THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools, which has been proudly delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883.
Each year, the theme is drawn from Commonwealth values and principles. It encourages young people to engage with pressing issues of the day, such as the environment, equality, and youth leadership, to foster an open-minded and empathetic worldview.
Under the long-time patronage of Queen Camilla, The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition has reached over 200,000 young people, involved some 5,000 volunteer judges, and encouraged hundreds of schools to enter just in the past decade.
The winners and their families are rewarded with a week of cultural and literary activities in the UK arranged by the Royal Commonwealth Society. The week culminates with an Award Ceremony at Buckingham Palace, kindly hosted by The Queen. Her Majesty also includes The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition into her overseas visits, where she meets entrants and presents local winners with their certificates.
In 2023, to celebrate its 140th anniversary, we launched a companion initiative, Write Around the World. In partnership with the Royal Society of Literature, this digital literacy programme features Royal Society of Literature Fellows who deliver modules teaching young writers techniques to produce an essay, poem, amongst other written skills. At the end of the six-week programme, the participants are encouraged to submit an entry to The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.​​​​​​​​​​
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All entrants and all participating schools receive a Certificate of Participation and one Winner and Runner-up from the Senior and Junior categories win a trip to London for a week of educational and cultural events. For more information about the competition, please see Terms and Conditions and Frequently Asked Questions.
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The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is supported by the Lagos State Government.
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