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Best Essay Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 51 contests that match your search.

Anthology Travel Writing Competition 2024

Anthology Magazine

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel

The Anthology Travel Writing Competition is open to original and previously unpublished travel articles in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. We are looking for an engaging article that will capture the reader’s attention, conveying a strong sense of the destination and the local culture. Max 1000 words.

💰 Entry fee: $16

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2024

Hispanic Culture Review Contest 2022-2023

Hispanic Culture Review

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

As the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano once said, "the best that the world has is in the many worlds that the world contains." Therefore, this year we invite you to reflect on the following questions: How do you or your community celebrate these connections? How do you value those experiences with those people who leave a mark on your life? 1 work will be awarded in each category: 1) photography & visual arts, 2) poetry, and 3) narrative/essay/academic investigation.

$100 for photography, poetry, and essay winners

Additional prizes:

Publication

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: February 01, 2023 (Expired)

High School Academic Research Competition

Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The High School Academic Research Competition is where talented students from around the world compete to publish high-quality research on any topic. SARC challenges students to sharpen their critical thinking skills, immerse themselves in the research process, and hone their writing skills for success.

Indigo Research Intensive Summer Program

📅 Deadline: April 17, 2024 (Expired)

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Work-In-Progress (WIP) Contest

Unleash Press

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Young Adult

We aim to assist writers in the completion of an important literary project and vision. The Unleash WIP Award offers writers support in the amount of $500 to supplement costs to aid in the completion of a book-length work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Writers will also receive editorial feedback, coaching meetings, and an excerpt/interview feature in Unleash Lit.

Coaching, interview, and editorial support

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024

swamp pink Prizes

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

From January 1st to January 31st, submit short stories and essays of up to 25 pages or a set of 1-3 poems. Winners in each genre will receive $2,000 and publication.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

Annual Contest Submissions

So To Speak

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, LGBTQ, Non-fiction, and Poetry

So To Speak is seeking submissions for poetry, fiction, and non-fiction with an intersectional feminist lens! It is no secret that the literary canon and literary journals are largely comprised of heteronormative, patriarchal, cisgender, able-bodied white men. So to Speak seeks work by writers, poets, and artists who want to challenge and change the identity of the “canonical” writer.

💰 Entry fee: $4

📅 Deadline: March 15, 2024 (Expired)

Indignor Play House Annual Short Story Competition

Indignor House Publishing

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

Indignor House Publishing is proud to announce that our annual writing competition (INDIGNOR PLAYHOUSE Short Story Annual Competition) is officially open with expected publication in the fall of 2024. Up to 25 submissions will be accepted for inclusion in the annual anthology.

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)

The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

The Letter Review

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, Crime, Humor, and Science Writing

2-4 Winners are published. We Shortlist 10-20 writers. Seeking Nonfiction 0-5000 words. Judges’ feedback available. Open to writers from anywhere in the world, with no theme or genre restrictions. Judged blind. All entries considered for publication + submission to Pushcart.

Publication by The Letter Review

💰 Entry fee: $2

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024

A Very Short Story Contest

Gotham Writers Workshop

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, and Non-fiction

Write a great short story in ten words or fewer. Submit it to our contest. Entry is free. Winner of the bet gets a free Gotham class.

Free writing class from Gotham Writers Workshop.

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024

Annual Student Essay Contest

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

For this year’s Essay Contest, we are asking students to think about why the story of the Oklahoma City bombing is important today.

📅 Deadline: March 04, 2024 (Expired)

Berggruen Prize Essay Competition

Berggruen Institute

Genres: Essay

The Berggruen Prize Essay Competition, in the amount of $25,000 USD for the English and Chinese language category respectively, is given annually to stimulate new thinking and innovative concepts while embracing cross-cultural perspectives across fields, disciplines, and geographies. Inspired by the pivotal role essays have played in shaping thought and inquiry, we are inviting essays that follow in the tradition of renowned thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Michel de Montaigne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Publication in Noema Magazine

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024

Red Hen Press Women's Prose Prize

Red Hen Press

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Story, Essay, Memoir, and Novel

Established in 2018, the Women’s Prose Prize is for previously unpublished, original work of prose. Novels, short story collections, memoirs, essay collections, and all other forms of prose writing are eligible for consideration. The awarded manuscript is selected through a biennial competition, held in even-numbered years, that is open to all writers who identify as women.

Publication by Red Hen Press

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2024 (Expired)

Young Sports Journalist 2024

The Young Sports Journalist Competition, 2024, seeks well-argued articles from aspiring journalists aged 14-21. Winning entries will be published online and printed in the Summer Issue of Pitch. Critiqued by our panel of accomplished judges, winners will also receive a £50 cash prize and offered work experience here at PITCH HQ. The competition runs from 7 February 2024 to 5 April 2024. And winners will be announced in May.

Publication in magazine and online

📅 Deadline: April 05, 2024 (Expired)

Military Anthology: Partnerships, the Untold Story

Armed Services Arts Partnership

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Partners are an integral aspect of military life, at home and afar, during deployment and after homecoming. Partnerships drive military action and extend beyond being a battle buddy, wingman, or crew member. Some are planned while others arise entirely unexpectedly. Spouses, family, old or new friends, community, faith leaders, and medical specialists all support the military community. Despite their importance, the stories of these partnerships often go untold. This anthology aims to correct that: We will highlight the nuances, surprises, joy, sorrow, heroism, tears, healing power, and ache of partnerships. We invite you to submit the story about partnerships from your journey, so we can help tell it.

$500 Editors' Choice award

$250 for each genre category (prose, poetry, visual art)

Stories of Inspiration

Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc

Nonfiction stories of inspiration wanted (between 500 to 2,000 words). Submissions should highlight the struggle and resilience of the human spirit, especially related to cultures of BIPOC or marginalized communities. Stories must be original, unpublished works in English. One successful entry will be awarded each month from April 2024 and will be included within Kinsman Quarterly’s online journal and digital magazine. Successful authors receive $200 USD and publication in our digital magazine. No entry fee required.

Publication in Kinsman Quarterly's online magazine

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024

Artificial Intelligence Competition

New Beginnings

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story

There is no topic relating to technology that brings more discussion than artificial intelligence. Some people think it does wonders. Others see it as trouble. Let us know your opinion about AI in this competition. Include experiences you have had with AI. 300-word limit. Winners will be selected January 1, 2024. Open to anyone, anywhere.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2023 (Expired)

Narratively 2023 Memoir Prize

Narratively

Genres: Essay, Humor, Memoir, and Non-fiction

Narratively is currently accepting submissions for their 2023 Memoir Prize. They are looking for revealing and emotional first-person nonfiction narratives from unique and overlooked points of view. The guest judge is New York Times bestselling memoirist Stephanie Land.

$1,000 and publication

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2023 (Expired)

Literary and Photographic Contest 2023-2024

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Poetry

As we move forward we carry our culture wherever we go. It keeps us alive. This is why we propose the theme to be “¡Hacia delante!”. A phrase that means to move forward. This year we ask that you think about the following questions: What keeps you moving forward? What do you carry with you going into the future? How do you celebrate your successes, your dreams, and your culture?

Publication in magazine

📅 Deadline: February 07, 2024 (Expired)

100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel

Can you write a story using 100 words or less? Pieces will be judged on creativity, uniqueness, and how the story captures a new angle, breaks through stereotypes, and expands our beliefs about what's possible or unexpectedly delights us. In addition, we are looking for writing that is clever or unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling and complete story. The first-place prize has doubled to $2,000 USD.

2nd: writing coach package

💰 Entry fee: $15

Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest

Lazuli Literary Group

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Novella, and Script Writing

We are not concerned with genre distinctions. Send us the best you have; we want only for it to be thoughtful, intelligent, and beautiful. We want art that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous phrases executed with thematic intent.

Publication in "AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought"

📅 Deadline: March 24, 2024 (Expired)

Bacopa Literary Review Annual Writing Contest

Writers Alliance of Gainesville

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Bacopa Literary Review’s 2024 contest is open from March 4 through April 4, with $200 Prize and $100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Flash Fiction, Free Verse Poetry, Formal Poetry, and Visual Poetry.

📅 Deadline: May 02, 2024

NOWW 26th International Writing Contest

Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW)

Open to all writers in four categories: poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and critical writing.

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50

💰 Entry fee: $7

📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)

Irene Adler Prize

Lucas Ackroyd

I’ve traveled the world from Sweden to South Africa, from the Golden Globes to the Olympic women’s hockey finals. I’ve photographed a mother polar bear and her cubs and profiled stars like ABBA, Jennifer Garner and Katarina Witt. And I couldn’t have done it without women. I’ve been very fortunate, and it’s time for me to give back. With the Irene Adler Prize, I’m awarding a $1,000 scholarship to a woman pursuing a degree in journalism, creative writing, or literature at a recognized post-secondary institution.

2x honorable mentions: $250

📅 Deadline: May 30, 2024

The Hudson Prize

Black Lawrence Press

Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The Hudson Prize for an unpublished collection of poems or prose. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers.

