Quincentenary Prizes

St John's College welcomes entries for the College's new Quincentenary Prize essay competition.

Thanks to the generosity of a donor, the College proposes to mark its Quincentenary in 2011 by offering two essay prizes of £750 each, open to competition among school students in Year 12.  Matching sums will be awarded to the prizewinners' schools for expenditure on academic resources.  Additionally, the two prize-winners will enjoy the opportunity to stay in College for a week during July or August 2011, while working in the Library (and, if this can be arranged, in relevant faculty and departmental libraries) on an identified project of their choice.  Accommodation will be provided free of charge, alongside a modest travel allowance.  The prize-winners will also enjoy the opportunity to talk to one or more Directors of Studies, either on this visit or at some other mutually convenient time. 

The competition is open to all students in Year 12 (Lower Sixth form, or equivalent) and the closing date of the competition, 1 May 2011.  The length of a submitted essay should be between 2000 and 4000 words.  Entrants are invited to write on one of the following themes: Global Warming, Economic Recovery, Centenaries.  Alternatively, they are welcome to enter a piece of original written work on a subject of their choice.  Essays should be submitted both in typescript and in electronic form, and should include a statement from the candidate giving his/her full name, date of birth, an address for postal correspondence, the name and address of the candidate's current school, and the name and email address of a senior contact teacher at that school (e.g. subject head or head of sixth form). The candidate should also certify in writing that the submitted essay is her/his own work.

Entries should be sent to the President's Secretary (telephone 01223 338658; D.Fear@joh.cam.ac.uk).  The competition will assess essays for distinction, measured by reference to mastery of relevant detail, the fluency and structure of argument, the level of analytical skills, the degree of originality shown and evidence of personal initiative.  However, the judges will not assume access to any particular scholarly materials.  Prizewinners and highly commended entrants will be notified by 30 June 2011.

Our prizes seek to give students in Year 12 or Lower Sixth a chance to write on a topic of personal interest, and to challenge themselves when developing analytical and presentational skills that will benefit them in the future. It must be emphasized, however, that success in the Quincentenary Prize competition cannot guarantee success in a subsequent application to study at the College.  Equally, those who miss out on a Prize should not feel at all discouraged or deterred from applying.