philosophy essay prizes

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Remember Me

9/15/2024 » 10/31/2024 Nominations open for APA leadership positions

9/30/2024 Deadline to submit reports for the Fall 2024 board meeting

10/15/2024 Nomination deadline for the 2024 Lisska Prize

10/16/2024 Reproductive Ethics and Public Philosophy: A Symposium Marking Mary Warnock’s Centenary | APA Live

10/24/2024 Level Up! Improving Analytical Writing in Your Philosophy Courses | APA Live

PrintPlace Nonprofit Sponsorship Program supports The American Philosophical Association.

The Philosophy Essay Prize is open to Year 12 or Lower 6th students. The aim of the Prize is to encourage able sixth formers to pursue their interest in Philosophy, with the hope that they will be encouraged to read this or related subjects at University.

The 2024 competition has closed.

You should answer one question only.  The deadline for entries is 12.00 noon UK time on Friday 31 May 2024 .

Candidates are invited to submit an essay of up to 2,000 words.  Entries must be submitted online by the end of May using the form below. 

The competition carries a First Prize of £600 and a Second Prize of £400, to be split equally between the candidate and his or her school or college; the school or college’s portion of the prize to be issued in the form of book tokens.

All candidates will be notified with the results of the competition around the end of August.  Any queries should be directed to the Admissions Administrator, Ms Stacey Smith, at [email protected] .

Sorry. This form is no longer available.

Past Prize-winners

Joint 1st Prize: Elizaveta Mazalova (Latymer Upper School); Isabella Xu (Harrow International School Hong Kong) 2nd Prize: Gregory Musaelian (American Heritage School, USA)

1st Prize: Anjali Reddy (Wimbledon High School) Joint 2nd Prize: John Paul Cheng (Winchester College); Dimitrije Golubovic (Gimnazija “Bora Stankovic”, Serbia)

1st Prize: Ms Isabel Rumfitt (James Allen’s Girls’ School) 2nd Prize: Sam Wolffe (University College School)

1st Prize: Mr Fucheng Warren Zhu (Harrow International School, Hong Kong) 2nd Prize: Mr Jacob Tidmarsh (Home-schooled)

1st Prize: Catherine Brewer (Sharnbrook Sixth Form) 2nd Prize: David Levy (JFS)

1st Prize: Dilara Smyth (The Abbey School, Reading) 2nd Prize: Dalir Kosimov (Harris Westminster Sixth Form)

1st Prize: Nicole Souter (The King Edward VI School) 2nd Prize: Jack Chong (Wellington College)

1st Prize: Omodunni Bello (Sherborne School for Girls) 2nd Prize: Max Johnston (Uppingham School)

1st Prize: Conor O’Shea (Harrow School) 2nd Prize: Lila Mendoza (Sevenoaks School)

1st Prize: Harry Lloyd (Monmouth Comprehensive School) 2nd Prize: Kartik Prabhu (Westminster School)

1st Prize: Christopher Banks (King’s College School, Wimbledon) 2nd Prize: Eleanor Holton (The Stephen Perse Foundation Sixth Form, Cambridge)

1st Prize: Jeremy Khoo (Raffles Institution, Singapore) Joint 2nd Prize: Phoebe Bright (St Paul’s Girls’ School) Joint 2nd Prize: Rory Turnbull (Hereford Cathedral School)

1st Prize: Keith Wynroe (De La Salle College, Macroom) 2nd Prize: Nina Maras (Latymer Upper School)

1st Prize: Kacper Kowalczyk (Dulwich College) 2nd Prize: Alice Carter (Canford School)

1st Prize: Ding Hui (Raffles Institution) 2nd Prize: Timothy Wickenden (The Sixth Form College, Farnborough)

1st Prize: Rosie Illingworth (Oundle School) 2nd Prize: Joshua Brown (University College School)

1st Prize: Annie Hawes (Henrietta Barnett School) 2nd Prize: Robert Dixon (Oundle School)

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Philosophical excellence.

The Marc Sanders Foundation awards biennial essay prizes for early-career scholars in many core areas of philosophy, administered by some of the most distinguished philosophers in the world. The Foundation, in collaboration with the APA, also funds graduate student prizes.

