Enter the Northeastern University London Essay Competition and showcase your intellect on a global stage. Win prizes, connect with peers, and ignite your passion for knowledge

Shakespeare study at both post-16 and degree level often involves paying close attention to screen productions and this year’s Betty Haigh Shakespeare Prize encourages just such a performance approach.

Age: The Betty Haigh competition is open to any sixth form student of English literature.

Mister Finch is a quirky rhyming tale written by Minds Underground’s Founder, Camille, bringing a fresh, fun-loving perspective on the elderly to children aged 3-7 years. Children aged 5-12 years now have the chance to enter a Mister Finch-inspired Creative Writing Competition! The competition will be adjudicated by the author herself, with the two prize winners receiving a Creative Writing Masterclass.

Come up with your own scientific Special Species by combining together different latin or greek words and imagining what the species would look like and why the species might have developed those features through evolution.

Age: Open to all ages

Searchlight Writing for Children Awards is a new rolling competition for aspiring authors writing for children or young adults. Their purpose is to shine a bright light on exceptional writing. They publish winning entries and act as a stepping stone for children’s authors to achieve their literary dreams.

Age: Over 16

The Armourers and Brasiers Tata Steel Sixth Form Materials Prize has been designed to give learners structured opportunities to find out about materials science and engineering outside their normal lessons. It can be run as a formal extra-curricular activity led by a teacher or learners can work through the Prize modules independently. In both cases a sustained commitment of approximately 12 hours is required.

Age: Year 11 and 12

It is so important that when we read, we are not narrow in our approach - that we pay attention to stories from across the globe, across cultures and experiences. This competition represents an opportunity for you to tell your own story with this in mind. Students of all ages are invited to share either a personal story, or tell the untold story of someone impacted by a conflict, from anywhere across the globe.

Age 8-18

The Elmbridge Literary Competition is perfect for any keen writers, national and international, looking to write to a great theme: music. You could play with lyricism (use sensory description - onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, sibiliance…), explore the way in which music represents a multiplicity of cultures, how music can trigger memory and evoke a certain time & place…the possibilities are endless!

Age 8-18

Any student interested in sustainability and the environment will be interested in partaking in the UK Junior Water Prize. Are you keen to help find solutions to one of the most pressing challenges of our age? With a focus on research and experiment, the competition is perfect for any aspiring scientists keen to hone their skills beyond the syllabus.

Age: 15-20

The iWrite competition is for budding writers looking to put their storytelling skills into practice with great scope for creativity - the competition has no directive, students are open to write anything creative at all. Prize is a £500 laptop!

Age 8-16

With lockdown looming and more time at home on the horizon, why not try your hand at some writing, and look to nature for some peace and inspiration? Anna Wilson, the judge of ‘My Wildlife’’s 2020 Nature Writing prize for 11-16 year olds, is a celebrated writer of nature books such as The Wide, Wide Sea, published in partnership with the National Trust.

Ages: 8-10 and 11-16

Contribute your creative vision in entry to the prestigious Young Walter Scott Creative Writing competition. Open to all young writers aged between 11 and 19, the Historical Fiction writing competition offers endless possibilities to really explore and test your writing ability & historical knowledge. This is your chance to test your skills of historical accuracy & harness those literary devices to transport your reader back in time.

Age: 11-19

UNESCO and the Idries Shah Foundation (ISF)’s World Tales Short Story Competition, invites young teenagers from around the globe to write about challenges of today and tomorrow (Climate change, human rights violations, conflicts, racism and discrimination) in the format of a short story. The theme of this 2020 First Edition is “Once upon a time in my future”.

Age 12-18

“What is the geographical story behind a chosen set or sets of data?” The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) and the Financial Times ‘ Essay Competition for sixth form geography students is perfect for those considering Geography at university. Challenge yourself to look beyond the curriculum, you may even be published on FT.com!