Marshall Society Essay Competition

Yes. The only criterion is that you have not yet begun university study, with no nationality or curriculum restriction, so US students in grades 9 to 12 qualify alongside IB and A-Level students, and Irvine public high schoolers are included. Anyone already at university is ineligible. Entry is free, the whole process is online and essays are in English. Because the deadline falls at the end of August, Irvine students can treat it as a summer project that never touches fall coursework.

The 2026 deadline was 23:59 BST on 30 August 2026, with results promised on the website and social media by the end of September. The 2027 questions and dates are not yet posted - watch marshallsoc.org. Recent cycles have released questions over the summer, closed at the end of August and announced results in late September, so Irvine students should start checking in May or June, read in July, draft in August, and submit before the fall semester begins.

The questions favour evaluative argument over technical modelling. The 2026 set asked whether tariffs deserve their bad reputation, the limits of central banks facing external shocks, Britain's 1930s recovery and leaving the gold standard, an assessment of Andy Burnham's economic policies as metro mayor, whether the stock market really is the economy, and whether economics is a discipline of its own. AP Micro and Macro or A-Level Economics plus serious reading is enough; no econometrics required.

Recent editions have used a guideline of roughly 1,500 words, but the word count, formatting and submission method for each cycle are set out in the official submission document linked from the questions page. Download it and check line by line instead of assuming last year's rules carry over. Every year entries are lost on this: the rules document's word-count definition, citation style and file-naming requirements are the first filter.

The society reported receiving around 1,500 entries worldwide in 2026. The shortlisted top 10% are notified by email; everyone else is not contacted individually. That volume makes it less brutal than John Locke, which draws tens of thousands, but it is far from a sure thing. The sensible strategy is to pick a question where you can read primary sources and make the reasoning airtight, not to chase whichever question looks least popular.

There are prizes, and 2026 added a Research Prize for entries showing especially thorough research, but the cash is modest and the site does not publish amounts. The more meaningful reward is selection for The Dismal Scientist, the annual magazine of the Marshall Society - Cambridge's official economics society. Being published there is a genuine publication credit you can cite on an application.

Yes. For a US applicant its job is to make subject interest credible: an essay judged by Cambridge's official economics society says more about genuine engagement with the field than a club title or a business-case placing, and it also fits as an academic entry on a UC Activities List. It fits students aiming at economics, PPE or public policy particularly well. If you are also applying through UCAS, it carries even more direct weight in a personal statement.

They do not clash, so do both if there is capacity. John Locke releases questions in February, closes at the end of May and allows 2,000 words on more abstract, philosophical prompts. The Marshall Society posts questions over the summer, closes at the end of August and runs to about 1,500 words on live policy and British economic history. If you must choose, a less experienced writer should start with Marshall; John Locke is the one to chase for name recognition.