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast. This years entries will be judged by Carmen Maria Machado (In the Dream House, Her Body and Other Parties).

$1000 + free 10 week course with Gotham Writers

Climate Change Writing Competition

Write the World

Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction

This month, dear writers, ahead of COP27, help us raise the voices of young people in this urgent fight. In a piece of personal narrative, tell the world’s leaders gathering in how climate change impacts you. How has this crisis changed your environment, your community, your sense of the future? Storytelling, after all, plays a critical role in helping us grasp the emergency through which we are all living, igniting empathy in readers and listeners—itself a precursor to action.

Runner-up: $50

📅 Deadline: October 18, 2022 (Expired)

Creative Nonfiction Prize

Indiana Review

Genres: Essay, Fiction, and Non-fiction

Send us one creative nonfiction piece, up to 5000 words, for a chance at $1000 + publication. This year's contest will be judged by Lars Horn.

World Historian Student Essay Competition

World History Association

Genres: Children's and Essay

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. Membership in the World History Association is not a requirement for submission. Past winners may not compete in the same category again.

📅 Deadline: May 01, 2024

Environmental Writing 2024

The writer and activist Bill McKibben describes Environmental Writing as "the collision between people and the rest of the world." This month, peer closely at that intersection: How do humans interact with their environment? Given your inheritance of this earth, the world needs your voices now more than ever.

Best entry: $100

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50

📅 Deadline: April 22, 2024 (Expired)

Tusculum Review Nonfiction Chapbook Prize

The Tusculum Review

A prize of $1,000, publication of the essay in The Tusculum Review’s 20th Anniversary Issue (2024), and creation of a limited edition stand-alone chapbook with original art is awarded. Editors of The Tusculum Review and contest judge Mary Cappello will determine the winner of the 2024 prize.

📅 Deadline: June 15, 2024

African Diaspora Awards 2024

Up to $1000 in cash prizes for the African Diaspora Award 2024. African-themed prose and poetry wanted. Top finalists are published in Kinsman Quarterly’s magazine and the anthology, “Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora.”

Publication in anthology, "Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora" and print and digital magazine

Rigel 2024: $500 for Prose, Poetry, Art, or Graphic Novel

Sunspot Literary Journal

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

Literary or genre works accepted. Winner receives $500 plus publication, while runners-up and finalists are offered publication. No restrictions on theme or category. Closes: February 29. Entry fee: $12.50. Enter as many times as you like through Submittable or Duotrope

$500 + publication

Runners-up and finalists are offered publication

💰 Entry fee: $12

International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition

Vine Leaves Press

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel

Small presses have potential for significant impact, and at Vine Leaves Press, we take this responsibility quite seriously. It is our responsibility to give marginalized groups the opportunity to establish literary legacies that feel rich and vast. Why? To sustain hope for the world to become a more loving, tolerable, and open space. It always begins with art. That is why we have launched this writing competition.

Book publication

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2024

Askew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest

Shuswap Association of Writers

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Essay, Memoir, and Short Story

Whether you’re an established or emerging writer, the Askew’s Word on the Lake Writing Contest has a place for you. Part of the Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival in Salmon Arm, BC, the contest is open to submissions in short fiction (up to 2,000 words), nonfiction (up to 2,000 words), and poetry (up to three one-page poems).

💰 Entry fee: $11

Solas Awards

Best Travel Writing

Extraordinary stories about travel and the human spirit have been the cornerstones of our books since 1993. With the Solas Awards we honor writers whose work inspires others to explore. We’re looking for the best stories about travel and the world. Funny, illuminating, adventurous, uplifting, scary, inspiring, poignant stories that reflect the unique alchemy that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world differently as a result. We hope these awards will be a catalyst for those who love to leave home and tell others about it.

📅 Deadline: September 21, 2024

Discover the finest writing contests of 2024 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2024 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course: How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2024

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

How to Craft a Killer Short Story

The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction

How to Write a Novel

Understanding Point of View

Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love

Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character

Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine

On Editing:

Story Editing for Authors

How to Self-Edit Like a Pro

Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites

How to Write a Short Story in 7 Steps

Reedsy's guide to novel writing

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After you submit to a writing competition in 2024

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

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Essays About Drama: Top 5 Examples and 5 Prompts

The word drama covers many meanings and subjects; if you are writing essays about drama, discover our guide with interesting essay examples and writing prompts featured here.

What is drama to you? Many know it as a situation or event in which emotions run high. For others, the grand, intricate stage plays of Shakespeare and others of his time come to mind. Regardless, these and all other definitions of drama share one thing in common: emotion.

In all its forms, from theatre to television to cinema to even day-to-day interaction, drama is always centered around emotion, tension, and conflict- things we experience daily. Drama is, quite literally, our life, complete with all its imperfections, troubles, twists, and turns. 

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers

1. The History of Drama by Homer Stewart

2. why the news is not the truth by peter vanderwicken, 3. drama reflection essay (author unknown), 4. kitchen sink dramas by rodolfo chandler, 5. love yourself, not your drama by crystal jackson, 6. shakespeare’s theater: an essay from the folger shakespeare editions by barbara mowat and paul werstine, 1. what is drama, 2. types of drama, 3. the history of drama, 4. is the world over-dramatized today, 5. a dramatic incident of the past.

“Perhaps the most theatrical form of drama was opera which is still popular in today’s society. Broadway is certainly a sight that attracts thousands of people annually. In addition, the playwrights of today are striving to make the theatrical experience meaningful to the lives of viewers so that it is not just simply “pleasant entertainment”. Many themes that drama plays in modern times focus on are social problems, tragedies involving the elements of love and hate and as well as social problems that affect the inhabitants of today.”

Stewart gives readers a brief history of drama and its subjects. In different eras, the plays were based around themes and ideas prevalent in those times; for example, the Romantic Period focused on the “experiences of ordinary people.” He also references several playwrights, including Friedrich von Schiller and Percy Bysshe Shelley. In modern times, drama is centered around critical social issues while still managing to be engaging and entertaining.

“Pulitzer turned them into stories with a sharp dramatic focus that both implied and aroused intense public interest. Most newspapers of the time looked like the front page of the Wall Street Journal still does. Pulitzer made stories dramatic by adding blaring headlines, big pictures, and eye-catching graphics. His journalism took events out of their dry, institutional contexts and made them emotional rather than rational, immediate rather than considered, and sensational rather than informative.”

Vanderwicken criticizes the state of news today, saying that many stories are dramatized and outright fabricated to make them more entertaining. He attributes this to Joseph Pulitzer of Pulitzer Prize fame, who introduced He also gives historical examples of instances where the media has exaggerated – news today is too dramatic, and it must change.

You might also be interested in these essays about Macbeth .

“I felt that this learning experience is a very huge step because it takes us from doing a play which is very immature in to something that is big and has maturity in it. It helps me to practice in fluency, public speaking and mostly self-confidence. In the play I developed my ways of acting and how to put emotions in to the character, in which those emotions were not really me.”

This essay describes lessons one can learn from performing drama, such as confidence and speaking fluently. The author also reflects on an experience performing in drama, where the author learned to be more expressive, speak better, and become more hardworking. There is also a brief discussion on the elements of drama, including plot and setting. Drama is important and can teach you essential skills and lessons. 

“In the late 1950s in Britain, the “Kitchen Sink movement”, which is also known as “Kitchen Sink realism” occurred. This cultural movement stemed from ideas about working class activities. A typical writer of kitchen sink dramas is John Osborne, for example his drama “Look back in anger” which aroused many strong opinions when it was first performed as a drama. It is set in a small flat in the west midlands, which is typical of working class people.”

Chandler describes a period in drama where “kitchen sink dramas” depicted working-class stories. He uses John Osborne’s “Look Back in Anger” as an example, briefly describing the play. Jimmy, one of the characters, was known as an “angry young man,” This term was later used to describe young people critical of the social and political state of the world.

“We learn to recognize co-dependence, narcissism, and toxicity for what they are rather than making excuses because we liked the look of someone. In other words, we grow up. We stay in love with our own toxic patterns and keep the cycle of damage going, or we recognize the collateral damage of all our drama and start wanting better for ourselves. We make choices. We experience consequences. If we grow up, we’ll even connect the two.”

Jackson’s essay discusses drama from another perspective, the drama that comes with love life. She gives readers tips on how to care for yourself better and look past all the tension, confusion, and drama that comes with dating. If we look at potential partners from a deeper, more constructive point of view, we can avoid toxic relationships and have a healthy love life. 

“When performance required that an actor appear “above,” as when Juliet is imagined to stand at the window of her chamber in the famous and misnamed “balcony scene,” then the actor probably climbed the stairs to the gallery over the back of the stage and temporarily shared it with some of the spectators. The stage was also provided with ropes and winches so that actors could descend from, and reascend to, the “heavens.””

In their essay, Mowat and Werstine discuss the conventions of performing Shakespearean drama during his time, including the performance of some scenes in different areas of the theater and men playing women’s roles. They also discuss how the theaters they performed in, such as the Globe Theatre, enhanced the plays’ dramatic effect.

