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• Winners of the Young Economist of

Winners of the Young Economist of the Year 2021

• October 4, 2021

Each year the Royal Economic Society asks Year 12 and 13 students to submit an essay for The Young Economist of the Year Essay Competition, with this year’s competition open to those studying A-Level, International Baccalaureate (IB) or Scottish Highers qualifications.

For 2021, students were asked to write an essay of up to 1,000 words on one of five given topics, ranging from the pandemic to Brexit. This year the competition had over 1,000 submissions from students across the country.

The Royal Economic Society is pleased to announce that the overall winner of this year’s competition is Marc Kadir of Manchester Grammar School. Marc will receive a cash prize and have his essay published in the Financial Times , which will be available to read on our website and on the FT’s in the coming weeks. Alongside the overall winner, the Society are pleased to name the remaining three winners:

• Bruno Moura (“When, if ever, is it a good idea for central banks to set interest rates below zero?”
• Haoyu Wang (“We will fail to address climate change because Covid-19 showed we are unable to muster a concerted global response to common crises? Do you agree?” )
• Konrad Kurczynski (“Technological change will mean the wage gap between the skilled and unskilled will simply keep growing? Do you agree with this assessment?”)

The following were shortlisted and highly commended by the judging panel:

• Henry Ward of The Downs School, Newbury
• Jessica Cheung, Sutton Grammar School
• Tilly Mobley, Marlborough College
• Manav Sood, Rushcliffe School, West Bridgeford
• Oluwajoba Thomas, Bedford School, Hemel Hempstead
• Oliver Greenfield, Lingfield College, Surrey
• Jasmeen Johal, Guildford High School
• Melinda Zhu, Westminster School, London
• Yana Imykshenova, St Paul's Girls School, London

The following candidates were commended by the judging panel:

• Zhong Tong Zhang, St. Edward's School, Oxford
• Matthew Bonin, The Skinner's School, Tunbridge Wells
• Nevis Tompkins, Sutton Grammar School
• Henry Hall, Southend High School for Boys
• John Chang, Eton College, Windsor
• Sumayya Manji, North London Collegiate School, London
• Arjun Manoj Nair, St. Alban's School
• Isaac George Gilroy Baxter, King's School, Bruton
• Sameera Anjali Bhalotra Bowers, Colchester County High School for Girls
• Rachel Large, Churcher's College, Petersfield
• James Bradshaw, Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby
• Jin Samson, Christ's Hospital School, Horsham
• James Trotman, St Paul's School, London
• Keyi Xue, The Abbey School, Reading
• Xinyu Fu, St Paul's School, London
• Helen Tianying Deng, King Edward's School, Bath
• Dylan Sellors, Aylesbury Grammar School
• Anya Saund, Westminster School, London
• Thomas Wright, Royal Grammar School, Guildford
• Dev Patel, Wembley High Technology College, London
• Luke Philipson, Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham
• Oladipo Olukanni, King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford
• Matthew Stubbs, Kimberley Sixth Form College, Bedford
• Francesca Shi, Westminster School, London
• Issah Ali Merchant, Harrow School, London
• Shampavi Sabesan, The Tiffin Girl's School, Richmond
• Samuel Oloniluyi-Abel, Finchley Catholic High School, London
• Oluwatope Omole, London Academy of Excellence
• Ollie Max McPherson Robinson, Royal Grammar School, Guildford
• Dawid Polus, Peter Symonds College, Winchester

The Society would like to congratulate all of 2021’s winners and thank everybody who participated.

The Society would also like to remind you to take advantage of free access to the Financial Times for schools and students .

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High School International Economics Essay Competition (HIEEC)

HIEEC provides students the opportunity to demonstrate an accomplished level of writing and understanding of economic theory. Through the contest, students hone their academic and professional skills and exhibit their knowledge. 

