The R.A. Butler Prize

The 2022 R.A. Butler Prize winners met for the celebratory event in Cambridge, September 2022. Not appearing: First prize winner, Eunju Seo, who joined us remotely from South Korea. (Photo: Ela Moussa).

The R.A. Butler Prize for essays in Politics and International Studies

This 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.

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”.

Questions

Questions for the 2023 prize will be available in March 2023.  For examples of the types of questions asked, 2022 questions are available below.

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.

Deadline

The deadline for this competition will be in early August 2023. Final dates will be announced early in 2023.

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.

2022 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. 

• Whom do elected representatives, in practice, represent?
   
• Are the police institutionally discriminatory?
   
• Is it ever legitimate for one country to invade another?
   
• Should countries be punished for the actions of their leaders?
   
• Do international regional organisations offer the best prospects for cooperation between states in the contemporary world?
   
• Are international organisations biased towards the interests of wealthy countries?
   
• What should the UK be doing to help refugees?
   
• Should every family own its own home?
   
• What statues should come down, and which (if any) should stay up?
   
• What policies should the UK government be implementing to ensure it meets its commitments made at the UN Climate Change Conferences?

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