Support Philosophical Excellence: To make a gift contribution in support of philosophical excellence, please visit our Contribute Page , and select “Philosophical Excellence” from the drop-down menu.

APA Graduate Student Prizes

The Marc Sanders Foundation has partnered with the Eastern Division of the APA to establish three annual APA graduate student prizes for the best papers in mind, metaphysics, epistemology or ethics. Prize winners will receive a monetary award of $1000 and their papers will be presented at the Eastern Division of the APA. Applications for these prizes are to be submitted to the Eastern Division Program Committee of the APA. Details can be found on the APA Website.

Early Modern Philosophy

The Sanders Prize in the History of Early Modern Philosophy is a $5,000 biennial prize biennial essay competition open to scholars who are within fifteen (15) years of receiving a Ph.D. or students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program. Independent scholars may also be eligible and should direct inquiries to Donald Rutherford , editor of Oxford Studies in Early Modern Philosophy at [email protected].

Epistemology

The Sanders Prize in Epistemology is a $5,000 biennial prize administered by Tamar Szabó Gendler , Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Yale University, and open only to scholars who are within fifteen (15) years of receiving a Ph.D. or students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program. Independent scholars may also be eligible.

The Sanders Prize in Metaethics is a $5,000 biennial prize administered by Russ Shafer-Landau , Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and open only to scholars who are within fifteen (15) years of receiving a Ph.D. or students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program. Independent scholars may also be eligible.

Metaphysics

The Sanders Prize in Metaphysics is a $5,000 biennial prize administered by Dean Zimmerman , Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University, and open only to scholars who are within fifteen (15) years of receiving a Ph.D. or students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program. Independent scholars may also be eligible.

Political Philosophy

The Sanders Prize in Metaphysics is a $5,000 biennial prize administered by Peter Vallentyne , Professor of Philosophy at the University of Missouri. The competition is open only to scholars who are within fifteen (15) years of receiving a Ph.D. or students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program. Independent scholars may also be eligible and should direct inquiries to the Editors of Oxford Studies in Political Philosophy, c/o Peter Vallentyne ([email protected]).

Philosophy of Mind

The Sanders Prize in Philosophy of Mind is a $5,000 biennial prize administered by David Sosa , the Temple Centennial Professor in the Humanities and Chair, Department of Philosophy, at the University of Texas at Austin, and open only to scholars who are within fifteen (15) years of receiving a Ph.D. and students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program. Independent scholars may also be eligible.

Philosophy of Religion

The Sanders Prize in Philosophy of Religion is a $5,000 biennial prize administered by Dean Zimmerman , Professor, and open only to scholars who are within fifteen (15) years of receiving a Ph.D. or students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program. Independent scholars may also be eligible.

The Marc Sanders Foundation would be happy to hear from you. Please feel free to contact us (e-mail is preferred) about any questions you might have.

Kori Hensell

Program Director,

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Global Essay Contest 2024

The daily philosophy global essay contest 2024 is here, themes & topics, submission details, judging criteria.

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• Annual Essay Prize

Annual Essay Prize

2024 essay prize topic: ‘imagination’.

The topic for this year’s Royal Institute of Philosophy essay prize competition is ‘Imagination’.

Each year the Royal Institute of Philosophy holds an essay prize competition. The winner will receive £2,500 and their essay will be published in Philosophy.

Previous winners include ‘The Emptiness of Naturalism’ by Thomas Raleigh and ‘Scorekeeping in a Therapeutic Language Game’ by Stefan Rinner (2023 joint prize winners), ‘Fitting Diminishment of Anger: A Permissivist Account’ by Renee Rushing and ‘Empathy and Psychopaths’ Inability to Grieve’ by Michael Cholbi (2022 joint prize winners), Jonas Faria Costa’s ‘On Gregariousness’ (2021 prize winner), Lucy McDonald’s ‘Please Like This Paper’ and Nikhil Venkatesh’s ‘Surveillance Capitalism: A Marx-inspired Account’ (2020 prize winners), Georgi Gardiner’s ‘Profiling and Proof: Are Statistics Safe?’ (2019 prize winner), and Rebecca Buxton’s ‘Reparative Justice for Climate Refugees’ (2018 prize winner).

The topic for this year’s prize is ‘Imagination’. We intend this topic to be understood broadly, so as to include related issues in any area of philosophy and from any philosophical tradition.

