The 2023 R.A. Butler Prize winners at the celebratory event in Cambridge, September 2023, flanked by two current POLIS students, Bao and Zalma. (Photo: Edward Murambwa)
The R.A. Butler Prize for essays on Politics and International Studies
We would like to offer our congratulations to the winners and thank everyone who entered the 2024 R.A. Butler Prize competition. We had an unprecedented number of entries this year, making the decision incredibly difficult for our judges. We received some truly exceptional essays, so well done to all who entered.
The 2024 R.A. Butler Prize winners are:
First prize: Quynh An Tran, British International School Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Second prize: Alia Saphier, Dwight-Englewood School, New Jersey, USA
Special commendations were awarded to: Ben Anderson (Bishops Diocesan College, Cape Town, South Africa), Ava Clarke-Stevens (James Allen Girls' School, London), Roye Ganju (United World College of South East Asia, Dover Campus, Singapore), Sam Hickman (Bristol Cathedral Choir School, Bristol), Alexander Mould (Prior Park College, Bath), Lily Newberry (Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar School, Tunbridge Wells, Kent) and Evelyn Wong (King George V School, Hong Kong)
Questions for the next round of the competition will be released in March 2025.
What is the R.A. Butler Prize?
The R.A. Butler Prize competition is open to students in Year 12 or the Lower 6th.
The Prize is jointly organised by Trinity College Cambridge and Cambridge University’s Department of Politics and International Studies.
It was established in memory of the former Master of Trinity College, Lord Butler, who most famously served as Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and who was responsible for the introduction of free secondary education for all students in the UK.
The objectives of the R.A. Butler Prize are twofold. Firstly, it aims to encourage students with an interest in modern politics and world affairs to think about undertaking university studies in politics, international studies or a related discipline. It is not limited to those already studying these subjects or indeed other social sciences. Secondly, its intention is to recognise the achievements both of high-calibre students and those who teach them.
2024 Questions
Answer one of the following. You are encouraged to use a diverse selection of contemporary, historical or literary examples in making your arguments, and not to restrict yourself to material taken from school courses. Essays should be no longer than 3,000 words, including any footnotes.
- Would a global wealth tax be both possible and desirable?
- Is it possible to justify wars in the name of democracy?
- Should we care about the personal morals of politicians?
- Democratic states, authoritarian regimes, or private corporations: which of these can most effectively manage the climate transition?
- When do global sporting events become important for international politics?
- Should all artefacts taken by colonial powers from around the world be returned to their countries of origin?
- Should old people be allowed to vote?
- When is abstaining from voting a legitimate political tactic in a democracy?
- Does good government require strong leaders?
- Should we let Artificial Intelligence solve political disagreements?
Submission
The deadline for submission was 12 noon (BST) on Thursday 1st August 2024.
Entries should be submitted via: https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/essay-prizes/politics/
Useful information
Format
Essays should be 3000 words at most, including all footnotes and references but excluding the bibliography. It’s worth considering the use of examples in your essays: the best essays often use a diverse selection of contemporary, historical or literary examples.
We encourage you to provide references to your sources of information and to include a bibliography at the end of the essay. Please include your name on the document and save the file as “Surname, First name”.
Eligibility
The Prize is for students in Year 12 or Lower 6th at the time the questions are released in March. Students abroad are most welcome to participate. They should, however, be in their penultimate year of school. Each entrant to the competition is allowed to submit only one essay.
Rules of eligibility are on: https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/essay-prizes/politics/.
Deadline
The deadline for submission was 12 noon (BST) on Thursday 1st August 2024.
Prize
The competition carries a First Prize of £600, to be split equally between the candidate and his or her school or college (the school or college’s portion of the prize to be issued in the form of book tokens), and a Second Prize of £400, which again is to be shared equally between the candidate and his or her school or college. Winners are announced in September and will be invited to visit the College to meet some of the teaching staff.
Contact
Any queries from students who may be interested in submitting work for the prize, or their teachers, should be emailed to butlerprize@trin.cam.ac.uk.
Previous Prize winners
2023 winners:
First prize: John Paul Cheng, Winchester College, Winchester
Second prize: Fela Callahan, Harris Westminster Sixth Form, London
2022 winners:
First prize: Eunju Seo, North London Collegiate School Jeju, Republic of Korea
Second prize: Luke Grierson, High Storrs School, Sheffield
2021 winners:
First prize: Saumya Nair, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Gloucestershire
Second prize (joint): Liyana Eliza Glenn, home-schooled, UK
Second prize (joint): Amr Hamid, St Paul's School, London
2020 winners:
First prize: Lydia Allenby, Gosforth Academy, Newcastle upon Tyne
Second prize: Louis Danker, City of London School, London
2019 winners:
First Prize: Matthew Gursky, Hall Cross Academy, Doncaster
Second Prize: Evie Morgan, Ipswich School, Ipswich
2018 winners:
First Prize: Gergely Bérces, Milestone Institute, Budapest, Hungary
Second Prize: Tatyana Goodwin, Varndean College, Brighton & Eloise George, Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
2017 winners:
First Prize: Folu Ogunyeye, Aylesbury High School
Second Prize: Eve McMullen, Minster School, Southwell
2016 winners:
First Prize: Silas Edwards, St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Bristol
Second Prize: Eliza Harry, Greene's Tutorial College, Oxford
2015 winners:
First Prize: Stephen Horvath, Westminster School, London
Second Prize: Grace Elshafei, Sevenoaks School, Kent
2014 winners:
First Prize: Oscar Alexander-Jones, St Paul's School, London
Second Prize: Sam Maybee, King Edward VI Five Ways School, Birmingham
2013 winners:
First prize: Eleanor Shearer, Westminster School, London
Second prize (joint): Stephanie Clarke, Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Lancaster
Second prize (joint): Will Barnes, Manchester Grammar School, Manchester
2012 winners:
First prize: Kiah Ashford-Stow, King Edward VI School, Southampton
Second prize: Jamie Sproul, Stamford School, Stamford, Lincolnshire
2011 winners:
First prize: Aman Rizvi, Winchester College, Winchester
Second prize: Frans Robyns, Kings College School, Wimbledon