Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition for Young Writers from Commonwealth Nations : Free Trip to London

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2026

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools, established in 1883. With thousands of young people taking part each year, it is an important way to recognize achievement, elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing.

About the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2026:

Host Country:

United Kingdom

Organized By:

Royal Commonwealth Society

Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition Awards:

• One Week fully-funded trip to London for education and cultural events.
• Glod, Silver, and Bronze Medals
• Certificate of Participation.

Application Deadline Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2026:

30th April 2026

Eligibility Criteria of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competiton:

• In this essay writing competition, entrants are divided into two categories.

Senior Category: under 14 years of age
Junior Category:14-18 years of age

• The residents or nationals of all Commonwealth counties and territories can apply.
• Residents of Ireland, Hong Kong, and Zimbabwe can apply.
• In the case of participants from non-commonwealth countries, their entries must be submitted through their Local Royal Commonwealth Society Branch.

Requirements of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2026:

• The entries must be submitted in the English language. essays from any other language will not be accepted.
• The maximum word count for Senior Category is 1500 words and for Junior Category the maximum word limit is 750 words. Exceeding the words will result in disqualification.
• The word limit applies to every format of writing e.g. essay, poem, letter, etc.
• Reference and footnotes are excluded from the word count.
• The uploaded essay of entrants should not include the personal details of the participants. Personal details will be given exclusively during the application process.
• The topics must be selected according to the topics given in the Senior and Junior categories.
• No plagiarism will be entertained and plagiarised entries will automatically be rejected.

Topics of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2026:

Visit Commonwealth Essay Competition webpage for more details

How to apply for the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition?

Once the entry is submitted, the entrants have to submit the following details to competitions@royalsociety.org.  

• Full name and complete identification number 
• School name. 
• If the submission is not a group submission, then give the details of submitting an adult. Complete details of the curricular stage of the entrant.

ENTER THE COMPETITION


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