Oxford Royale Essay CompetitionThe 2026 competition is now closed.

Our essay competition has now come to a close, and we would like to extend our sincere congratulations and thanks to all the students who took part. The level of effort, creativity, and academic rigour shown across the submissions was truly impressive.

All essays were assessed by independent academics from leading universities, who were extremely impressed by the outstanding quality of work submitted this year. After much deliberation, the 10 winners have now been selected and are presented below.

Congratulations to this year's Essay Competition Winners

16 to 18 Category

FIRST PLACE
Seongbin, South Korea

SECOND PLACE
Matias, Spain

THIRD PLACE
Osuke, Japan

FIRST RUNNER UP
Mohammed Ahmad, UK

SECOND RUNNER UP
Giovanna, Brazil

12 to 15 Category

FIRST PLACE
Dasha, Latvia

SECOND PLACE
Andjela, Macedonia

THIRD PLACE
Aadya, India

FIRST RUNNER UP
Angela, Macedonia

SECOND RUNNER UP
Julia, Brazil

Entry to this year's competition is now closed.

Oxford Royale is a leading provider of academic summer schools for students aged 12 to 18. Participants can choose to study from one of 14 subjects across a range of disciplines – from Law and Medicine, to Engineering and Film – on campus at leading universities in the UK and US.

Each year, we host an academic essay competition for ambitious students across the world, aged from 12 to 18. Students can select from a range of pre-defined essay topics, which are split into two categories: ages 12 to 15 and 16 to 18. You can find the full details of these topics below.

Essay Questions

Students wanting to enter the Essay Competition should select from one of the topics below, according to their age group.

12 to 15 Category (600 words)

Q1. What would be the impact on the environment if humans disappeared for 100 years?

Q2. Is it fair for countries to ban social media apps for national security reasons?

Q3. Will artificial intelligence make human creativity obsolete or amplify it?

16 to 18 Category (1000 words)

Q1. Does artificial intelligence represent the next great human invention, or the next great threat?

Q2. Should access to the internet be considered a basic human right, and how might this reshape education and opportunity worldwide?

Q3. In a rapidly changing world, is it more important to preserve tradition or to embrace innovation?

Benefits of Entering

Regardless of whether a student wins, there are many academic benefits of participating.

• Build knowledge: explore a wide range of challenging and future-facing questions beyond what’s covered on the school curriculum
• Develop academic writing and argumentation skills: from clear reasoning and critical analysis to the art of persuasion
• Enhance research skills: practise your independent research skills, a key requirement for undergraduate study
• Academic recognition: have your work assessed by academic experts and receive feedback