The winner will receive £2,500 and their essay will be published in Philosophy. The submission deadline is, 30 November 2024 23:59 GMT. Entries will be considered by a panel of judges and the winner announced in spring 2025. All entries will be deemed submissions to Philosophy.

In assessing entries priority will be given to originality, clarity of expression, breadth of interest, and potential for advancing discussion.

In exceptional circumstances the prize may be awarded jointly, in which case the financial component will be divided. The winning entry/entries will be published in the October 2025 issue of Philosophy. Please submit entries by email to [email protected] , with the subject line ‘Prize Essay’. The word limit for the Essay Competition is 8,000 words.

Instructions for contributors can be found here:  https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/philosophy/information/author-instructions  

Entries should be anonymised and suitable for blind review. (Please note that Essay Prize submissions should be sent to the email address above and should not be submitted through the ScholarOne portal).

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Winners of Outstanding Philosophy Essay Prize Announced

June 10, 2024

The Philosophy Program has announced that three undergraduate students are winners of Outstanding Essay in Philosophy prizes for 2024. The winners are Avery Orr, Xavier Christy, and Teresa Heninger.

Avery Orr was recognized at the upper-division level for his essay, “Theory, Experiment, and Change: Popper, Cartwright, and Kuhn on Scientific Change.” He wrote the essay for Philosophy 4430 – Philosophy of Science, taught by Mike Roche. In the paper, Avery examines two influential challenges to Karl Popper’s account of scientific change. He argues that one of these, developed by Nancy Cartwright, can be dispelled; but the other, from Thomas Kuhn, creates a serious problem for Popper’s view. Avery presented this work at undergraduate philosophy conferences this spring at both Utah Valley University and Pacific University in Oregon. 

Of that experience, Avery says, “it's been great to meet fellow philosophers, bounce ideas back and forth, as we do, and make some new friends.” 

“The work that Avery is doing in our program is so impressive,” says Jim Skidmore, Director of Philosophy. “This paper is a model of the analytical and critical skills that we try to cultivate.” 

Avery is pursuing a B.A. in Philosophy and will graduate in the spring of 2025. 

At the introductory level, Xavier Christy was honored for his essay on Socrates’ argument for specialization and division of labor in Book II of Plato’s Republic. The essay was written for Philosophy 1103 – Introduction to Ethics, taught by Joshua Fox. 

“I found the class deeply enjoyable and intriguing,” says Xavier. “The paper gave me the opportunity to truly think through and understand some of Socrates's ideas about an ideal society.” 

The awards committee was impressed with Xavier’s ability to clearly articulate both the main steps in Socrates’ argument as well as a key vulnerability in the argument. Xavier is a senior at ISU majoring in Biology and Health Science.

Teresa Heninger was awarded honorable mention not for a single essay but for the outstanding final exam she wrote for Philosophy 1101 – Introduction to Philosophy, taught by Melissa Norton. The comprehensive exam covered a variety of topics, including arguments from Descartes’ Meditations and Hume’s Enquiry. The awards committee admired Teresa’s ability to explain these complex arguments, clearly and carefully, in the context of an in-class exam. Teresa is a sophomore at ISU majoring in psychology and sociology.

The Outstanding Essay in Philosophy prize was created to recognize annually the best undergraduate student work in philosophy at ISU. The faculty in Philosophy congratulate Avery, Xavier, and Teresa on their outstanding work.

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College of Arts and Letters University News

The Philosophy Essay Prize

Each year the Royal Institute holds an essay prize competition. The winner will receive £2,500 and their essay will be published in Philosophy . 

2021 Topic: Self and Society

The topic for this year’s prize is ‘Self and Society’. We intend this topic to be understood very broadly, so as to include related issues in any area of philosophy. The following are illustrative examples:

Peer disagreement and epistemic partiality; judgement aggregation and social choice; the relations between group knowledge, individual knowledge and action. Self-knowledge and other minds. The importance of second-person judgement and knowledge. The role of intersubjectivity in language acquisition, communication, and shared linguistic understanding. How to understand first-person plural judgement and its significance. How to construe individual liberty within the social order. Our conception of ourselves and our ethical responsibilities and their relation to recognition of and by others in society. The balance between enforced restrictions to prevent the spread of disease in society and individual sacrifice; prioritizing treatment and vaccination locally and globally. The relation between society and its interests, and the collection of its individual members and their interests. The right to privacy and the use of data for social benefits. The impact of social media on individuals’ self-image. Individual identity and multiculturalism. The possibility or desirability of transcending the self. No-self metaphysics.