5 Prompts for Essays About Drama

The word drama has many meanings and is used differently, as seen in the essay examples above. In your essay, give the word’s etymology, explain the different sides of drama, from theatre to school life, and give examples of how they exemplify the meaning. Explain how they are all connected as well. 

Drama in the context of theatre has four primary forms: comedy, tragedy, tragicomedy, and melodrama. Discuss each type of drama and elaborate on its characteristics. If you wish, compare and contrast them as well. Be sure to give examples of plays when explaining them.   

In your essay, you can also discuss the different periods in the history of drama. Explain what occurred in these periods, how drama changed, and their effects on modern drama. You need not explore too many periods; just make sure you write about key developments and explain them adequately. 

In the world today, the resilience of survivors is glorified and dramatized, while we see media outlets making headlines out of mere gossip and celebrity news. From this, it can be argued that society is centered around making a drama out of nothing. Why is this the case? Discuss your opinion on this issue- feel free to research if you need inspiration. 

Look back to a past event marked by tension, emotion, and drama. Narrate the events and explain how they made you feel- did you learn anything from them? This can be either your own experience or just an event from history or the news. You can read this essay for further inspiration. 

Note: drama can mean different things to different people, so what you consider “dramatic” is up to you.For help picking your next essay topic, check out our top essay topics about love .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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Summer 2024 Admissions Open Now. Sign up for upcoming live information sessions here (featuring former and current Admission Officers at Havard and UPenn).

Discourse, debate, and analysis

Cambridge re:think essay competition 2024.

Competition Opens: 15th January, 2024

Essay Submission Deadline: 10th May, 2024 Result Announcement: 20th June, 2024 Award Ceremony and Dinner at the University of Cambridge: 30th July, 2024

We welcome talented high school students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Entry to the competition is free.

About the Competition

The spirit of the Re:think essay competition is to encourage critical thinking and exploration of a wide range of thought-provoking and often controversial topics. The competition covers a diverse array of subjects, from historical and present issues to speculative future scenarios. Participants are invited to engage deeply with these topics, critically analysing their various facets and implications. It promotes intellectual exploration and encourages participants to challenge established norms and beliefs, presenting opportunities to envision alternative futures, consider the consequences of new technologies, and reevaluate longstanding traditions. 

Ultimately, our aim is to create a platform for students and scholars to share their perspectives on pressing issues of the past and future, with the hope of broadening our collective understanding and generating innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. This year’s competition aims to underscore the importance of discourse, debate, and critical analysis in addressing complex societal issues in nine areas, including:

Religion and Politics

Political science and law, linguistics, environment, sociology and philosophy, business and investment, public health and sustainability, biotechonology.

Artificial Intelligence 

Neuroengineering

2024 essay prompts.

This year, the essay prompts are contributed by distinguished professors from Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT.

Essay Guidelines and Judging Criteria

Review general guidelines, format guidelines, eligibility, judging criteria.

Awards and Award Ceremony

Award winners will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony and Dinner hosted at the King’s College, University of Cambridge. The Dinner is free of charge for select award recipients.

Registration and Submission

Register a participant account today and submit your essay before the deadline.

Advisory Committee and Judging Panel

The Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition is guided by an esteemed Advisory Committee comprising distinguished academics and experts from elite universities worldwide. These committee members, drawn from prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT, bring diverse expertise in various disciplines.

They play a pivotal role in shaping the competition, contributing their insights to curate the themes and framework. Their collective knowledge and scholarly guidance ensure the competition’s relevance, academic rigour, and intellectual depth, setting the stage for aspiring minds to engage with thought-provoking topics and ideas.

We are honoured to invite the following distinguished professors to contribute to this year’s competition.

The judging panel of the competition comprises leading researchers and professors from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford, engaging in a strictly double blind review process.

Keynote Speeches by 10 Nobel Laureates

We are beyond excited to announce that multiple Nobel laureates have confirmed to attend and speak at this year’s ceremony on 30th July, 2024 .

They will each be delivering a keynote speech to the attendees. Some of them distinguished speakers will speak virtually, while others will attend and present in person and attend the Reception at Cambridge.

Why has religion remained a force in a secular world? 

Professor Commentary:

Arguably, the developed world has become more secular in the last century or so. The influence of Christianity, e.g. has diminished and people’s life worlds are less shaped by faith and allegiance to Churches. Conversely, arguments have persisted that hold that we live in a post-secular world. After all, religion – be it in terms of faith, transcendence, or meaning – may be seen as an alternative to a disenchanted world ruled by entirely profane criteria such as economic rationality, progressivism, or science. Is the revival of religion a pale reminder of a by-gone past or does it provide sources of hope for the future?

‘Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Jürgen Habermas (European Journal of Philosophy, 2006)

In this paper, philosopher Jürgen Habermas discusses the limits of church-state separation, emphasizing the significant contribution of religion to public discourse when translated into publicly accessible reasons.

‘Public Religions in the Modern World’ by José Casanova (University Of Chicago Press, 1994)

Sociologist José Casanova explores the global emergence of public religion, analyzing case studies from Catholicism and Protestantism in Spain, Poland, Brazil, and the USA, challenging traditional theories of secularization.

‘The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Judith Butler, Jürgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West (Edited by Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen, Columbia University Press, 2011)

This collection features dialogues by prominent intellectuals on the role of religion in the public sphere, examining various approaches and their impacts on cultural, social, and political debates.

‘Rethinking Secularism’ by Craig Calhoun, Mark Juergensmeyer, and Jonathan VanAntwerpen (Oxford University Press, 2011)

An interdisciplinary examination of secularism, this book challenges traditional views, highlighting the complex relationship between religion and secularism in contemporary global politics.

‘God is Back: How the Global Rise of Faith is Changing the World’ by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge (Penguin, 2010)

Micklethwait and Wooldridge argue for the coexistence of religion and modernity, suggesting that religious beliefs can contribute to a more open, tolerant, and peaceful modern world.

‘Multiculturalism’ by Tariq Modood (Polity Press, 2013)

Sociologist Tariq Modood emphasizes the importance of multiculturalism in integrating diverse identities, particularly in post-immigration contexts, and its role in shaping democratic citizenship.

‘God’s Agents: Biblical Publicity in Contemporary England’ by Matthew Engelke (University of California Press, 2013)

In this ethnographic study, Matthew Engelke explores how a group in England seeks to expand the role of religion in the public sphere, challenging perceptions of religion in post-secular England.

Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Is gene therapy better than traditional medicines? What are the pros and cons of using gene therapy as a medicine? Is gene therapy justifiable?

Especially after Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, gene therapy is getting more and more interesting approach to cure. That’s why that could be interesting to think about. I believe that students will enjoy and learn a lot while they are investigating this topic.

The Hall at King’s College, Cambridge

The Hall was designed by William Wilkins in the 1820s and is considered one of the most magnificent halls of its era. The first High Table dinner in the Hall was held in February 1828, and ever since then, the splendid Hall has been where members of the college eat and where formal dinners have been held for centuries.

The Award Ceremony and Dinner will be held in the Hall in the evening of  30th July, 2024.

Stretching out down to the River Cam, the Back Lawn has one of the most iconic backdrop of King’s College Chapel. 

The early evening reception will be hosted on the Back Lawn with the iconic Chapel in the background (weather permitting). 

King’s College Chapel

With construction started in 1446 by Henry VI and took over a century to build, King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and is a splendid example of late Gothic architecture. 

Attendees are also granted complimentary access to the King’s College Chapel before and during the event. 

Confirmed Nobel Laureates

Dr Thomas R. Cech

The nobel prize in chemistry 1989 , for the discovery of catalytic properties of rna.

Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, suggesting that life might have started as RNA. He found that RNA can not only transmit instructions, but also that it can speed up the necessary reactions.

He also studied telomeres, and his lab discovered an enzyme, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is part of the process of restoring telomeres after they are shortened during cell division.

As president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he promoted science education, and he teaches an undergraduate chemistry course at the University of Colorado

Sir Richard J. Roberts

The nobel prize in medicine 1993 .

F or the discovery of split genes

During 1969–1972, Sir Richard J. Roberts did postdoctoral research at Harvard University before moving to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was hired by James Dewey Watson, a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and a fellow Nobel laureate. In this period he also visited the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology for the first time, working alongside Fred Sanger. In 1977, he published his discovery of RNA splicing. In 1992, he moved to New England Biolabs. The following year, he shared a Nobel Prize with his former colleague at Cold Spring Harbor Phillip Allen Sharp.

His discovery of the alternative splicing of genes, in particular, has had a profound impact on the study and applications of molecular biology. The realisation that individual genes could exist as separate, disconnected segments within longer strands of DNA first arose in his 1977 study of adenovirus, one of the viruses responsible for causing the common cold. Robert’s research in this field resulted in a fundamental shift in our understanding of genetics, and has led to the discovery of split genes in higher organisms, including human beings.

