Every year UK universities and colleges run a wide range of essay competitions. The competitions are mainly pitched at year 12 (i.e. lower sixth form) pupils as those pupils begin to think about what they might like to study at university level.
Classics departments do a good job of this. There are plenty of essays to enter for the student who can find them. And doing the essays is a great way to explore new and different subject matter beyond the regular syllabus and to try your hand in a fun competition.
The problem, for teachers as they encourage their students to enter these competitions (unless I am very much mistaken) is that they aren’t all advertised in one place. To help with this, I am collecting all essay competitions I come across here, for ease of finding them. I will update this list as and when new information is made available. Each competition below is either explicitly focussed on Classics or contains essay questions which admit of a classical focus. Alongside the essay competitions, I’ve included the odd reading competition etc.
Please do get in touch/add a comment below if I have missed any competitions which can be added to the list. And good luck to anyone entering!
Oxford Classics and Byzantine Studies Creative Writing Competition
Details here: https://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/article/creative-writing-competition-2021
Deadline: 27 May 2021
Newnham College, Cambridge: Woolf Prize, Classics Prize, Archaeology Prize
Details here: https://www.newn.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduates/newnham-essay-prizes/
nb. girls only
Woolf: deadline 10th March 2021 (5 entries per school)
Classics: deadline 10th March 2021 (5 entries per school)
Archaeology: 10th March 2021 (5 entries per school)
St John’s College, Oxford: Ancient History Essay Competition
Details here: https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/events/classics-and-ancient-history-essay-competition-2020-21/
Deadline: 25th Feb 2021
New College of Humanities Essay Competition
A lot of prize money available here, but only one topic (art history) of direct classical relevance.
Details here: https://www.nchlondon.ac.uk/essay/
Deadline: Feb 1st 2021
Omnibus Sam Hood Translation Prize
Details here: https://classicalassociation.org/events/omnibus-sam-hood-translation-prize-2021/
Deadline: 5th July 2021
Gladstone Memorial Essay Prize, ICS
Details below, deadline 10th July 2021
St Hugh’s College, Oxford Mary Renault Prize
Details here: https://www.st-hughs.ox.ac.uk/prospectivestudents/outreach/mary-renault-prize/
Deadline: 30th July 2021
ARLT Reading competition
Details here: https://classicalassociation.org/events/arlt-reading-competition-2021/
Deadline: 26th February 2021
Lytham St Anne’s Branch Classics Competition
Details here: https://lsaclassics.com/classics-competition-2/
Deadline: 11th February 2021
UCL Greek and Latin Essay Competition
Watch this space: last year deadline was 31st August
Trinity College, Cambridge Linguistics Essay Competition
Details here: https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/essay-prizes/linguistics/
Deadline: 2nd August 2021
Trinity College, Cambridge, Robson History Prize
Details here: https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/essay-prizes/history/
Deadline: 1st May
Gonville and Caius, Cambridge Linguistics Challenge
watch this space
Gonville and Caius, Cambridge History essay prize
watch this space
Last year’s deadline was 5th June
Girton College, Cambridge Humanities Essay Competition
Details here: https://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/lawrence-room
Deadline: 1st April 2021
Peterhouse, Cambridge Vellacott History Essay Prize
watch this space: cancelled this year!
Corpus Christi, Cambridge Classics Essay Competition
Watch this space: didn’t run last year
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Classics essay Competition
Details here: https://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/study-us/undergraduate/opportunities-prospective-applicants/essay-competitions
Deadline: 30th April 2021
Gilbert Murray Essay Competition
Scottish pupils only
Details here: https://cas.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2020/08/13/gilbert-murray-essay-competition/
ad astra per mundum 