John Locke Institute 2026 Global Essay Competition

At the start of this year, my mother got to know about the John Locke Institute Essay Competition and she asked me to look at the essay topics to participate and submit an essay in the junior category. Some of the topics were really great but what caught my attention was a topic in the Public Policy category "Should vaccination be mandatory in a public health emergency?" I wrote the essay over the week researching through different areas I wanted to capture and submitted it. After the submission, there were more interesting rounds through the process like review of the essay by my teacher, English examination, but the most interesting one was the AI interview on my essay. After all these rounds I was shortlisted as a finalist for the Public Policy Category of the John Locke Institute 2026 Global Essay Prize!

This year, they welcomed 100,227 contestants from 183 countries.  After assessing every eligible entry, the shortlist was drawn from the top 17.5 percent. To be numbered among the best of the best is a remarkable achievement and I am looking forward to see if I make it to the winner list which will be announced in October 2026.

I will be back with updates soon.