Dr Aaron Ciechanover

The nobel prize in chemistry 2004 .

F or the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation

Aaron Ciechanover is one of Israel’s first Nobel Laureates in science, earning his Nobel Prize in 2004 for his work in ubiquitination. He is honored for playing a central role in the history of Israel and in the history of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Dr Ciechanover is currently a Technion Distinguished Research Professor in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute at the Technion. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Russian Academy of Sciences and is a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was a visiting Distinguished Chair Professor at NCKU, Taiwan. As part of Shenzhen’s 13th Five-Year Plan funding research in emerging technologies and opening “Nobel laureate research labs”, in 2018 he opened the Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen campus.

Dr Robert Lefkowitz

The nobel prize in chemistry 2012 .

F or the discovery of G protein-coupled receptors

Robert Joseph Lefkowitz is an American physician (internist and cardiologist) and biochemist. He is best known for his discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family G protein-coupled receptors, for which he was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Brian Kobilka. He is currently an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University.

Dr Lefkowitz made a remarkable contribution in the mid-1980s when he and his colleagues cloned the gene first for the β-adrenergic receptor, and then rapidly thereafter, for a total of 8 adrenergic receptors (receptors for adrenaline and noradrenaline). This led to the seminal discovery that all GPCRs (which include the β-adrenergic receptor) have a very similar molecular structure. The structure is defined by an amino acid sequence which weaves its way back and forth across the plasma membrane seven times. Today we know that about 1,000 receptors in the human body belong to this same family. The importance of this is that all of these receptors use the same basic mechanisms so that pharmaceutical researchers now understand how to effectively target the largest receptor family in the human body. Today, as many as 30 to 50 percent of all prescription drugs are designed to “fit” like keys into the similarly structured locks of Dr Lefkowitz’ receptors—everything from anti-histamines to ulcer drugs to beta blockers that help relieve hypertension, angina and coronary disease.

Dr Lefkowitz is among the most highly cited researchers in the fields of biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical medicine according to Thomson-ISI.

Dr Joachim Frank

The nobel prize in chemistry 2017 .

F or developing cryo-electron microscopy

Joachim Frank is a German-American biophysicist at Columbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson. He also made significant contributions to structure and function of the ribosome from bacteria and eukaryotes.

In 1975, Dr Frank was offered a position of senior research scientist in the Division of Laboratories and Research (now Wadsworth Center), New York State Department of Health,where he started working on single-particle approaches in electron microscopy. In 1985 he was appointed associate and then (1986) full professor at the newly formed Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University at Albany, State University of New York. In 1987 and 1994, he went on sabbaticals in Europe, one to work with Richard Henderson, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the other as a Humboldt Research Award winner with Kenneth C. Holmes, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. In 1998, Dr Frank was appointed investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Since 2003 he was also lecturer at Columbia University, and he joined Columbia University in 2008 as professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of biological sciences.

Dr Barry C. Barish

The nobel prize in physics 2017 .

For the decisive contributions to the detection of gravitational waves

Dr Barry Clark Barish is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves.

In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”. He said, “I didn’t know if I would succeed. I was afraid I would fail, but because I tried, I had a breakthrough.”

In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university’s second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.

In the fall of 2023, he joined Stony Brook University as the inaugural President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics.

In 2023, Dr Barish was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Biden in a White House ceremony.

Dr Harvey J. Alter

The nobel prize in medicine 2020 .

For the discovery of Hepatitis C virus

Dr Harvey J. Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis” caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.

Dr Alter has received recognition for the research leading to the discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award conferred to civilians in United States government public health service, and the 2000 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.

Dr Ardem Patapoutian

The nobel prize in medicine 2021 .

For discovering how pressure is translated into nerve impulses

Dr Ardem Patapoutian is an Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterising the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature. Dr Patapoutian is a neuroscience professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with David Julius.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I participate in the Re:think essay competition? 

The Re:think Essay competition is meant to serve as fertile ground for honing writing skills, fostering critical thinking, and refining communication abilities. Winning or participating in reputable contests can lead to recognition, awards, scholarships, or even publication opportunities, elevating your academic profile for college applications and future endeavours. Moreover, these competitions facilitate intellectual growth by encouraging exploration of diverse topics, while also providing networking opportunities and exposure to peers, educators, and professionals. Beyond accolades, they instil confidence, prepare for higher education demands, and often allow you to contribute meaningfully to societal conversations or causes, making an impact with your ideas.

Who is eligible to enter the Re:think essay competition?  

As long as you’re currently attending high school, regardless of your location or background, you’re eligible to participate. We welcome students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Is there any entry fee for the competition? 

There is no entry fee for the competition. Waiving the entry fee for our essay competition demonstrates CCIR’s dedication to equity. CCIR believes everyone should have an equal chance to participate and showcase their talents, regardless of financial circumstances. Removing this barrier ensures a diverse pool of participants and emphasises merit and creativity over economic capacity, fostering a fair and inclusive environment for all contributors.

Subscribe for Competition Updates

If you are interested to receive latest information and updates of this year’s competition, please sign up here.

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Voices in Africa Publishers

South African Online Bookstore

Competition

Voices in Africa now extends an invitation to your school to enter the  Whitney Essay and Whitney Drama Competitions . Prizes to the total value of  R25 000  are up for grabs!

Whitney Essay and Whitney Drama Competitions Closing Dates Extended To 31 January 2023.

Winners to be announced online on 28 February 2023 .

Download the entry forms below.

For more information contact Voices in Africa via email at  [email protected]  or +27 (0)64 095 5883.

WINNING READERS:

1 ST PRIZE (R1500): MAHLULWA YENGELI

DELVILLE PARK PRIMARY TEL: 044 878 2300

2 ND PRIZE (R1000): NESIPHO RAMBA

TOUWSRANTEN PRIMARY TEL: 044 850 1570

3 RD PRIZE (R500): GERALDINE SITUKUTEZI

HEIDELBERG PUBLIC LIBRARY TEL: 028 713 7879

3 RD PRIZE (R500): SHINEIL SWANEPOEL

TOUWSRANTEN PS TEL: 044 850 1570

3 RD PRIZE (R500): SHANALA BAARTMAN

BRIDGETON LIBRARY OUDTSHOORN TEL: 044 203 3933

WINNING LIBRARIES:

1 ST PRIZE (R1500): PACALTSDORP LIBRARY

MR ELTON SNYDERS TEL: 044 801 2340

2 ND PRIZE (R1000): TOUWSRANTEN PRIMARY SCHOOL

GK. FOURIE TEL: 044 850 1570

3 RD PRIZE (R500): HEIDELBERG PUBLIC LIBRARY

SOPHI MARI PIENAAR TEL: 028 713 7879

3 RD PRIZE (R500): BRIDGETON LIBRARY OUDTSHOORN

NICOLAS VAN HANSEN TEL: 044 203 3933

By submitting your essay, you give the Berkeley Prize the nonexclusive, perpetual right to reproduce the essay or any part of the essay, in any and all media at the Berkeley Prize’s discretion.  A “nonexclusive” right means you are not restricted from publishing your paper elsewhere if you use the following attribution that must appear in that new placement: “First submitted to and/or published by the international Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence ( www.BerkeleyPrize.org ) in competition year 20(--) (and if applicable) and winner of that year’s (First, Second, Third…) Essay prize.” Finally, you warrant the essay does not violate any intellectual property rights of others and indemnify the BERKELEY PRIZE against any costs, loss, or expense arising out of a violation of this warranty.

Registration and Submission

You (and your teammate if you have one) will be asked to complete a short registration form which will not be seen by members of the Berkeley Prize Committee or Jury.

REGISTER HERE.

Additional Help and Information

THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION

Since 1883, we have delivered The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, the world's oldest international schools' writing competition. Today, we work to expand its reach, providing life-changing opportunities for young people around the world.

ENTER THE QCEC 2024

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is now live!

Find out more about this year’s theme

'Our Common Wealth' and make sure to enter by 15 May 2024!

140 years of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools and has been proudly delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. 

ABOUT THE COMPETITION 

An opportunity for young Commonwealth citizens to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences on key global issues and have their hard work and achievement celebrated internationally.

Frequently Asked Questions for the Competition. Before contacting us please read these.

MEET THE WINNERS 

In 2023 we were delighted to receive a record-breaking 34,924 entries, with winners from India and Malaysia. Read their winning pieces as well as those from previous years.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Terms and Conditions for entrants to The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition. Please ensure you have thoroughly read them before submitting your entry.

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To find out more about web accessibility, and the accessibility features of this site, please visit our web accessibility page .

Why Classics?

• For teachers
• For students

• Our Mission
• Vice Presidents
• Competition
• Previous Conferences
• Expert in Residence
• Publications

Student Competitions

See below the classically-themed Competitions which are open to students of different ages in the UK in 2024 – if you would like us to add mention of a classical competition please send us a message at [email protected] .

The CA also runs its own student Essay and Translation prizes and an Annual Competition , open to all, inspired by a different aspect of the ancient world.

