John Locke Essay Competition
20 Feb, 2026
The John Locke Essay Competition is an international academic writing competition hosted by the John Locke Institute, an independent educational organization located in Oxford, UK. The competition collaborates closely with professors from top universities such as the University of Oxford, Princeton University, and Brown University, aiming to cultivate middle school students' abilities in independent thinking, critical analysis, and rigorous academic writing. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious international competitions in the field of humanities and social sciences.
All papers are personally reviewed by scholars from top universities such as Oxford and Princeton, with the evaluation criteria benchmarked against university academic standards. Winning papers have the opportunity to be published on the competition's official website and gain attention from the global academic community.
Among the previous winners, a high proportion of them have been admitted to world-renowned universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, and Cambridge. When applying for humanities and social science majors, obtaining a Distinction (Excellence Award) or above can significantly enhance the competitiveness of the application.
The style of the competition questions is highly similar to the interview questions of prestigious universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, requiring participants to conduct in-depth analysis of complex social, philosophical, or scientific issues, rather than simply reciting knowledge. It emphasizes independent insights, logical reasoning, and persuasiveness.
All papers are personally reviewed by scholars from top universities such as Oxford and Princeton, with the evaluation criteria benchmarked against university academic standards. Winning papers have the opportunity to be published on the competition's official website and gain attention from the global academic community.
Among the previous winners, a high proportion of them have been admitted to world-renowned universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, and Cambridge. When applying for humanities and social science majors, obtaining a Distinction (Excellence Award) or above can significantly enhance the competitiveness of the application.
The style of the competition questions is highly similar to the interview questions of prestigious universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, requiring participants to conduct in-depth analysis of complex social, philosophical, or scientific issues, rather than simply reciting knowledge. It emphasizes independent insights, logical reasoning, and persuasiveness.