are allowed, but you may include in-text citations or endnotes. 

Timeline and Deadlines

January - New essay questions are released

April 1st - Registration opens

May 31st   - Registration deadline

June 30th - Essay submission deadline

We highly recommend you check the JLI website as soon as the new questions are released in January and start researching and writing as soon as you can after choosing your topic. You must register for the contest by the end of May. The deadline for the essay submission itself is at the end of June, but we also recommend that you submit it earlier in case any problems arise. If you start right away in January, you can have a few months to work on your essay. 

John Locke Institute Essay Competition Judging Criteria

While the JLI says that their grading system is proprietary, they do also give you this helpful paragraph that describes what they are looking for: “Essays will be 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 very best essays are likely to be those which would be capable of changing somebody's mind . Essays which ignore or fail to address the strongest objections and counter-arguments are unlikely to be successful. Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible. ” (We’ve bolded important words to keep in mind.) 

You can also join the JLI mailing list (scroll to the bottom of that page) to get contest updates and to learn more about what makes for a winning essay.

Research and Essay Writing Tactics

Give yourself a baseline. First, just write down all your thoughts on the subject without doing any research. What are your gut-level opinions? What about this particular question intrigued you the most? What are some counter-arguments you can think of right away? What you are trying to do here is identify holes in your knowledge or understanding of the subject. What you don’t know or are unsure about can guide your research. Be sure to find evidence to support all the things you think you already know. 

Create a reading/watching list of related books, interviews, articles, podcasts, documentaries, etc. that relate to your topic. Find references that both support and argue against your argument. Choose the most highly reputable sources you can find. You may need to seek out and speak to experts to help you locate the best sources. Read and take notes. Address those questions and holes in the knowledge you identified earlier. Also, continue to read widely and think about your topic as you observe the world from day to day. Sometimes unrelated news stories, literature, film, songs, and visual art can give you an unexpected insight into your essay question. Remember that c is a learning experience and that you are not going to have a rock-solid argument all at once.

Read past winning essays . These will give you a sense of the criteria judges are using to select winning work. These essays are meant to convince the judges of a very specific stance. The argument must be clear and must include evidence to support it. You will note that winning entries tend to get straight to the point, show an impressive depth of knowledge on the subject with citations to reputable sources, flow with excellent reasoning, and use precise language. They don’t include flowery digressions. Save that for a different type of writing.

Proof your work with a teacher or mentor if possible . Even though your argument needs to be wholly your own, it certainly helps to bounce ideas around with someone who cares about the topic. A teacher or mentor can help you explore different options if you get stuck and point you toward new resources. They can offer general advice and point out errors or weaknesses. Working with a teacher or mentor is important for another reason. When you submit your entry, you will be required to provide the email address of an “academic referee” who is familiar with your work. This should be a teacher or mentor who is not related to you. 

Research and Prepare for your Competition or Fair

Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own. Our highly-specialized mentors can help guide you to feel even more prepared for an upcoming fair or competion. We also offer options to explore multiple topics, or to showcase your final product!

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Suyeon Kim Awarded Commendation in John Locke Institute’s Global Essay Competition

St. Johnsbury Academy junior Suyeon Kim, of Jeju, South Korea, was recently awarded a Commendation in the Theology category of the John Locke Institute’s Global Essay Competition. Suyeon attended the commendation ceremony in London, England in late 2023.

The John Locke Institute’s website offers some background on the organization: “The John Locke Institute is an independent educational organization that works to embolden the best and brightest students to become more academically ambitious and more intellectually adventurous. Through our various programs – residential courses, revision seminars, essay competitions, and special events – we inspire students to aim high and we equip them with the skills they need in order to achieve their goals. The Institute is named in honor of the eminent seventeenth century Oxford philosopher, John Locke.” The John Locke Institute also offers competitive summer programs at Princeton University, Oxford University and in Washington, D.C. and Singapore.