Click here to read the shortlisted stories in our 2023 CA x Bloomsbury Writing Competition or here to listen to the winning stories in our 2022 Creative Writing Competition.

Berggruen Prize Essay Competition

The Berggruen Prize Essay Competition seeks to stimulate new thinking and innovative concepts while embracing cross-cultural perspectives across fields, disciplines, and geographies. By posing fundamental philosophical questions of significance for both contemporary life and for the future, the competition will serve as a complement to the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture, which recognizes major lifetime achievements in advancing ideas that have shaped the world.

The inspiration for the competition originates from the role essays have played in the past, including the essay contest held by the Académie de Dijon. In 1750, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's essay Discourse on the Arts and Sciences , also known as The First Discourse , won and notably marked the onset of his prominence as a profoundly influential thinker. Similarly, our competition aspires to create a platform for groundbreaking ideas and intellectual innovation.

The annual Berggruen Prize Essay Competition will accept submissions in two languages: Chinese and English. Each language category will have a prize of $25,000 USD and intends to recognize one winner, though there may be multiple winners in any given year.

The Berggruen Institute will host an award ceremony and convene the authors of the winning essays in dialogue with established scholars and thinkers at one of our global centers. We plan to publish the winning essays in our award-winning English-language magazine Noema and Chinese-language magazine Cuiling , giving readers insight into perspectives of both East and West.

We are inviting essays that follow in the tradition of renowned thinkers such as Rousseau, Michel de Montaigne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Submissions should present novel ideas and be clearly argued in compelling ways for intellectually serious readers. We are not seeking peer-reviewed academic work. Below is a selection of exemplary essays that epitomize the genre and style we look for. While some of these pieces are authored by already distinguished thinkers, we have chosen them primarily for their exceptional embodiment of genre and style.

• Chomsky, N. (1967). The responsibility of intellectuals. The New York Review of Books .
• Frankfurt, H. G. (1971). Freedom of the will and the concept of a person. Journal of Philosophy , 68(1), 5-20.
• Fukuyama, F. (1989). The end of history? The National Interest , 16, 3–18.
• Huntington, S. P. (1993). The clash of civilizations? Foreign Affairs , 72(3), 22-49.
• Nagel, T. (1974). What is it like to be a bat? The Philosophical Review , 83(4), 435-450.
• Sontag, S. (1966). Against interpretation. In Against Interpretation and Other Essays (pp. 3-14). Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
• Walker, S. (2023). AI is life. Noema Magazine .
• Zadeh, J. (2021). The tyranny of time. Noema Magazine .

Eligibility Criteria

Submission requirements, code of conduct, terms & conditions.

Required fields are marked with *

Advisory Panel

• Lucas Angioni
• Arjun Appadurai
• Julian Baggini
• Tongdong Bai
• Rajeev Bhargava
• Annabel Brett
• Craig Calhoun
• Dipesh Chakrabarty
• Lesong Cheng
• Weiwen Duan
• Robyn Eckersley
• Sam Fleischacker
• Christia Fotini
• Gan Chunsong
• Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
• Asher Jiang
• Michèle Lamont
• Meira Levinson
• Chenyang Li
• Qiaoying Lu
• Jianhua Mei
• Pankaj Mishra
• Viren Murthy
• Thierry Ngosso
• Mathias Risse
• Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem
• Vladimir Safatle
• Allison Simmons
• Smita Sirker
• Xiangchen Sun
• Sigridur Thorgeirsdottir
• Samantha Vice
• Robin R. Wang
• Dingxin Zhao
• Zhao Tingyang

Click "Enter" to submit the form.

Competitions .

All competitions are free to enter.

Open to UK residents only.

The Challenge is to write a novel in a year! Win a Tablet PC All finalists have the opportunity to get their completed book published.

The Book Challenge Opens for new entries on 6 July 2023 and CLOSES on Monday 30 September 2024 at 5pm If you have an idea for a novel that you would like to write or have written a book and not sure what the next stage in the process is, this is for you. To enter send in your book idea we will review the entries with industry experts. Writers of the best ideas will be selected to be mentored by a professional writer who will work with you to complete your book and make it ready for publication. Your commitment is to 12 months of free mentoring from January 2025 to December 2025.

CLICK HERE for How to Enter and Rules, Terms & Conditions.

CLICK HERE To Enter Download and Complete a Competition Entry Form

Discover who won in 2022!

(Also incorporating the Michael Feld Writing Competition for Young People)

Free to enter competition Win a Tablet PC (Open to UK Residents Only)

Write and perform a Poem, Monologue or Short Play of no more than 3 mins long, as part of our Speech and Drama Festival You will be judged on the writing and your performance!

The competition is open to adults and children aged 7 and over. You can enter as an individual or team up with friends and enter as a group.

The best overall piece of writing by young people aged 7 to 16 years old living or going to school in Barking and Dagenham will be eligible to win the Michael Feld Memorial Award. This will be judged on the written pieces only.

The festival performances will be held on Thursday 18 July 2024 at The Broadway Theatre, Barking. The overall winnining performance will be decided at the final at the Pen to Print Awards on the same day.

CLICK HERE For How to Enter, Rules, Terms & Conditions.

CLICK HERE To Enter Dowload and Complete an Entry Form

Your entries must be received by 5pm on Friday 26 April 2024.

Discover who won in 2023!

The Barking & Dagenham Staff Writing Competition 2024

Free to Enter Win a Tablet PC (Open to Staff of The London Borough of Barking & Dagenham and its Subsiduries Only)

Write a poem, short story, or a piece of non-fiction. We are looking for poetry in any form of no more than two A4 pages long on any subject you like. Or Write a short fiction story on any subject of no more than 1,000 words. Alternatively, write an Essay (non-fiction piece) of no more than 1,000 words on your passion!

CLICK HERE for How to Enter, Rules, Terms & Conditions.

Email your entries to [email protected] with the Subject Line: The Pen to Print Staff Writing Competition Winners will be announced at The Pen to Print Awards on Thursday 18 July 2024

Your entries must be received by 5pm on Friday 26 April 2024

The Poetry Competition 2024

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

Winners will be announced at The Pen to Print Awards on Thursday 18 July 2024.

The Audio Play Competition 2024

Winners will be announced at The Pen to Print Awards on Thursday 18 July 2024

The Short Story Competition 2024

THIS COMPETITON IS NOW CLOSED

Essay Competition 2024

Core to the pen to print programme are our free to enter competitions..

The Book Challenge is our premier competition with the fabulous prize of becoming part of our free mentoring progremme with support to write and publish your own book! We have already seen Challengers publish and win awards for their books, so if you have a story that you have always wanted to turn into a book why wait, have a go!

If you don’t have a book idea but love to tell stories or are more poetic, why not enter the Poetry, Audio Play or Short Story Competitions ? Each year we will feature an additional competition which could be playwriting, screenwriting, photography or film making; so you can explore other forms of telling your story.

We are sure you will find inspiration to put pen to paper which you may be lucky enough to see in print , good luck!

Each competition has outline details and links to its specific Terms and Conditions, to make sure you are eligible please read these carefully before you enter.

Please NOTE by entering a Pen to Print competition the author is giving permission for Pen to Print to publish and/or broadcast their work, if it chooses, digitally or in print.  For these Terms & Conditions please CLICK HERE . Any online and social media competitions may have different closing dates. Always check the full Terms and Conditions of each competition for closing dates and entry requirement s. CLICK HERE for our How To Guide for entering competitions

Please do not post or hand deliver your entries.

We only accept entries sent by email. If you have any questions please connect with us by email: [email protected] or by phone 020 8227 2267

Pen to Print helps you find your voice. Hear a winner's story.

If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.

Toni Morrison

One should begin any work of fiction with the longest, most convoluted sentence imaginable, then try to beat that record.

Charles Dickens

Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the readers.

Stephen King

You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it.

Octavia E.Butler

Writing is a great comfort to people like me, who are unsure of themselves and have trouble expressing themselves properly.

Agatha Christie

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

Maya Angelou

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.

Louis L’Amour

It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all the answers.

James Thurber

Creativity is contagious, pass it on.

Albert Einstein

To write successfully, one requires only a sharp pencil, a piece of paper and a hot cup of tea.

Poetry is when an emotion has found it’s thought, and the thought has found words.

Robert Frost

Writing lets you break boundaries because you can go anywhere you wish. The voice in my stories is sometimes authentic, sometimes it is foreign. Sometimes it is old. Sometimes it is new. Sometimes my writing is Muslim, other times it is Sikh and many times, it is no one’s religion because as long as I am telling the story, I am in control. I am whoever I want to be.

Farzana Hakim, Book Challenge Author

DRAMATIC ENGLISH

International Drama/Story-Telling Competition 2024

To allow students from different regions, of different ages to unleash their talents on stage; to promote cultural exchanges and develop drama in education. 

Introduction

The FIRST ROUND of the 2024 Competition will take an ONLINE format.

