2024 Commonwealth Youth Essay Award | Learn how to apply

The Commonwealth Secretariat, based in the United Kingdom, is pleased to announce the launch of the “Think Trade, Think Green: Commonwealth Youth Essay Award Competition”. This esteemed competition aims to engage young individuals in exploring the intersection of trade and environmental sustainability.

The Commonwealth Youth Essay Award presents an opportunity for young people to submit their essays and win a prize of £2,000. The competition seeks to amplify the voices of youth in climate action, encouraging them to propose innovative solutions on how trade policy can address environmental challenges.

Essay Topic: “How can trade and trade policy address an aspect of the climate crisis in your country?”

Identify a specific problem, explain how it is linked to the climate crisis, and clearly explain how trade or trade policy can be used to address it.

The Commonwealth Youth Essay Award seeks to challenge young people in the Commonwealth to explore the relationship between trade and climate change and propose how trade policy can be part of the solution to the climate crisis.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for the Commonwealth Youth Essay Competition, you must:

• Be aged between 18-29 years old and a Commonwealth national to participate in this competition.
• Essays must be a maximum of 2,000 words (including in-text references and footnotes, excluding reference list)
• Full referencing in any style (in-text and reference list)
• Entries should be submitted as a single PDF or Word file, 1.5 spacing, Times New Roman font

Benefits

• First prize: £1,000
• Second and third prizes: £500 each

The top three essays will be published as part of the Trade Competitiveness Briefing Series and launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in October.

Requirements

• Name
• Age
• Nationality
• Contact information (email, address, telephone)
• CV or short bio

How to Apply

To apply for the Commonwealth Youth Essay Award, interested and qualified applicants should prepare your essay and check it for errors. Please email your submission and details to [email protected] by 21 August 2024. If you have any questions about the competition, please contact [email protected]

Entries will be evaluated based on the originality of the challenges identified and solutions proposed, quality of writing and coherence with international trade policy frameworks

Winners will be informed of their selection by September 2, 2024.

Deadline: August 21, 2024