Classics Essay Competition 2027
This competition is open to all students currently studying at a UK School or College in Year 12 (Lower Sixth) or equivalent, whether or not they are currently studying a Classical or Ancient subject. Each student may submit one essay (only) of up to 2,000 words on any of the following four questions:
1 Literature: 'Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal’ (T.S Eliot, The Sacred Wood). Discuss in relation to ancient literature.
2 History: 'Was imitation of the past anything more than a catch-all slogan in Greek and/or Roman history?'
3 Art and Archaeology: ‘Why do so many of the ancient sculptures we see in modern museums look so similar?'
4 Philosophy: ‘Plato famously rejected imitative poetry. What, if anything, do we lose if art cannot imitate life?’
Prizes Awarded
A £100 book token will be awarded to the best essay in each category and an additional £75 book token to the overall winner. A further £75 book token will be awarded to the best essay submitted by a pupil who has not previously studied a Classical or Ancient subject. All winners and runners-up will also receive a certificate.
Visit St John's - Subject Exploration Day
Students who submit an entry to the Classics Essay Competition are invited to apply to our Classics and Ancient History Subject Taster Day on the 19th May 2027. This is a chance to visit St John's College and sample lectures delivered by our resident tutors.
How Do I Apply?
All essays should:
- Be word-processed with double-spaced lines.
- Include ONLY your initials and date of birth in your header or footer
(to allow anonymous marking). - Attached as a PDF
- Be submitted here by 12pm on Monday 22nd February 2027
Advice and Guidance
The competition gives students currently studying any subjects at a UK School or College, in Year 12 or equivalent, an opportunity to write an essay on the classical world. The organizers are interested in providing an occasion for independent research, to encourage curiosity and reflection in those who have studied the ancient world before and those who have not.
The essay titles have been chosen to take account of research interests of our tutors and to encourage the widest possible approach to investigation of the ancient world.
All primary texts can be considered in translation or in the original language. Where either primary or secondary sources have been used they should be acknowledged with full references given.
All essays should:
- Be word-processed with double-spaced lines, and saved in a PDF format.
- Include ONLY your initials and date of birth in your header or footer (to allow anonymous marking).
- Be no more than 2000 words in length. The word limit includes footnotes, but not the bibliography.
- All primary texts can be considered in translation or in the original language.
- Where either primary or secondary sources have been used they should be acknowledged with full references given.
AI Statement
The competition is aimed at developing and testing your skills of independent research and essay-writing, which are central to the study of Classics and Ancient History and of humanities more broadly. You should not use generative AI in planning or writing your essay and we ask you to confirm that on the cover sheet for your submission.
Submissions will be checked by Pangram content detection software for AI-generated content and tutors marking them will be informed of the score; in particularly serious cases, tutors may disqualify essays that do not show independent work from the competition, based on their academic judgement.
Need help getting started?
If you would like some suggestions on where to get started with your research, these resources may be a good place to start:
Essay Competition Reports
For information regarding previous years' reports, which highlight the strengths of the winning essays, please click on the year below
2020-21 Winners report here
2021-22 Winners report here
2022-23 Winners report here
2024-25 Winners report here
2025-26 Winners report here