In her essay, Suyeon responded to the question, “What distinguishes a small religion from a large cult?” She begins, “’Cult plus time, or people, is religion’. This is one of the worst and the most pervaded misconceptions about cults. Such an idea is often introduced by impactful media as if it were true. Is it?” Her essay goes on to consider many different aspects of cults, and ends, “As a whole, cults exist for one person, and religions exist for everyone. Cults may seem similar to religion on the outermost surface, but on the inside, everything is different. Even if it is as small as one advisory class, or even smaller, religions seek positive impacts from their gods on their believers whereas people being forcefully gathered to devote themselves to the human cult leader is the number one priority in cults.”

Jamie Whyte, Chairman of Examiners for the John Locke Institute, congratulated Suyeon on the Institute’s behalf: “It is my very great pleasure to congratulate you on being awarded a Commendation in the Theology category of the John Locke Institute’s 2023 Global Essay Competition. You can be proud of this achievement. I hope the experience of researching and writing this essay will confer on you lasting benefits.”

Formerly a student at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju, St. Johnsbury Academy’s sister school in South Korea, Suyeon Kim began studying at St. Johnsbury Academy as part of the school’s exchange program. After spending a semester in St. Johnsbury, Suyeon decided to transfer permanently, and she now attends St. Johnsbury Academy as a boarding student.

Suyeon was honored to be recognized by this international organization. She said, “When I first got the email that I got into the finalist stage, I was just so happy. As soon as I started writing the essay, I knew that this would become my favorite essay of all time. To win an award for this big competition was, of course, important for me, but the genuine meaning of submitting this essay was to prove that my experiences made me braver and more mature. Now that I have been recognized by the John Locke Institute and from this publication, I feel so grateful to have this meaningful time in my high school. I want to especially thank Mr. Glenn Ehrean, who helped to review my works before the submission and who is also my first history teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy.”

Glenn Ehrean, Suyeon’s teacher and Director of the Academy’s Colwell Center for Global Understanding, said, “Suyeon was a student in my World Civilizations course. She is quiet, gracious, and wise beyond her years. She understands the iterative process of developing ideas and articulating them. It’s hard work, but she embraces it. It was an honor to review her essay. I was not surprised that it was recognized by the board of examiners.”

Headmaster Dr. Sharon Howell is also very proud of Suyeon’s accomplishment. She said, “This is a wonderful example of how good teaching and mentorship can help students achieve in powerful, life-changing ways. I’m grateful to all of Suyeon’s teachers and very proud of her.”

More information about the John Locke Institute and its programs is available at https://www.johnlockeinstitute.com/.

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A Complete Guide To ✨The John Locke Essay Competition✨

Join our exclusive info session if want to find out more about the john locke competition and what it takes to enter an award-winning essay. session 1: 5 pm (gmt-0) feb 24th session 2: 3 am (gmt-0) feb 25th, are you ready to make a mark in the prestigious john locke essay competition.

Join us for an exclusive information session that unveils the secrets to success in this renowned competition.

During this enlightening info session, you will:

📚 Discover what the John Locke Essay Competition is all about and why it's a golden opportunity for aspiring writers.

🎓 Uncover the winning strategies and techniques to ace the competition and stand out from the crowd.

🌐 Engage with experts who have excelled in the competition and get valuable tips on crafting an impressive essay.

🤝 Q&A…and so much more!

The John Locke Essay Competition is your gateway to excellence, and we invite you to a special information session to guide you on the path to success!

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Who should join?

Ambitious students

who aims for top universities

Session 1: 5 PM (GMT-0) Feb 24th

Session 2: 3 AM (GMT-0) Feb 25th

Online via Zoom

(aka anywhere!)

Meet the Speaker

Benjamin Goldstein

• A Fulbright Scholar, a graduate of Oxford, Columbia, and Cambridge
• A former head coach for the Concord Review history journal
• Has personally overseen essay submissions by many past John Locke winners
• Extensively working with hundreds of students over the past five years tutoring students in historical research and writing skills

What is the John Locke Essay Competition?

The John Locke essay competition is a famous, worldwide essay competition. Winners and honorably mentioned individuals in this competition have gone on to Oxford, Princeton, and other Ivy Leagues.