The 2023-2024 Harvard International Economics Essay Contest is sponsored by the Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association (HUEA). This essay competition is open to high school students of any year and is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate an accomplished level of writing and understanding of economic theory.

2024-2025 Prompts

1) Environment: Carbon taxes have been implemented in many countries, including in Europe and the United States, and are considered to play a significant role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are criticisms regarding this approach, such as the argument that it is not effective because enterprises may keep polluting as long as they pay the cost. Additionally, the competitive advantage of imported products from countries without carbon taxes raises questions about its effectiveness. What unique effects can be anticipated from carbon taxes compared to subsidies for renewable energy? To address the concerns currently raised about carbon taxation, what potential alternatives could be considered?

2) Inequality: Consider a country where income taxes are used to address socioeconomic inequality by taxing a portion of citizens' earnings, typically in a way that is proportional to income. Now, imagine that this government is debating a policy shift that would eliminate income taxes for all employed persons, replacing them with a new consumption tax on goods and services, proportional to the value of each item purchased. Analyze the potential short-term and long-term economic and social effects of this policy shift within this country, as well as possible impacts on its relationships with other nations. Would you recommend this approach as a viable alternative to income taxes? Additionally, consider how at least two different groups (e.g., high-income earners, retirees, unemployed persons) might view this policy change. Would they likely support or oppose it, and why?

3) Workforce & Education: As automation and technological advancements continue to reshape industries, the skill sets required in the workforce are rapidly changing. How should education systems adapt to prepare students for a future dominated by automation and artificial intelligence? Evaluate the potential economic impact of reorienting education around STEM fields versus soft skills and critical thinking. What changes can be made at both the policy and institutional levels to ensure a workforce that is resilient and capable of thriving in an automated world?

4) Crypto/Finance: With the rise of cryptocurrencies and the potential introduction of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), the role of traditional central banks may undergo significant shifts. How might the widespread adoption of digital currencies affect monetary policy, financial stability, and global capital flows? Should central banks regulate or embrace these innovations? Discuss the potential benefits and risks of digital currencies for consumers, businesses, and governments, and analyze how monetary systems could evolve in response.

Entrants must choose one of the four prompts and write a response to it with a strict limit of 1500 words. Submission must be via the HUEA website and entrants are limited to submitting one essay with only the first submission being considered.

Each essay submission will have a reading fee which should be paid upon submission of the essay:

For US Applicants: $20

For International (non-US) Applicants: $30

If this fee will impose a significant financial burden on your family, please email us at [email protected] with a brief explanation for any circumstances that impede your ability to pay the reading submission fee. Please title the subject of the email "Firstname Lastname: HIEEC Financial Aid Request". The first and last name in the email should match the ones you provide in the below form. 

The essays will be judged by the board of the HUEA, with the top 10 submissions being adjudicated by a Economics Professor at Harvard.

Please submit essay submissions via this form .

If the above link does not work, use: https://forms.gle/qzMFn7ZuJK2KREeL7. 

*Be sure to read all the details in the submission form carefully before submitting, as failure to complete any of the steps correctly may result in your submission not being considered.

Cutoff Information

1. The essay submission form will close strictly at 11:59 PM EST on January 5, 2025. 

2. We will be capping essay submissions at 200 submissions this year .

Any essay submissions beyond either of these cutoffs will not be accepted. 

The top three winning essays will be published (with the author’s permission) on our website. A finalists list of the top submissions will be published online and adjudicated by a real-world economist. A list of names that will receive the "Highly Commended" distinction will also be published online​. The judges' decisions are final.

Terms & Conditions

The word limit of 1500 must be strictly adhered to. Any words past the limit will be truncated. This limit excludes references, footnotes, titles, headers and footers.

Essays must be written only by the entrant. Any outside assistance must be declared in the beginning or end of the essay.

Only your first submission will be accepted. Any further submissions will not be read.

References must be included, and any plagiarism will lead to disqualification.

