Aralia Students Achievement
Competing in the prestigious 2024 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, Aralia students distinguished themselves among over 34,000 global entries, securing two major awards—one Gold Finalist Award and one Bronze Award. This achievement showcases not only the students’ talent, but also the dedication and guidance provided by their mentors at Aralia.
The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC)
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the world’s oldest international school writing competition, organized by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883.
According to the competition’s website, the event has attracted more than 140,000 young writers, 5,000 schools, and 1,000 volunteer judges over the past decade alone.
This competition aims to cultivate critical literacy skills and raise academic standards. Young writers explore themes rooted in Commonwealth values and principles each year, fostering literacy while encouraging empathy and a global perspective.
Many past winners have become leaders in their fields, including Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Other past winners include Elspeth Huxley and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Mei Fong,
Each year, the senior and junior category winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to London, UK, for a week-long educational and cultural program.
Eligibility: The competition is open to citizens or residents of all Commonwealth countries and territories, including Hong Kong, Ireland, and Zimbabwe residents.
Residents in non-Commonwealth countries with a Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) branch or associated/partnered organization are also eligible. Still, entries must be submitted through their local RCS branch or partner organization.
Competition Categories:
Junior Category: for participants under 14 years old
Senior Category: for participants aged 14-18
Awards (For both categories):
Winner
Runner-up
Gold Awards
Silver Awards
Bronze Awards
Certificate of Participation
2024 Competition Theme and Timeline:
Submission Period: March 15, 2024 – May 15, 2024
2024 Theme:
‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth’.
Nearly half of Commonwealth countries are Small Island Developing States like Samoa that are disproportionately affected by climate change. Communities across the Commonwealth are also facing various challenges, including economic growth, peace, and security. Creating strong and resilient societies is now more important than ever.
The 2024 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition invites participants to reflect on overcoming adversity and how communities and cultures can inspire resilience and hope to address the growing global challenges.
Submission Guidelines:
Essays must be written in English.
The maximum word count for senior entries is 1,500 words, and for junior entries is 750 words, with no minimum word count requirement.
The word limit applies to all topics and writing formats (e.g., prose, poetry, letters, etc.). Citations and footnotes are excluded from the word count.
The final submission must be the participant’s original work, and each participant may submit only one entry.
The competition does not accept plagiarized or AI-generated content. Each year, some students are disqualified for suspected plagiarism. The entry will be immediately disqualified if AI software, such as ChatGPT, is detected.
Competition Website:
https://www.royalcwsociety.org/essay-competition
Aralia Preparation Classes
If you are also interested in participating in writing competitions, here are some other international competitions worth preparing for or participating in during the autumn and winter seasons:
- New York Times Series Writing Contests for Students
- Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
- Harvard International Review Fall/Winter Contest
- Ocean Awareness Writing Contest
This class is offered in the summer every year. Students from 13 to 18 years old wanting to learn how to shape their written English into effective and publishable creative pieces will find this particular Writing Competition course very exciting. The class will be shown a range of tools to learn the nuances of controlled, purposeful writing, including: figurative language, effective structuring and specific forms that they will apply to their own pieces.