Even getting an honorable mention, not to mention achieving a top 3 spot in the competition, is an incredible addition to your admissions profile, recognized by admissions officers from Harvard to Stanford and beyond as one of the most prestigious achievements possible for a high school student!

Crimson Students’ Success

Every year we celebrate our students’ outstanding results in this highly competitive essay competition. Working with their dedicated mentors, they submit work that has already been shortlisted with numerous student recipients of the major prize(s).

From Law to Economics to History, our students have been shortlisted across numerous categories with a special mention for junior prize winners (Crimson Rise students!) from across the US, Asia, and all over the world.

In 2023, a 35% Global Shortlist Rate in comparison to the global average of < 10% was achieved after taking our most recent John Locke Essay Competition Masterclass!

Ready to join?

Sharpening your writing skills and boosting your chances of success in the john locke essay competition.

Grade 10 Student Receives a High Commendation for John Locke Institute’s Global Essay Competition

With a rise of COVID-19 cases, Ontario school campuses closed to students and staff on April 19, 2021, and remote learning commenced for the remainder of the school year. Under a strict Stay-At-Home Order from the Government of Ontario, Esha D., Grade 10 student, used her time effectively to research opportunities she could participate in from the comfort of her home. Esha’s passion for writing led her to find the John Locke Institute’s Global Essay Competition.

The John Locke Institute is an independent educational organization that works to embolden the best and brightest students to become more academically ambitious and more intellectually adventurous.

Through our various programmes – residential courses, revision seminars, essay competitions, and special events – we inspire students to aim high and we equip them with the skills they need in order to achieve their goals.

Each year, the John Locke Institue hosts a Global Essay Competition inviting students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum. Students ages 18-years-old and younger from any country and any school are invited to submit an essay no longer than 2000 words on the subject of their choice; Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law.

Having taken additional courses in law at HTS, it was a natural choice for Esha to turn her focus to the law category. With three prompts to choose from, she focussed her work on the question of, “Should ‘innocent until proven guilty’ apply not only to courts of law, but also to public censure?” When not in class remotely, Esha spent her time researching and writing to complete her essay over two months.

The John Locke Institute received over 4000 entries from 101 countries, taking their panel of 36 examiners two weeks to review. Entries were judged by senior academics from the University of Oxford on the level of knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, the quality of argumentation, the structure, writing style and persuasive force. Esha’s law essay was recognized by the examiners as she made the shortlist and later was recognized as a finalist receiving a high commendation.

What Esha takes from her experience is her newfound appreciation and understanding of research. Interested in sharing her passion for writing further, Esha founded the Creative Writing Club in the Senior School since the submission of her essay. The club provides students with the opportunity to explore various forms of writing in a welcoming environment where peers exchange ideas with one another. Club members analyze the elements which diversify creative writing from academic writing. Esha hopes to inspire her peers through the club to take advantage of opportunities to participate in creative writing competitions just as she has.

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Holy Trinity School is located on the traditional lands and territory of Williams Treaty First Nations including the Chippewas of Beausoleil, Georgina Island and Rama as well as the Mississaugas of Alderville, Curve Lake, Hiawatha, and Scugog Island. We recognize the Chippewas of Georgina Island as our closest neighbouring First Nation.

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© HTS Inc. 2022.

HTS is open for in-person learning today, Wednesday, January 25. 

We encourage families to pick up students immediately after school. There will be no co-curriculars after school. Aftercare is available.

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About The  Institute

The John Locke Institute is an independent educational organisation that works to embolden the best and brightest students to become more academically ambitious and more intellectually adventurous.

Through our various programmes - residential courses, revision seminars, essay competitions, and special events - we inspire students to aim high and we equip them with the skills they need in order to achieve their goals.

WHO WAS JOHN LOCKE?

The Institute is named in honour of the eminent seventeenth century Oxford philosopher, John Locke.

As influential in the United States as in his native England, John Locke was the grandfather of Classical Liberalism. The very ideal of the Renaissance Man, Locke was a philosopher, political scientist, economist and medical doctor; he was a man of ideas and a man of action.