GOLD and SILVER winners will be eligible to participate in the INTERNATIONAL DRAMA FESTIVAL 2024, which will be held in SHENZHEN of China in the period JULY to AUGUST of 2024 (exact dates to be confirmed). INTERNATIONAL DRAMA FESTIVAL 2024 will be organized by the Neo Elite Education Group in Shenzhen. Details will be announced soon. Neo Elite Education is one of the largest education group in China, and they are also a Supporter of the 2024 competition. 

Gold and Silver award winners will also be showcased in the Youtube Channel: International Drama Competition.

We have participants from India, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Singapore and Hong Kong China in the 2023 and previous competitions. We have partnered up with a few agents in China through the Neo Elite Education Group to promote the 2024 competition. There will be many more participants from all over China. We will try our best to improve our promotion to attract more schools and individuals from more cities of the world to participate in the competition.

There are 4 categories:

Drama Competition (teams):

• Primary School 
• Secondary School 

Drama Competition (teams) Application Form ; Teams from mainland China please contact Mr Gao via wechat ID: AlexKao2021  or Tel: 151 6711 1932.

Story-Telling Competition (individual)

• Kindergarten

Story-Telling Competition (individual) Application Form ; Participants from mainland China please contact Mr Gao via wechat ID: AlexKao2021  or Tel: 151 6711 1932.

General Guidelines

• All competition entries shall be in English
• All participants shall upload their entry videos to youtube. The youtube link shall then be sent to the IDC (International Drama Competition) organizer. Entry videos in other formats shall not be considered.
• Videos of all SILVER and GOLD award winners shall be showcased in the IDC (International Drama Competition) youtube channel.
• Please check the important dates and specific guidelines for the different categories below.
• The IDC organizer reserves the right to reject any entries that carry sensitive contents.

Deadlines and other Dates to note

Drama competition (team).

Primary category

• Each team shall have a minimum of 6 and no more than 20 participants; the oldest participant in the team shall not be older than 12 years of age.
• Teams can be nominated by schools. Each school can nominate more than one team.
• Time limit for each performance shall be 15 minutes
• Participants are free to choose any scripts, including musicals.

Application: Please apply through this (teams) Application Form and pay the corresponding Entry Fee. Teams from mainland China please contact Mr Gao via wechat ID: AlexKao2021  or Tel: 151 6711 1932.

Secondary category

• Each team shall have a minimum of 6 and no more than 20 participants; the oldest participant in the team shall not be older than 18 years of age.
• Time limit for each performance shall be 20 minutes

Story-Telling Competition (Individuals)

Kindergarten category

• Each participant shall be 6 years old and below
• The time limit shall be 5 minutes
• The official suggested stories: 
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? 978-1627797221
• Jazzy In The Jungle 9780763668068
• Jack and the Beanstalk 9781589254565
• Participants are free to choose other stories.
• Participants are free to use any props and/or costumes
• Participants are free to use any simple backdrops and music accompaniment.

Application: Please apply through this (Individual) Application Form and pay the corresponding Entry Fee. Participants from mainland China please contact Mr Gao via wechat ID: AlexKao2021  or Tel: 151 6711 1932.

• Each participant shall be 12 years old and below
• The time limit shall be 10 minutes
• Participants are free to choose any stories.

MARKING SCHEME 

Please note that the competitions focus on the integrity of live stage performances. The judge panel only expects simple but creative sets, props and costumes for the participants. Marks will not be given to video effects and recording techniques.

ENTRY FEES & PAYMENT METHOD

you may Deposit or Transfer or T/T the application fee to the bank account specified in the google application form, then send the bank-in-slip receipt to [email protected].

International Drama Competition 2023

Results of the 2023 Competition has been announced in the post on the front page. Productions of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Plus award winners are now showcasing in the Youtube Channel: INTERNATIONAL DRAMA COMPETITION .

International Story-Telling Competition 2023

Results of the 2023 Competition has been announced in the post on the front page. Productions of the Gold and Silver award winners are now showcasing in the Youtube Channel: INTERNATIONAL DRAMA COMPETITION.

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Drama Competition Notice Writing: Inter-school Drama Competition

Drama competition notice writing is general information that informs people to take part in the drama competition. Two different types of drama competition notice writing are presented here: one for an Inter-school drama competition and another for any organization.

Table of Contents

The drama competition notice should consist of the following points:.

• Drama contest details
• Rules and regulations
• Eligibility criteria for the drama competition
• Encourage the audience to participate in this drama competition

Your school is going to host an inter school drama competition. Now write a notice inviting all the students of your school

Inter-school drama competition.

All the drama enthusiasts get ready to showcase your acting skills in front of the world. We are thrilled to announce that our school’s cultural committee is going to organize an inter-school drama competition.

This is a great opportunity to showcase your dramatic talents on stage and leave the audience in awe. On October 26, the event will take place at Rabindra Bhavan on the second floor from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

There are two categories in this competition: one is a solo act, where you have to perform alone and according to yourself. Another category is group act, where you have to perform with a group of fellow drama-enthusiastic friends.

All the students from all the classes can take part in the drama competition. To participate in this drama competition, students have to register their names before October 10, to their respective class teachers.

The winner of the competition will be awarded a trophy in both categories. For more information, contact your respective class monitor. We also invite all the other students to come to watch the events and encourage all the contestants with clapping and noise.

Biplab Biswas [Cultural committee head ]

Notice writing on Drama Competition in General Format

We are thrilled to announce that our annual drama competition is set to be held on October 20 from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The drama competition will be held at Vishwa Mukta Moncho.

We invite all drama enthusiasts to showcase their acting skills in front of the world. This is a great opportunity to express yourself in front of a vast audience.

Everyone can participate in this drama competition. There will be only a group act, and you have to pair up with fellow drama enthusiasts to perform in this drama competition. You can choose any theme for your drama, like a comedy theme, a tragedy theme, a historical theme, a social issue theme, etc.

All interested people can register their names on our website, educationinsecond.com

Competition Rules:

• Acts should not exceed 45 minutes.
• Ensure your performance is suitable for a diverse audience.
• Participants are responsible for their props and costumes.
• The decisions of the judges are final.

The winner will be awarded an exciting cash prize and a trophy. The winner will also get a chance to perform at the National Drama Theatre with India’s top drama artists. For any further queries, you can send us an email at

This is your time to perform in front of the world and impress everyone with your dramatic performance, so don’t miss this opportunity.

Sincerely, [Your Organization Name]

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Bruce Drysdale 5th-grade student advances to national finals in DAR's essay contest

Bruce Drysdale fifth grader Lia Martinonis has advanced to the national finals in the Daughters of the American Revolution 2024 Essay Contest, and each time her essay has advanced, her family has celebrated with a cake.

She is anxiously hoping for more cake. Martinonis is one of eight fifth-grade finalists in the nation, and so far, she's won three awards for her essay — one at the local level, one at the state level and the latest for the Southeastern Division.

"I am unbelievably proud. I have felt both shocked and pleased each time I learned that I had won," she said.

And there's prize money involved: $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place. The winners will be recognized at the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Continental Congress, which is being held June 26-30 in Washington, D.C.

The topic for the contest was “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Essay writers were asked to imagine they were a newspaper reporter for The Philadelphia Times on May 14, 1897, and the newspaper's editor asked them to attend and report on the first public performance of John Philip Sousa’s new march, “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” The students were to tell about Sousa’s life and the story behind the song.

Lia was with her family on April 20 in Durham to receive the state award, her mother, Andrea, said.

"This essay contest has been an incredible experience for Lia. My daughter aspires to be a writer when she grows up," Andrea Martinonis said. "This opportunity has given her the confidence to pursue that dream. Lia researched the essay subject, learned about American history, honed her writing skills, and read her speech to a large audience at the initial award ceremony. 

"As an educator, I couldn't be more pleased that DAR sponsors this contest, encouraging students to write essays and learn about our nation's past. As a parent, I am thrilled that my daughter chooses to spend her free time reading and writing and that her interests and skills are being recognized."

More: North Henderson student one of four grand prize winners in national essay contest

Lia said her teacher, April Summey, assigned the essay contest to her class.

"I remember being frustrated when drafting my essay, but now I am so glad my hard work paid off. I still cannot believe this is all happening," Lia Martinonis said.  

This part of her essay describes Sousa talking about composing his new march:

"...Sousa said that he composed the song in his head on his return to America as he grieved the death of his beloved band manager, David Blakely. Sousa said, “In a kind of dreamy way, I used to think over old days at Washington when I was leader of the Marine Band…when we played at all public functions, and I could see the Stars and Stripes flying from the flagstaff.” He also stated, “And that flag of ours became glorified… And to my imagination it seemed to be the biggest, grandest flag in the world, and I could not get back under it quick enough.”

More: Apple Valley Middle student one of four grand prize winners in national contest

Summey called Lia a phenomenal, gifted student who "always goes above and beyond."

