The 2025 John Locke Essay Competition is a prestigious academic competition open to students worldwide, organized by the John Locke Institute.
Here’s the essential information for entering:
📅 Key Dates
Registration opens : April 1, 2025
Registration deadline : May 31, 2025
Deadline for submission of essays : June 30, 2025
Late submissions possible with fees :
Until July 7, 2025 (£25 fee)
Until July 21, 2025 (£75 fee)
Finalists Announced : July 31, 2025
Academic Conference : October 3–5, 2025
Awards Dinner in London : 4 October 2025
🎓 Conditions of Participation
Age : Entrants must be 18 years of age or younger on June 30, 2025. Junior Prize entrants must be 14 years of age or younger on that date.
Open to all countries : No geographic restrictions.
Individual Essay : Each essay must be written by a single author.
Academic Reference : A teacher or responsible person (non-parent) must confirm the authenticity of the essay.
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📝 Submission Details
Length : Maximum 2,000 words (excluding endnotes , bibliography, diagrams, etc.).
Format : First Name-Last Name-Category-Question Number First Name-Last Name-Category-Question Number.pdf (for example, John Smith-History-2.pdf).
Content : No No author name in the document. No footnotes allowed, but endnotes and bibliography are acceptable.
AI Policy : Use of AI tools such as ChatGPT is prohibited. Any detected use will result in disqualification.
🏆 Rewards
Prize : 1 Scholarship of $10,000 + Honorary Junior Fellowship.
Winners : $5,000 scholarship for first prize, $2,000 for second, $1,000 for third.
Junior Prize : For candidates under 15 years old, a $5,000 scholarship is awarded.
Awards Ceremony : The finalists are invited to London for the academic conference and awards dinner.
📚 Category
The cats
Philosophy
Policy
Economy
Psychology
Theology
Right
Examples of
Philosophy : “What moral obligations do we have toward living people that we do not have toward future people?”
Politics : “Should politicians ever be punished for lying?”
Economics : “What behaviors are encouraged by the hope of profit? Are they better or worse than those in state-run businesses or charities?”
Law : “Should someone be allowed to injure another person in defense of their private property?”