We honour his philosophy of education: a teacher “should remember that his business is not so much to teach all that is knowable, as to raise in [the student] a love and esteem of knowledge; and to put him in the right way of knowing and improving himself”.

WHAT DO WE DO?

In the spirit of John Locke, the Institute provides educational courses – in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology and Law – designed to present students with new ideas and to challenge old habits of mind.

We provide methods and encouragement for refining and developing independent thought, and we promote reasoning skills to cultivate a critical faculty and an analytical cast of mind. Above all, we seek to impart a love of learning that we hope our students will hold on to for the rest of their lives.

INSPIRING A LOVE OF LEARNING

Most of our courses consist of individual tutorials, small seminars and informal collaboration with other students. Learning is active, and students participate actively, reading, arguing, listening, debating, presenting, writing, and – above all – thinking. 

We try to give our students a deeper appreciation of what they don’t know, and help them to test what they think they know in order to bring to light any unexamined assumptions. We follow an interdisciplinary curriculum, drawing especially on philosophy, politics, economics and history, and using the material and methodology of each subject to illuminate the others. 

We hope our students will become better informed, of course, but we are less concerned with communicating information and more interested in helping people learn how to doubt, question, and challenge, how to reason logically, how to express their thoughts clearly and persuasively, and how to cultivate the kind of intellectual humility that enables our students to learn from people even with whom they disagree.

We strive to nurture academic ambition. Past students have gone on to study at Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Chicago, and Berkeley. We also strive to make learning stimulating, rewarding, and fun.  We think John Locke would approve:

“Were matters order’d right, learning…might be made as much a recreation to their play, as their play is to their learning.”

We hope you enjoy browsing our website. For more specific information, or if you would like to get involved in our work, please  contact us .

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NagatinSky / Alexey Rozenberg

• Architects: Alexey Rozenberg
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  136 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   CIR SERENISSIMA , Centrsvet , EXENIA , Foscarini , Innovation Living , +2 Linea Light Group , NATUZZI -2

Sberbank Office / IND Architects

• Architects: IND Architects
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  7000 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Covering Chile , Milliken , Russkiy Nestandart , Statio

Orange Business Services Office / T+T Architects

• Architects: T+T Architects
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  5300 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Desso , Fagerhult , Haworth
• Professionals: PRIDEX Group

35m2 Flat / Studio Bazi

• Architects: Studio Bazi
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  35 m²
• Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2015
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   EGGER , Schneider Electric , Bayker , Gorenje
• Professionals: Studio Bazi

Living Space / Ruetemple

• Architects: Ruetemple
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  48 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   FAKRO , Centrsvet , Sofia

Adidas Home Of Sport / ABD architects

• Architects: ABD architects
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  20000 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Lightnet , Nayada , Shaw
• Professionals: PRIDEX Group , RBTT Consultants

Hires Apartment Renovation / buro5

• Architects: buro5
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  105 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   BoConcept , Grohe , Arbonia Solutions , Coswick Parket , Ikea , +2 LIGHT-POINT , clinker stroeher -2

Gazeta.ru News Agency Office / Nefa Architects

• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  600 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Vibia , Artemide , BONALDO , Flos , Linea Light Group , +7 Loft , Planlicht , Prooff , Roche Bobois , SVL , Tolix , Vitra -7
• Professionals: Shafran

Gorki / Ruetemple

• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  47 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Ambient Lounge , Boskke sky planter , Ceramica Fondovalle , Foscarini , Ikea , +1 imex -1

Apply to the Strelka Institute: New Educational Programme Launched

The Strelka Institute for Architecture, Media and Design has launched the enrollment campaign for the postgraduate education program. The theme of the 7th academic year at Strelka is entitled  The New Normal . Research will focus on the new contemporary condition, which has emerged because of the rapid development of technology—including machine intelligence, biotechnology, automation, alternative spaces created in VR and AR—and define new paths for urban design and development.