"She thrives on a challenge and is an avid learner. Her contagious curiosity shines brightly as she lights up upon acquiring new knowledge," Summey said. "Every year, my fifth grade students work on the DAR essay. They are given a prompt and required to read multiple primary and secondary sources about the topic in order to prepare. I am very passionate about the contest, because it helps students learn history and get excited about it." 

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at [email protected]. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

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Blake Rice’s Hornet Sting Drama ‘Tea’ With Michael Gandolfini Heads To Cannes Short Film Competition

By Melanie Goodfellow

Melanie Goodfellow

Senior International Film Correspondent

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The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the eleven titles selected for the Short Film Competition of its 77th edition running from May 14 to 25.

Works in the running include U.S. director Blake Rice’s drama Tea starring Michael Gandolfini ( Beau Is Afraid ) as a lonely and highly allergic Circuit-Shack employee, who gets stung in the throat by a hornet, while rehearsing to ask the girl of his dreams out on a date.

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This year’s jury will be presided over by Belgian director Lubna Azabal, flanked by director Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, programmer and ex-Directors Fortnight head Paolo Moretti, producer Claudine Nougaret and director Vladimir Perišić.

They will award the Short Film Palme d’Or and three prizes for the La Cinef selection, dedicated to student films.

“The Festival de Cannes is one of those paths we dream of crossing. The focus on young filmmakers presenting their short films, and the paths they have taken to get there, honor me. I can’t wait to discover the richness of it all,” said Azabal. 

2024 Cannes Short Film Competition Selection

VOLCELEST Éric Briche France – 15′

OOTIDĖ (Ootid) Razumaitė Eglė Lithuania – 9′

SANKI YOXSAN Azer Guliev Azerbaijan, France – 15′

LES BELLES CICATRICES Raphaël Jouzeau France – 15′

RRUGËS (On The Way) Samir Karahoda Kosovo – 15′

ACROSS THE WATERS Viv Li China – 15′

PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS Alison McAlpine Canada – 15′

TEA Blake Rice United States – 12′

AMARELA (Yellow) André Hayato Saito Brazil – 15′

THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT Nebojša Slijepčević Croatia, France – 13′

BAD FOR A MOMENT (Mau Por Um Momento) Daniel Soares Portugal – 15′

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One Acts Drama Festival: My First Acting Competition

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Every year during my high school there would always be auditions held to be in the One Acts Drama Festival. Each school in the area would make a play to be seen by judges where the festival was held and there would only one winner. I never tried out to be in the One Acts Drama Festival but my senior year I did. Everyone at my school who wanted to participate would have to act out a two minute monologue in front of our school’s director, in this case my teacher Mrs. Machaiek, who teaches theatre.

I decided to try out for a part the day before the auditions were to be held. I looked online for monologues and ended up with the monologue known as Nell, a script from Yale. Nell is about a boy who was depressed and suicidal and who just trying to get on with his life. I remember waiting my turn in the auditorium to go up and act my monologue. I remember feeling nervous but excited at the same time before acting my monologue. I heard my name being called so I walked up to the stage and did the best I could. I would find out next week if I had made the play or not.

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The day we found out if we were in the play or not was rather exciting . About sixty of us auditioned and only about twenty would get a spot in the play. I couldn’t wait to see if I got a spot in the play and as I walked down the hall to see the list I felt a rush of ex citement. I scanned the list for my name and there it was, Devin Sewall. I felt a sigh of relief and happiness. I got in the play, I woud be playing a townsperson. I wondered what it would be like to be a townsperson and how the first rehearsal would turn out.

The day of the first rehearsal we found out what play we would be acting. We would be showing the Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo, not the disney version. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a seemingly dark play. It involved many deaths and torture scenes as well as eerie music which was added to the mix. Mrs. Machaiek gave us a background of the play so we would know what we are dealing with and what we needed to portray. I knew a fair amount of people who were in the play and by the end we all had a good chemistry to rely upon.

For the next three weeks we would be rehearsing the Hunchback of Notre Dame to put the show on at Camden Regional Hills High School, the host site. The first half week we would be going over the script, just doing a full run through, to see who gets what lines to say. After reading the script numerous times, we would be put on stage to act the lines out. As a townsperson, I would mainly be saying lines like, “Come on! Start the play! She’s a witch! Yeah! Go on! ” I remember being motivated to do my best so we could advance to States, only one winner would get to go to States out of nine schools.

I remember the day we got our costumes, I would be wearing a salmon tunic with black pants and shoes with a salmon muffin hat. The girls would be wearing dresses and corsets as the gypsies would be wearing festival like clothing. There were many different parts in the play, first there was the townspeople and the gypsies which were the minor part of the show. Then there were the principles the more major parts of the show. There was Quasimodo the Hunchback, La Esmeralda, Frollo the Archdeacon, Prince Phoebus, and then Sister Gudule.

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https://graduateway.com/one-acts-drama-festival-my-first-acting-competition/

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A New Fitness Craze With Big Drama

Hyrox, a sporting event founded in Germany, has earned a large following for its dazzling, high-profile races.

By Calum Marsh

Calum Marsh traveled to Berlin to report on a recent Hyrox race.

The men in the starting line at Hyrox in Berlin in April practically hummed with nervous enthusiasm. A few dozen racers, part of an early morning heat, stood watching the steady tick of a five-minute countdown, displayed on a huge television overhead. Dramatic string music played on tinny loudspeakers. A booming voice intoned a rallying cry, “This is the moment you’ve been training for!” Lights twinkled. Spectators cheered.

For the founders of the fitness race Hyrox, Christian Toetzke, 55, and Moritz Furste, 39, this kind of kitschy spectacle was always part of the plan. The original brief, when they introduced the race in Hamburg, Germany in 2017, was “to create an event that is a 200,000-euro (about $214,000) production that looks like a 2,000,000-euro ($2,144,000) production,” Mr. Furste said.

Hyrox’s “modern entertainment and light effects create a very special feeling,” Mr. Toetzke said, one that he hopes will create a “new proposition for mass participation events.”

A Hyrox race combines running with several functional fitness movements, such as the farmer’s carry , the weighted lunge and the burpee broad jump . It takes about 90 minutes to complete, on average, although elite racers can finish in under an hour. The race has exploded in popularity since the end of the pandemic: More than 175,000 people are expected to participate in the more than 60 races Hyrox has organized for 2024 . Races in its most popular markets, including Britain, have sold out within minutes of going on sale.

A Level of Respect

Hyrox is not the first fitness race to emerge from nowhere and gain a cult following. What distinguishes it from fads like Tough Mudder and Spartan , according to Hyrox fans, is its athletic simplicity.

“Tough Mudder and Spartan are an experience that has a sport aspect to it,” said Hunter McIntyre, 34, a full-time fitness racer who holds the world record in Hyrox. “Hyrox is a sport that is an experience.” When Mr. McIntyre would tell people that he was doing a Tough Mudder, “it was almost embarrassing,” he said. Now, when he tells people that he does Hyrox, “there’s a level of respect to it,” he said.

“Usually when you ask someone if they did a Tough Mudder, it’s like they went with their office, and they got pictures and wore funny outfits,” Mr. McIntyre said, whereas Hyrox, he added, “is truly a sport.”

As a sport, Hyrox draws heavily from CrossFit, including the equipment it uses. Ski Erg and rowing machines, kettlebells, ropes and weighted sleds are common fixtures of CrossFit gyms. Some Hyrox movements, such as the wall ball shot, were created by CrossFit, although CrossFit workouts use these movements only occasionally, following the founder Greg Glassman’s ethos of “constantly varied high-intensity functional fitness.”

Mr. Toetzke said that he and Mr. Furste workshopped the Hyrox format at CrossFit gyms before the race was introduced. He added that while he tried CrossFit himself, he “thought it was a bit too much, a bit too hard, too injury-heavy.”

CrossFit involves many complex Olympic lifts and gymnastics skills, which can be difficult to master and, to some, dangerous to learn . Hyrox has avoided those kinds of techniques, sticking instead to simple movements that, Mr. Toetzke said, “are very hard to do wrong in a way that can hurt your body.” Despite or perhaps because of the similarities between the sports, Hyrox has deliberately positioned itself as the safer, more accessible alternative.

“Look, candidly I think they’re smart trying to leverage that,” Don Faul, CrossFit’s chief executive, said in response to these claims. “When you’re trying to enter a new space, you define yourself against the incumbent, the company that has defined the category. We’ve seen a variety of folks in the fitness space trying to take the same angle.”

Mr. Faul, 47, a former platoon commander in the United States Marines, said that the apparent difference in accessibility between CrossFit and Hyrox is really just a difference in perception.

“The vast majority of people in our gyms are everyday folks, not elite athletes,” he said, adding that people stepping into a CrossFit gym for the first time might be “incredibly surprised by how welcoming and accessible it is.”

Events Hold the Key

While many local CrossFit gyms host their own events, the only in-person competition the company organizes is its annual CrossFit Games, which is for a handful of elite athletes and is meant to crown “the fittest on earth.” That’s another reason CrossFitters often join Hyrox. It offers a chance to test their fitness live.

