THE QUEENS COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION

A Commonwealth for Peace'

The Royal Commonwealth Society is pleased to announce that the theme for The
Queens Commonwealth Essay Competition 2017 is A Commonwealth for Peace.
Building upon the 2016 theme of An Inclusive Commonwealth, this years topics ask for
a more active understanding of the role of the Commonwealth as a network of and for
democracy, Human Rights and peace. We are asking young writers to explore peace at
every level, from the personal to the political to the pan-Commonwealth.
Topics:
JUNIOR CATEGORY
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What is in your Toolbox for Peace?

My peaceful place.
How can children and young people come together to build a peaceful society?
Peace cannot be learnt from a book or from religion. You have to reach out and
touch the nations. How does this relate to the Commonwealth?

SENIOR CATEGORY
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Peace.
Should you fight for peace?
Kofi Annan said Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name. Do
you agree? Answer with reference to your country and/or the Commonwealth.
What is the cost of peace?

The competition is open to all citizens and residents of the Commonwealth aged 18 and
under and is open from 21 September until 1 May 2017. All entrants receive a
Certificate of Participation and one Winner and Runner-up from the Senior and Junior
categories will win a trip to London for a week-long series of educational and cultural
events. For more information about the competition, download the flyer and please visit
Terms and Conditions and Frequently Asked Questions.

History of the Essay Competition

The RCS has a rich history of nurturing the creative talents of young people around the
Commonwealth. We endeavour to promote literacy, expression and creativity among
young people by celebrating excellence and imagination. Run by the RCS since 1883,
this international schools writing contest the world's oldest is a highly regarded and
popular international education project which we run in partnership with Cambridge
University Press.
In 2015, the contest was renamed The Queens Commonwealth Essay Competition, in
honour of HM Queen Elizabeth IIs role as both Head of the Commonwealth and Patron
of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

How To Enter
Submitting your entry online
Please read the Terms and Conditions before submitting your essay as you will not be able to
edit your submission once it has been uploaded. It is also a good idea to consult our Frequently
Asked Questions.
NOTE: submissions to the online platform can only be completed via a computer and not on a
mobile device (tablet, smart phone, etc.).
Submit your entry online.
Important information for teachers. During the registration process, you will need to enter as 'A
teacher, on behalf of pupils'. You will then have the option to add additional pupils (as many as
necessary). Please be sure to enter all the mandatory information for each student. You'll be
given an individual reference number for each student which is needed to download the
students certificate. Please be sure to keep these reference numbers safe so you can download
the certificates for your students, or pass appropriate reference numbers on to each individual
so they can download their own certificates when the results are announced in August 2017.
Submitting your entry by post

If you are submitting your entry by post, please complete an entry form in block capitals and
attach it to the front of your essay. Entries should be sent to your nearest postal hub, details of
which will be released in due course. We recommend that you send your entry to your nearest
postal hub by 1 April 2017 in order to ensure it is safely received.

Terms and Conditions

Entries will be disqualified if they fail to meet any of the following requirements:
The competition is open to nationals or residents of all Commonwealth countries and
territories. Note: Special dispensation applies to entrants from Hong Kong, Ireland, The Gambia
and Zimbabwe, who are entitled to enter the competition.
Entrants must select a Senior or Junior topic depending on their age on 1st May 2017.
Senior entrants must be born between 2nd May 1998 and 1st May 2003 (14-18) and Junior
entrants must be born after 1st May 2003 (under 14 years of age).
The maximum word counts are 1,500 words for Senior entries and 750 words for Junior
entries. These word limits apply to all topics and all formats (essay, poem, letter, etc). Exceeding
the word count will result in automatic disqualification.
Entries must be written in English.
Only one essay per entrant is allowed. Once an essay is submitted, students/teachers will
not have the opportunity to revise it. Please carefully check and improve your writing before
submitting the final copy, and also ensure that all supplementary information is filled in correctly
(name, contact details, topic number, etc.)
Plagiarism: Every year a number of students are disqualified because they are suspected
of plagiarism. Please see our guide to plagiarism before submitting (in production).
The final copy submitted for the competition must be the entrant's own work, and cannot be
excessively corrected or improved by another person. This does not rule out input or assistance
from others. However, an entry will be disregarded if there is any suggestion of excessive
external help.
By entering the competition, you agree that your name, email, school and essay may be
sent to your local RCS branch. See Clause 4.1.6 of the RCS' Privacy Policy for more
information.
Essays can only be uploaded as a Microsoft Word document (.doc) or in PDF format (.pdf).
The online platform does not accept Google Docs (.gdoc), Pages documents (.pages) or other
word processor formats. Note: if we are unable to find or open your essay file (either through an
incorrect format or upload error), your entry may not be counted in the competition.
All entries must be submitted before midnight (BST) on 1st May 2017.
All entrants retain the copyright rights that they have for the pieces they submit, but by
entering The Queens Commonwealth Essay Competition, each contestant consents to the use

of his/her name, and/or pieces or parts thereof in any advertisements, educational materials,
corpus research or media and publicity carried out or produced by the Royal Commonwealth
Society and its local branches without further notice or compensation. The Royal
Commonwealth Society can publish or decline to publish; use or decline to use, any submitted
pieces at the Royal Commonwealth Societys sole discretion.
The RCS suggests that entrants retain a copy of their original work as regretfully we are
unable to return or provide copies of submissions.
Please note: Winners and Runners-up of the pan-Commonwealth competition will have
their full names, schools, essays and photographs displayed on the RCS website and social
media channels.
Important Reminder
All certificates are generated online and the RCS does not send any certificates in the post. You
will be given a reference number when you submit your essay. It is very important that you keep
this number is a safe place as you will need it to download your certificate. Teachers, please
remember to retain the reference numbers for each of your students.
Having trouble submitting your essay? Contact competitions@thercs.org
https://thercs.org/youth-and-education/the-queens-commonwealth-essay-competition/