This Moscow Circus School Proposal is Composed of a Series of Domes and Undulating Waves

A team comprised of Chinese architects Hang Guo and Shanshan Li have used the history of theatre and circus to drive their proposal for a new Moscow Circus School. The design, dubbed Dome and Circus , was developed for the recent Architectural Competition Concours d'Architecture (AC-CA) competition , which encouraged participants to consider the ways in which their design could generate discussion about the relationship between architecture and culture.

Crushpro / FORM Bureau

• Architects: FORM Bureau
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  290 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Forbo Flooring Systems , Fun-era , Helios , Kerama Marazzi , Varton

Apartment W_G+BETON / ARCH.625

• Architects: ARCH.625 : ARCH.625
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  230 m²
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   ETHNICRAFT , Miele , ABB , BANG & OLUFSEN , BONALDO , +5 Blum , Josef Göbel , SEAMEN , Vitra , XAL -5

Swimming Pool in Luzhniki / Ka-Buro

• Architects: Ka-Buro
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  520 m²
• Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2014

MCFO Awards 2016: Call For Submissions

On the 1st of July Moscow Construction and Fit-out Association, MCFO opens online submission for MCFO Awards, which defines excellence in office space in Moscow. Entries can be submitted by any member of a project team through  www.mcfo-awards.com.

Strelka Institute Launches Scholarships for New Master’s Programme

Moscow's Strelka Institute has launched a series scholarships that will cover expenses for its first joint master’s programme with the HSE Graduate School of Urbanism, called ‘ Advanced Urban Design ’. Three scholarships will be granted to remarkable emerging leaders in the spheres of urban design and research to fully pursue a two-year study.

Office of RD Construction Company / IND Architects

• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  2200 m²

2023 Local Election Results

by Christopher Mitchell

These numbers will continue to be updated as ballots are officially tabulated.

Lewiston City Council:

Maureen Anderson: 1,272 votes, 13.85%.

Rick Eldridge: 771 votes, 8.40%.

David Funke: 829 votes, 9.03%.

Jim Kleeburg: Winner, 1,668 votes, 18.16%

Jessica Klein: Winner,1,62517.70%.

Darlene Lambert: 840 votes, 9.15%.

Brennon Leafty: 394 votes, 4.29%.

John Spickelmire: Winner, 1,784 votes, 19.43%.

Mayor of Lapwai:

William "Bill" Skiles: 47 votes, 45.63%.

Antonio Smith: 56 votes, 54.37%.

Lapwai City Council:

Carmalita Bohnee: 58 votes, 56.31 %.

Taricia Moliga: 82 votes, 79.61%.

Mayor of Peck:

Cheryl L. Carson: 31 votes, 53.45%.

Nancy Greene: 27 votes, 46.55%.

Peck City Council:

Scott Greene: 33 votes, 56.90%.

John LeNeve: 48 votes, 82.76%.

Deanna Walker: 25 votes, 43.10%.

Eagles Point Water and Sewer District:

In favor of: 65 votes, 97.01%.

Against: 2 votes, 2.99%.

Clarkston School Board (1):

Dan Randles: 1,563 votes, 50.63%.

Rick Hanks: 1,495 votes, 48.43%.

Clarkston School Board (5):

Chris Bunce: 2,127 votes, 69.49%.

Todd Snarr: 918 votes, 29.99%.

Mayor of Asotin:

Dwayne Paris: 197 votes, 70.86%.

Theresa Bailey: 80 votes, 28.79%.

Mayor of Pullman:

Francis A. Benjamin: 972 votes, 53.38%.

Deb McNeil: 838 votes, 46.02%.

Pullman City Council (6):

Eric Fejeran: 843 votes, 50.66%.

Holly Greystone: 801 votes, 48.14%.

Moscow City Council:

Bryce Blankenship: 2,713 votes, 20.64%.

Joe Campbell: 1,147 votes, 8.73%.

Drew Davis: 3,017 votes, 22.95%.

Evan Holmes: 2,310 votes, 17.57%.

Sandra L. Kelly: 3,247 votes, 24.70%.

Nathan Tupper: 711 votes, 5.41%.