Though it’s difficult to say precisely how much overlap there is between CrossFit and Hyrox, Chris Hinshaw, a 60-year-old coach who trains athletes in both sports, said that “most of the people who are getting into Hyrox got their start in CrossFit.” Many of the racers on the Hyrox podiums are also elite CrossFit stars, including Mal O’Brien and Mirjam von Rohr, two of the top CrossFitters in the world.

Hyrox claims to have more than 2,500 affiliate gyms around the world, at which athletes can train for the public races. Mr. Toetzke and Mr. Furste initially told The New York Times that “about 10 percent” of these affiliates were also CrossFit gyms. In Berlin, 16 of 18 listed on the Hyrox website also offered CrossFit classes. When asked for clarification, Hyrox revised their estimate to 22 percent. Mr. Faul said that, though CrossFit does not track the number, he “would be surprised if it was that low.”

Mr. Furste seemed vexed to have to address the subject of CrossFit’s influence on Hyrox. “I absolutely don’t like this conversation,” he said. “We don’t want to take anything away from them. We love the training methodology. But in the end, apart from the functional workouts, it has nothing to do with us.”

Each sport seem to be benefiting from the other. Mr. Hinshaw, the coach, said that Hyrox and CrossFit are “really a perfect pair,” pointing out that offering both sports is are a good way for a gym owner to increase member retention. “A lot of people think they’re competitive with one another, and that is not at all true,” he said. “By the nature of who these athletes are, they’re always chasing the shiny new object.”

The question now is whether Hyrox can endure — or even continue to grow — as the blush of novelty wears off.It could also, like CrossFit, deepen in intensity while narrowing in appeal: It might inspire passion but the passion of the devoted few.

Mr. Toetzke doesn’t think so. “I don’t see the risk of becoming a sport only for committed people,” he said. “We are looking to the success and longevity and sustainability of the marathon.”

Becoming as popular as marathon running, of course, is a rather lofty ambition for an organization with events that are a fraction of a marathon’s size. (Hyrox New York, taking place on June 1, will have less than 10 percent of the New York Marathon’s participants.) But that, long term, is the goal.

“We really believe that this is the potential,” Mr. Toetzke said.

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AFI Life Achievement Award Honors Nicole Kidman’s Career: From ‘Expats’ to Those AMC Ads

By Matt Donnelly

Matt Donnelly

Senior Film Writer

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Nicole Kidman has been an international treasure going on four decades. Whether you’re tracking her many wigs (“The Undoing” is our favorite), admiring her textured and committed performances, or just standing up and saluting before every AMC Theatres showing, you’re probably honoring her in some way.

While five best actress Oscar nominations and one win (for “The Hours”) have been adequate markers of her success and endurance, conversations have been brewing for years about a lack of recognition for her remarkable artistic consistency. 

Popular on Variety

After a 2023 delay due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the American Film Institute hopes to correct this cultural error by handing Kidman its Life Achievement Award Saturday. Broadcast on TNT, the tribute makes for glorious cinema pageantry, sitting our film idols on a dais and trotting out an army of famous faces to pay tribute to them in between movie clips. 

AFI president Bob Gazzale, who wrote the upcoming Kidman show and serves as executive producer, watched roughly 80 films and series from the actor’s archive in an effort to capture her versatility. Only with Kidman do you get “The Stepford Wives” remake next to an adaptation of Phillip Roth’s “The Human Stain.” Or Gus Van Sant’s “To Die For” along with Adam Sandler’s “Just Go With It.” Or Jonathan Glazer’s criminally underrated “Birth” alongside the campy “Batman Forever.” 

Gazzale caught up with Variety to discuss his grand plans for Kidman, offer a look inside AFI’s selection process and tease some surprises in store. 

I think a life achievement evokes an honoree of a certain age, but Kidman and several of your past recipients don’t quite fit that bill. How flexible is AFI in handing out something like this? Kidman has this incredible body of work, but she’s very viable in the marketplace. Even at her young age, she’s had a life of achievements and one worthy of celebration. In addition to her work, it’s her impact. She drives culture forward. She’s doing it now with such power, with her commitment to amplifying the voices of female directors and producers. That’s an aspect of the impact that we’re going to be celebrating at the event. Nicole has been very specific about what she wishes for us to think about. 

What are the metrics you look at when you consider life achievement? Obviously, everyone who we’ve celebrated has been a household name, but it starts with a great debate. There are many worthy recipients. These debates get passionate, and the AFI trustees take it very seriously. 

I love the idea of people sitting in a conference room filibustering on behalf of movie stars. How does the process work specifically? There’s a life achievement award committee that typically recommends three possible recipients. Those nominees are then brought to the larger board. In that round, we hear other important names to add to consideration. The event has gone on now over 50 years, and there are many stories I could tell you. The point is the legacy of the event shows a commitment to excellence. 

How much of her work did you revisit for the show? Most, if not all, of the work. And think about things like “Big Little Lies” — which is seven hours long per season. That’s the joy of it. Revisiting all these shows and movies, you always see new things. That’s especially true of Nicole. Not only have you changed as a person between viewings, but her performances are so nuanced.

What was the biggest standout to you?  “Moulin Rouge.” I was really overcome by the fact that she’s someone who can sing and dance, and play comedy, romance and drama in one quite brilliant performance.

She has an incredible knack for darkness as well. Did you rewatch “Dogville”? I did. That movie is still haunts me to this day. For me, it was like watching a bruise form; it’s painful and yet it’s beautiful. She has been brave in her choices. Her agent once told me she wanted a director who didn’t speak English. He had to inform her [they didn’t speak English] and she looked at him and said, “Then get an interpreter.” She wants new challenges. 

There’s been a lot written about how overdue a moment like this is for her. Would you agree? What makes this event so special is that it’s not a competition. It’s one of the rare events in this community where there are no losers. And, yes, nobody is more deserving of that than Nicole Kidman. 

Will you reference it during her AFI tribute?  We will, but I’m not giving away any surprises. But the other thing that’s unique about her is that this honor stands for something greater. Nicole is the first Australian to receive the AFI Life Achievement award. We’ve had some recipients with roots in the U.K. — Alfred Hitchcock, Sean Connery and Elizabeth Taylor was a dual citizen. But this art form is a global unifier at a time when needed most. 

Tipsheet WHAT AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute  WHEN April 27; to air on TNT in June WHERE Dolby Theatre, Hollywood WEB afi.com 

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TV tonight: Claudia Winkleman’s feelgood music competition is back

More hopefuls show off across the nation’s railway stations in The Piano. Plus: Michael Keaton stars in opioid crisis drama Dopesick. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Channel 4

Claudia Winkleman is back with one of the most feelgood reality shows on telly, travelling around the nation’s railway stations to find the next big pianist. There’s just one change – judges Mika and Lang Lang are no longer hiding (the jig is up!). First stop: Manchester Piccadilly, where young boxer Ellis delights with some Chopin, while jungle DJ and raver Salome belts out Nina Simone, and Lang Lang claims he’s never heard Abba’s The Winner Takes It All before. Hollie Richardson

7pm, BBC One

Mammals, says David Attenborough, are “experts at solving problems”. Which comes in handy when the temperature’s off the charts, and they need to stay cool. In this episode, we see how capuchin monkeys, echidnas and vampire bats approach the problem of searing heat; from licking sticks to deep sleeping – and blowing snot bubbles. Ali Catterall

9pm, BBC One

“This band is a lifeboat for every one of you … ” Steven Knight’s hard-scrabble 1980s drama about young Brummies trying to make vital music in volatile times reaches its finale. With the group in disarray – and Bardon (Ben Rose) adrift in Soho – it falls to military-trained Gregory (Jordan Bolger) to try to impose some discipline. Graeme Virtue

Who has tried to poison Dr Matthew Nolan as he’s being extradited to Beijing on the charge of murder? The enjoyably silly plane thriller continues, and – oh so conveniently – the officer in charge of Matthew’s arrest, DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi), has an eager young reporter sister on the ground attempting to get to the bottom of what’s going on. HR

Ibiza: Secrets of the Party Island

9pm, bbc three.

Zara McDermott continues to investigate the darker aspects of an island club culture that has, in recent years, become more focused on big-spending VIPs. This week, she looks at the difficulties of policing online dealers and the use of apparently legitimate, tourism-related businesses as laundering/smuggling operations. Jack Seale

10pm, BBC Two

Disney’s excellent drama about the US OxyContin crisis debuts on BBC primetime – and it’s well worth catching. It follows individual stories of opioid addiction, with Michael Keaton as doctor Samuel Finnix, Kaitlyn Dever playing injured young miner Betsy and Will Poulter as ambitious pharmaceutical salesman Billy. HR

Women’s Super League Football: Everton v Arsenal, 12.15pm, BBC Two At Walton Hall Park.

Premier League Football: Tottenham v Arsenal, 1.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event Followed by Nottingham Forest v Man City at 4pm.

Premiership Rugby Union: Gloucester v Exeter, 2.30pm, ITV1/TNT Sports 1 From Kingsholm.

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