References must be in Chicago or APA format. The only accepted document formatting is PDF. Any other format will not be accepted, nor will refunds be given to those who do not follow this rule.

No refunds are granted.

Grades 9-12 are permitted.

The essay must not be entered in any other competition nor be published elsewhere.

No individual feedback of essays will be granted.

The decisions made by HUEA by the final round of adjudication are final.

All winners agree to their names being published on the HUEA website.

November 2nd – Essay Prompts released

January 5th, 11:59 PM EST, 2025 – Essay submission deadline

Late February 2024* – Highly Commended and Finalists notified

Early March 2024* – Winners notified, results published on the website​

*We received a high volume of submissions, therefore we anticipate that it will take us a couple more weeks to release the results. 

Join Our High School (HS) Competitions Newsletter

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If you are a high school student or administrator who is interested in participating in our upcoming competitions, be the first to know by joining our HS Competitions Newsletter.

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FT Schools competition: Young Economist of the Year

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This article is part of the Financial Times free schools access programme. Details/registration  here .

School students across the UK in years 12 and 13 are invited to enter the Young Economist of the Year competition run by the Royal Economic Society in association with the Financial Times. 

Applicants — who need not be studying economics — have until July 25 to write up to 1,000 words on one of the five questions picked for this year.

The winning article will be published in the Financial Times and on the RES website and the author will receive £1,000, with £200 for each of the runners up. 

Entries will be judged on originality, quality of writing, economic content and quality of the economic argument. 

The five questions are:

When, if ever, is it a good idea for central banks to set interest rates below zero? 

How is Brexit going to change the economic geography of the UK?

Will the legacy of Covid-19 be an economically more unequal world?

Technological change means that the wage gap between the skilled and unskilled will simply keep growing. Do you agree with this assessment? 

We will fail to address climate change because Covid-19 showed we are unable to muster a concerted global response to common crises. Do you agree?

The competition is part of the  FT’s schools programme , which provides free access to the FT for students aged 16-19, their teachers and schools around the world.

Supporting ideas and data for entrants can be found in the FT. Full details and information on submission are available on the  RES competition website .

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Student Essay Competition .

The dorian fisher memorial prize 2022.

• A short essay, of roughly 1,200 words, on one of the following questions:
• A 500-word answer to one of the following two questions:
• A 500-word answer to the following question.

The Monetary Policy Essay Prize 2021-22 By the Institute of Economic Affairs, the Institute of International Monetary Research, and the Vinson Centre

“Does inflation matter? And will the current inflation upturn be transitory or not?”

The IEA is an educational charity and free market think tank .

Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.

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Durham University Economics Society Essay Competition 2021

24th April 2021

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tutor2u is delighted to support a competition for students run by the Economics Society at Durham University. The deadline is 25th April 2021

Our friends at the Durham University Economics Society have launched their new competition with a choice of five engaging and topical essay titles for students to consider.

This competition is open to students who are in the final 2 years of pre-tertiary education, e.g. Sixth Form (Lower and Upper Sixth), Junior College (JC 1 and JC 2), and in the last two years of high school.

Entrants can be of any nationality and studying in any country.

Essay titles:

*Answer only ONE of the following questions within 1500 words*

• With reference to at least one country of your choice, evaluate the effectiveness of central banks’ mitigatory efforts in the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Should vaccine development and distribution be left to the private sector, public sector, or both? Discuss.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of a wealth tax in fighting inequality.
• Discuss the current environmental policy challenges with regards to the renewables sector.
• Assess whether continued technological innovation and the emergence of the digital economy will benefit developing countries.

For full details of the competition including the prizes, please follow this link

Please contact the Chief Journal Editors (Charlie Fraser and Tatyana Wu), who are happy to answer your questions and/or provide more guidance, via emailing [email protected] .

Follow the DUES Facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/durhameconomics

Geoff Riley

Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for over thirty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD conferences in the UK and overseas.

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