John Locke Essay Competition 2025 | Key Dates, Submission Details

Posted on by Thomas Butler

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

  • History

  • 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?”