The winner will receive £2,500 and their essay will be published in  Philosophy .

The submission deadline has been extended to 20 December 2021. Entries will be considered by a panel of judges and the winner announced in Spring 2022. In assessing entries priority will be given to originality, clarity of expression, breadth of interest, and potential for advancing discussion. All entries will be deemed to be submissions to  Philosophy

In exceptional circumstances, the prize may be awarded jointly, in which case the financial component will be divided. The winning entry/entries will be published in the July 2022 issue of  Philosophy .

Please submit entries by email to [email protected], with the subject line 'Prize Essay'. The word-limit for the Essay Competition is 8,000 words.  Instructions for contributors can be found here.  Entries should be anonymised and suitable for blind review. (Please note that Essay Prize submissions should be sent to the email address above and should not submitted through the ScholarOne system.).

SELECTION oF  PAST ESSAYS 

A government funds its own expenditure by taxing its population. suppose, instead, it relied solely on money newly created by the central bank what would be the advantages and/or disadvantages   , should we judge those from the past by the standards of today how will historians in the future judge us, kit young tham first prize, 2023, are beliefs voluntary, hannah kim third prize, 2023  , if you cannot persuade your intelligent, sympathetic friends to embrace your religious belief system, do you have enough reason to believe what you believe, should ‘innocent until proven guilty’ apply not only to courts of law, but also to public censure, should the law ever prevent people from freely making self-harming decisions if so, what should and shouldn’t be forbidden – and according to which principles, major shokar first prize, 2021  , shivrav sharma second prize, 2023, economics essay, history essay, psychology essay, theology essay, huaming li second prize, 2021  , joonyoung heo first prize, 2021, junior essay, philosophy essay.

Is tax theft?

Hosai kishida, shanghai american school grand prize, 2023, which characteristics distinguish successful movements for social change from unsuccessful ones, eujiny cho first prize, 2023.

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Philosophy Essay Competition 2024

We are delighted to announce the annual University of Sheffield Philosophy Essay Competition for Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students is now open.

About the competition

The Philosophy Essay Competition is open now and closes at midnight on Sunday 21 April 2024 . Students in Years 10, 11, and 12 are invited to submit an essay on one of the topics below. Only one essay per student is permitted.

The authors of the ten best entries will each receive a prize of a £25 voucher and an invitation to take part in a special virtual workshop organised by the Department of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, involving academics and current students from the department. The workshop will be held on Wednesday 29 May 2024.

The entries will be read and judged by a panel of experts from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. 

How to enter

The competition is open to students in years 10, 11 and 12 . Please write an essay of around 1,000 words (but not more than 1,500 words) on one of the following topics. Include a bibliography. Essays should be the original work of individual students. Please save your essay as a Word or PDF document and include your full name on the document and in the file name, for example: JOE SMITH - PHILOSOPHY ESSAY 2024.

To submit your entry, you must complete this form. The form includes a Dropbox link that will allow you to upload your work. You must complete the entry form AND upload your entry using the Dropbox link.  Failure to do so may mean that your entry cannot be considered.

You must submit your entry before midnight on Sunday 21 April 2024 .

Winners will be notified by Friday 17 May 2024.

Philosophy essay competition questions 2024

You may submit an essay answering any one of the questions below. To help start you off, we have suggested some resources. You do not have to write about each resource, these are just places for you to begin to explore each topic. If you wish, you may also choose your own question to write your essay - you can write about any philosophical issue you find interesting. Whatever question you choose to answer, make sure to include it at the top of your essay.

• The Charter of the United Nations affirms the fundamental importance of the right to self-determination of all peoples. What are peoples? Do the peoples of Sheffield have the right to demand self-determination?
• Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals
• Should we feed our pets a vegan diet?
• Declaration
• Against Conscientious Objection In Health Care: A Counterdeclaration And Reply To Oderberg
• Election 2015: Should voting be compulsory for young? BBC News
• The case for compulsory voting in the UK
• Can animals be moral?  (Please note that this requires registration to view, but is free of charge.)

