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1-Mar-23-2023-10-08-37-1295-AM

Academic competitions

Academic competitions are an excellent way to explore and demonstrate your interest in a subject while boosting your personal statements.
 
A number of elite universities and other prestigious companies, institutions and academic organisations run annual prizes and competitions. As you can imagine they are enormously competitive but preparing a submission and entering can reap huge rewards.

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The submission in itself will drive your research and understanding of the topic. This can and will be beneficial to any university application as this is the very intellectual curiosity, passion and determination that they are looking for.
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Your skills will improve and your involvement will be an excellent addition to your personal statement.
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An opportunity to discuss your submission at an interview allows you to talk with confidence about something you are intimately knowledgeable about.
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Exams and assignments don't always offer you the opportunity to demonstrate your unique talents while competitions do.
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There is always the chance that your submission will be successful and you gain not only the plaudits as the successful winner but potentially the cash prize that often comes with this. Consider the process a very good learning opportunity but the prize at the end could be an enormous additional benefit.

Here are just some of the competitions to enter now 👉
⚛️ Cambridge Chemistry Challenge - aimed at Year 12 students but available to younger students — is designed to stretch and challenge students beyond the curriculum interested in chemistry and is excellent experience for anyone considering chemistry for further study.
 
👩‍🔬 The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition is free, and is open to young people in the UK aged 11 to 18 in state-funded secondary education, who are home educated or who enter as part of a community group. Competitors can only enter one project, either on their own or as part of a team.
 

🍃 The Slingshot Challenge is run by National Geographic and is an exciting opportunity for students to get involved with the global programme. Students can enter in teams of up to six. Individual entries are welcomed although all entries are expected to involve collaboration with peers, stakeholders, and/or marginalized communities.

👷 If You Were An Engineer, What Would You Do? This exciting competition mapped to the curriculum, asks pupils from primary schools, secondary schools and nurseries to identify a problem in the world and design a solution to it.

📈 The Monetary Policy Essay Prize - What causes high inflation, and is the Bank of England responsible for the current inflation episode? If so, how would you make it more accountable? Entries should be no longer than 2,500 words long. The competitions are free to enter, and open to both UK and non-UK residents. However, all entrants must be able to attend the semi-finals and final in person in order to compete.


Check out My Super Curricular website for more competitions and events.