The R.A. Butler Prize for essays in Politics and International Studies is a competition that can be entered by students in Year 12 or the Lower 6th.
The Prize is jointly organised by Trinity College Cambridge and Cambridge University’s Department of Politics and International Studies. The Prize was established in memory of the former Master of Trinity College, Lord Butler, who most famously served as Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and who was responsible for the introduction of free secondary education for all students in the UK.
DEADLINE IS 20th AUGUST 2018
https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/essay-prizes/politics/
2018 competition
Questions:
https://share.trin.cam.ac.uk/sites/public/Tutorial/Admissions-UG/Butler%20questions%202018.pdf
o Is war an inevitable feature of modern politics?
o What role, if any, should religion play in democratic politics?
o How can a government encourage interaction between segregated communities?
o Is the internet ruining politics?
o Why is it important that women participate in government?
o How should governments respond to the challenge of automation?
o Is a legitimate process more important for a democracy than good results?
o How is the shift in global economic power to Asia changing the world order?
o Is global nuclear disarmament politically possible?
o Does history repeat itself in politics?
Essays must be submitted by email to butlerprize@trin.cam.ac.uk by 28 August 2017, and should be accompanied by a signed statement of originality as per the website of the Butler prize
Prize.
Prize. The competition carries a First Prize of £600, to be split equally between the candidate and his or her school or college (the school or college’s portion of the prize to be issued in the form of book tokens), and a Second Prize of £400, which again is to be shared equally between the candidate and his or her school or college. Winners will be announced in September, and will be invited to visit the College to meet some of the teaching staff.
Format. Essays should be between 2,000 and 4,000 words (not including the bibliography). It’s worth considering the use of examples in your essays: the best essays often use a diverse selection of contemporary, historical or literary examples. We encourage you to provide references to your sources of information, and to include a bibliography at the end of the essay.
Submission. Essays must be submitted by email to butlerprize@trin.cam.ac.uk. Word or PDF file formats are acceptable. It will be helpful if you could name the file with your surname and initial, in the style (for example): SmithJ.pdf or SmithJ.docx. On the first page of your essay, please include the following information: your name, email address, school name and address, your year at school (e.g. Year 12), and the subjects you are studying and to what level (e.g. A-level). Please include a statement of originality: “I confirm that this essay is written in my own words and is the result of my own work. All sources used have been acknowledged in the essay.” Please ‘sign’ that statement (i.e. put your name, electronically is fine) and put the date on which you are submitting the essay.
If you cannot submit the essay electronically, please post it to R.A. Butler Prize, c/o Dr Glen Rangwala, Trinity College, Cambridge CB2 1TQ.
Eligibility. The Prize is for students in Year 12 or Lower 6th at the time the questions are released (in the school year 2017-18). Students based abroad are most welcome to participate. They should, however, be in their penultimate year of school.
Contact. Any queries from teachers with students who may be interested in submitting work for the prize should be directed to Dr Glen Rangwala by email to: butlerprize@trin.cam.ac.uk.