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] .

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• Prizes and Scholarships

Undergraduate History of Philosophy Essay Prize

Past recipients of the Undergraduate History of Philosophy Essay Prize:

• Kelly Dinneen (2019), “Freedom and Affection: Metaphysical and Moral Grounds for Duns Scotus’ Libertarianism”
• Alison Weinberger (2020), “Correlation is not Causation: Understanding the Scope of Aristotle’s Teleology in Light of Physics II.8”
• Rose Scotti-Burrows (2021), “A Modern Allegory of the Cave: Social Media and Misinformation”
• Not awarded (2022)
• Ellie McDonald (2023), "The Socratic Refutation: A Tool for the Paradigm-Challenging Elenchus”
• John Whitten (2024), “Stoicism and Eternal Recurrence"

Morris Judd Undergraduate Essay Prize

The Morris Judd Undergraduate Essay Prize is awarded to the best undergraduate essay submitted on any topic in the values area. The prize comes with a cash award of $500 as well as formal recognition of the honor at the Department’s spring commencement ceremony. The competition is open to all current CU undergraduates with a major or minor in Philosophy.

The prize is named for Morris Judd, a former Instructor in the Philosophy Department at CU who taught a variety of courses including several in the values area.  The Department held Judd to be an outstanding teacher, but his appointment at the University was discontinued in the early 1950s when he refused to answer questions about whether he had ever been a Communist.  You can find more information about his story here: http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_13137226

Past recipients of the Morris Judd Undergraduate Essay Prize:

• Toby Bollig (2018), “Is Circumventing the Euthyphro Dilemma by Appealing to God’s Nature Problematic?”
• Rebecca Mullen (2019), “The Moral Access Problem and Identifying Moral Expertise”
• Kelly Dineen (2020), " On the Uniqueness of Epistemic Buck Passing”
• Not awarded (2021)
• Britton Rufien, “An Objection to John Hick’s Soul-Making Theodicy” (2022)
• Not awarded (2023)
• Lindsey Harriman (2024), “An Assessment of Experientialism as the Most Successful Theory of Well-Being”

The Morris Judd Scholarship for Philosophy Majors

Undergraduate Philosophy majors at CU Boulder are eligible to apply for this scholarship ( https://colorado.academicworks.com/opportunities/12194) . In selecting recipients, the department will take into account academic excellence, contributions to the university’s philosophical community, and need. Applications from women and other underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged. The award amount is $2000 for one academic year.

A complete application for the Morris Judd Scholarship includes:

• One Letter of Recommendation (from a faculty member in the Philosophy Department)
• A One-Page (Single-Spaced) Personal Statement

In composing the personal statement, applicants should comment on their particular interests and projects in philosophy, as well as their post-college plans. In addition, they may elaborate on any special circumstances they would like the selection committee to consider, such as academic awards or honors, involvement in community outreach, bringing a unique or diverse perspective to the Department or the CU Boulder campus, and personal hardship or disadvantage (financial or otherwise).

The Morris Judd Scholarship is named after Morris Judd, who in the early 1950s was a faculty member in CU Boulder’s Philosophy Department. Although he was an outstanding teacher, his appointment was terminated when he and 50 other faculty members, staff, and students were investigated for alleged ties to the Communist Party.

Eligible students may apply for the Morris Judd Scholarship through the AcademicWorks portal, accessible through myCUinfo. The scholarship is awarded on an annual basis, with applications due April 15.

Past recipients of the Morris Judd Scholarship:

• Mattie McGarey (2018)
• Alison Weinberger (2019)
• Kelsey Grant (2020)
• Ian Gaskins (2021)
• Taylor Johnson (2022)
• Ellie McDonald (2023)
• Tess Kuczun (2024)

The Socrates Prize

The Socrates Prize is awarded each year at Spring Commencement to the undergraduate philosophy major(s) with the highest overall GPA.

Past recipients of the Socrates Prize:

• Toby Bollig (2018)
• Grey Shipman (2019)
• Kieran Britt, Stephen Troy, and Alison Weinberger (2020)
• Ben Deitsch and Charlotte Moore (2021)
• Derek Horn (2022)
• Henry Ediger and Aaron Gafari (2023)
• Tyler Fredericks (2024)

The Paduano Family Scholarship

Undergraduate Philosophy majors at CU Boulder are eligible to apply for the Paduano Family Scholarship ( https://colorado.academicworks.com/opportunities/12851 ). The scholarship is based on both merit and need, with need more strongly weighted. Applications from women and other underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged. The award amount is $1000 for next academic year, 2021/22 .

A complete application for the Paduano Family Scholarship should include:

• Overall GPA
• Personal Statement (1/2- to 1-page, single-spaced)

In composing the personal statement, applicants should comment on their particular interests and projects in philosophy and elaborate on any circumstances they would like the selection committee to consider, including personal hardship or disadvantage (financial or otherwise), academic awards or honors, and involvement in community outreach.

Eligible students may apply for the Paduano Family Scholarship through the AcademicWorks portal, accessible through myCUinfo. The scholarship is awarded on an annual basis, with applications due April 15 .

Past winners of the Paduano Family Scholarship:

• Charles Doremieux (2020)
• Rose Scotti-Burrows (2021)
• Grace Patrick (2022)
• Ariadna Olivas (2023)
• Laila Sefidkar (2024)
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• The Society for Philosophy and Disability Anita Silvers Essay Prize

The Society for Philosophy and Disability Anita Silvers Essay Prize  is given to the best unpublished (or published within the last two years) English-language philosophical essay in the field of philosophy of disability as decided by the current board of the Society for Philosophy and Disability. The author of the winning essay will receive $500 (or an equal split of this money if there is more than one winner). If the winning essay is unpublished, the author will be invited to publish their award-winning work in  The Journal of Philosophy of Disability .

Award Details:

• Nominations for the SPD Anita Silvers award are due each year on June 15th (deadline extended to October 15, 2024) . 
• Self-nominations are welcome. 
• Only essays that are unpublished or that have been published in the last two years are eligible for this award.
• The identity of nominees and nominators will be kept from the judges.
• Submissions should be anonymously prepared (including, if the paper has been published, all information concerning its publication) and sent to the SPD Director of Outreach at [email protected] .
• Please direct any communications concerning the award to the SPD Director of Outreach ( [email protected] ) and  not  to anyone else at the Society for Philosophy and Disability.
• Winner (or winners, if there is a tie) will be announced by the President of SPD on or before September 1st January 1st, 2025.
• Should no submissions be judged as outstanding enough in a given cycle, no award will be given.

2023 – Kevin Mintz: “Paying Attention to the Mouse Behind the Curtain: Dilemmas of Disability Justice in a Lawsuit Against Disney”

British Philosophy of Sport Association

Official website, 2024 mcnamee student essay prize.

The British Philosophy of Sport Association (BPSA) invites submissions to the McNamee Student Essay  Prize in the Philosophy and Ethics of Sport. The Prize is named in honour of Prof. Mike McNamee (KU Leuven and Swansea University), founder of the BPSA.

Eligibility  

Candidates must be enrolled in a university undergraduate or graduate level course at the time of submission There is no geographical restriction on eligibility. Submissions must be single-authored and the candidate’s own work, and they must address an issue in the Philosophy or Ethics of Sport. Each candidate may submit one essay only, and submissions must be in English.

IMPORTANT :  the essay must be a new essay.  Candidates are  not allowed  to submit essays previously submitted as coursework (Turnitin system will check if this is the case).

Essays may address any topic in the Philosophy or Ethics of Sport.   In assessing submitted papers, the jury will place a strong emphasis on the following considerations: 

• Originality of the essay topic and its treatment; 
• Analytical rigour of the essay’s argument; 
• Critical engagement with relevant philosophical literature

The jury reserves the right not to award a prize if submissions fail to achieve an appropriate standard. Candidates will not usually receive feedback on their submission. 

Submissions should be emailed in Word or PDF format to: [email protected]  with subject line ‘BPSA Essay Prize 2024’ by  Monday July 15th, at midnight. Candidates should submit two separate documents:  

• Cover sheet  that includes the candidate’s information (i.e. name, email address, university, and essay title);
• Essay   document  that is anonymised so as not to reveal the identity of the candidate.  

Essay Format  

The word limit is 2500 words (excluding references). Please use  Harvard style of referencing . Please avoid footnotes/endnotes.

Winner – £500 cash (by bank transfer) Runner-up – £200 cash (by bank transfer) Commendations x 3 – each of the three commended essays will receive £100 cash (by bank transfer)

The Winner and Runner-up will be invited to present their essays at a BPSA online work-in-progress seminar in the fall of 2024 and will be encouraged to submit their papers to the the Association’s journal  Sport, Ethics and Philosophy:  https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rsep20/current  

For any questions, get in touch, and have fun writing!

Dr Silvia Camporesi Deputy Chair British Philosophy of Sport Association https://silviacamporesiresearch.org/

Study with us | Schools liaison | What we do | Events and prizes | Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize

The Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize for Year 12 students

Developing independent study.

The purpose of the Prize is:

• To give students in Year 12 (or equivalent) who are considering applying to university an opportunity to write about a subject they are interested in. This should enable them to develop their abilities for independent research and thought in Philosophy.
• To support teachers of able pupils by providing interesting and challenging further work in Philosophy and by bringing their students into contact with Higher Education.
• To encourage able students to consider applying to study Philosophy, either at Oxford or at another university, by giving them some experience of the type of work involved.
• To recognise the achievement and effort of the best of those who apply through prizes and commendations. Note: the judges are not able to provide feedback on any essays.

Assessment Criteria

Entrants should be in Year 12 (or equivalent) at their school or college. The judges will look for:

• Originality of thought
• An accurate understanding of the issues
• Clarity of structure and expression
• And a critical approach to what has been read

General Guidelines

• Essays should be no more than 2,500 words in length and should be on one of the topics listed below. Essays should be word processed and submitted by email in either Word or PDF format to  [email protected] .
• A font size of 12pt or greater should be used, and the page margins should be set to no less than 1 inch.
• Entries must be sent with a completed entry form, which is available to download below.
• Please include a bibliography (note: this does not count towards the word limit).

How to Apply

The 2022 Lloyd Davies Competition is now closed for entries.

Check here again soon for information on how to enter the 2023 competition.

Previous Essay Questions

Those who entered the 2022 essay competition answered the following questions:

1. ‘If I know that something is true, I know that any evidence against it is misleading. So I am justified in never questioning my knowledge, even when I come across evidence against it.’ Discuss.

2. Is mathematics similar to morality?

3. Is the distinction between past and future fundamental?

2022 Competition Result

The winner of the 2022 Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize was Emily Tan.

• Emily Tan ‘s essay was on the question “Is Mathematics Similar to Morality?”

One essay was chosen as the close runner-up

• Jem Perry ‘s essay on the question “Is Mathematics Similar to Morality?”

The assessors wish to commend the essays written by:

• Ilea Dehghan on the question “Is Mathematics Similar to Morality?”
• Lloyd Doré-Green on the question “If I know that something is true, I know that any evidence against it is misleading. So I am justified in never questioning my knowledge, even when I come across evidence against it.’ Discuss”
• Andrew McKimm on the question “Is the distinction between past and future fundamental?”
• Amelie Zhang on the question “Is the distinction between past and future fundamental?”

2021 Competition Result

In 2021 we received close to 100 entries from students from all over the world. One essay was chosen as the winner:

• Bo Cresser ‘s (Kingsdale Foundation School, London) essay on the question “Does it really matter whether we have a free will or not?”
• Sirui Cai ‘s (Raffles, Singapore) essay on the question “Does it really matter whether we have a free will or not?”

The standard of entries was extremely high. The assessors wish to single out for special mention the essays by:

• Amia Guha (Westminster School, Oxford), on the question “Does it really matter whether we have a free will or not?”
• Nicholson Kanefield (Boulder High School, Colorado) on the question “Do you know that you are not dreaming right now? If so, how? If not, does it matter?”
• Pongsapak Waiwitlikhit (Shrewsbury International School Riverside, Bangkok) on the question “Should we rethink the nature and limits of freedom of speech in the internet age?”
• Oliver Weiner (Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School) on the question “Do you know that you are not dreaming right now? If so, how? If not, does it matter?”

The essays by

• William Dewhurst (Downside School, Radstock)
• Cecilia, Forsyth (St Paul’s Girls’ School, London)
• Maya Grunschlag (St Paul’s Girls’ School, London)
• Jiay Lin (Cardiff Sixth Form College)
• Lucy Richardson (Cranford House School, Wallingford)
• Haley Son (Seoul Foreign School)
• Nathan Steward (Marling School, Stroud)
• Martha Vine (Godolphin and Latymer School, London)

were also highly commended.

2020 Competition Result

In 2020, two essays were chosen as joint winners:

• Kunal Barman ‘s (St Edward’s School) essay on the question: “should vaccines be compulsory?”
• Elliott Bonal ‘s (Ecole Diagonale, France) essay answering the question: “Is it rational to believe in the existence of viruses but not to believe in the existence of dark matter?”

The general standard of entries was high. The assessors singled out for special mention the essays by

• Bruce, Edward (Ralph Allen School)
• Walsh, Oliver (Royal Grammar School)
• Orkeny, Bence (ELTE, Radnoti Miknlos Gyakorlo Altalanos Iskola es Gyakorlo Gimnazium, Hungary)
• Yang, Joanne (Seoul International School)
• Pang, Gabriel (Comberton Sixth Form)
• O’ Gorman, Tom (Brighton College)
• Goel, Abhay (Westminster School)
• Frasheri, Allan (Largo High School)

further information

Rex nettleford essay competition, schools liaison and outreach, our outreach work.

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Call for submissions: Kim Santow Law and Social Justice Essay Prize

The Essay Prize will be awarded in association with the annual Law and Social Justice End of Year celebration. 

The Essay Prize is open to students enrolled in an LLB or JD program at Sydney University. Students can submit one essay they have written in the academic year 2024 that relates to social justice (broadly defined). Essays should be modified to meet the rules below. Essays should clearly demonstrate their relevance to social justice.

Please direct any inquiries to [email protected] .

Rules for the competition are below.

Kim Santow Law and Social Justice Essay Prize 2024: Rules

1.     The Kim Santow Law and Social Justice Essay Prize is open to any student enrolled in an LLB or JD degree program at Sydney Law School at the time of submission or within the previous six months.

2.     Essays can be an original piece of work pertaining to the theme of social justice, or have been written for a Law unit undertaken in 2024.

3.     A person may not submit more than one essay to the Competition in any given year.

4.     Essays must be no more than 3000 words. Shorter essays are acceptable. Essays exceeding this word limit will not be accepted. Footnotes and a bibliography (required) are not included in the final word count.

5.     Essays must be submitted as a PDF document by email to  [email protected] .

6.     The deadline for submission of essays is 5.00 pm (AEDT) on Friday 8 November 2024. No extensions will be given.

7.     Essays must meet the highest standards of academic integrity and be fully and accurately referenced according to a recognised referencing standard (eg, AGLC, Harvard, MLA).

8.     Each person submitting an essay must declare that the essay is the person’s own original work. By submitting an essay, a person agrees that Sydney Law School may conduct an integrity check for copyright infringement or plagiarism.

9.     An essay that is submitted to the Competition must be accompanied by a separate cover page stating:

    a.     the author’s name, contact email and telephone number

    b.     a declaration of enrolment (see rule 1)

    c.     a declaration of time (see rule 2)

    d.     a declaration of integrity (see rule 8)

10.  So that it can be marked anonymously, a submitted essay must not include any information – for example in a header or footer – that identifies the author.

11.  Eligible essays will be anonymised and reviewed by a panel of experts against the following criteria:

    1. Novelty: does the essay address a cutting-edge issue and/or contribute a novel perspective or analysis

    2. Argument: is the argument clear, compelling, well-developed and supported by evidence?

    3. Clarity and structure: is the essay written clearly and concisely, and organised in a logical and effective way?

    4. Accuracy: is the essay presented neatly and legibly, with few or no content, typographical, grammatical and referencing errors?

12.  The best essay will be announced at the Law and Social Justice End of Year celebration. The decision of the judging panel is final.

13.  The judging panel may in its discretion decline to declare a best essay and award a prize.

14.  Subject to rule 13, the author of the best essay will receive a prize of AUD$1000.

15.  The author of the winning essay will be offered academic support and advice to revise their work for submission for publication.

16.  The author of the best winning agrees that if their essay is published (by any means, in any forum), that its publication will be accompanied by an acknowledgment that the essay won the Prize in the relevant year.

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