Young essayists between the ages of 16 – 26 are invited to apply for The Economist‘s Open Future Essay Competition for Young People. Entrants do not have to pay any application fees and the winner will receive an all-expense paid trip to one of the three Open Future Festival events. Deadline for submissions: 31 July 2019

Essays must be themed around the necessary economic and political change required to bring about an effective response to climate change,.

Here’s how the press release put it,

The essay question is:

What fundamental economic and political change, if any, is needed for an effective response to climate change?

Description: For decades the world has been aware that human activity is heating up the planet to dangerous levels, with potentially calamitous consequences. Despite efforts by government, business and individuals to curtail the trend, carbon emissions are still rising. Perhaps new thinking is needed, since previous attempts to deal with the problem have failed. So what might be done?

 Who is eligible to apply for The Economist International Essay Competition For Young People?

• There are no geographical restrictions. Young writers from every part of the world can apply.
• Entrants must be between 16 -25 years.
• Word count: 1000 words or less

How to submit your essay to the organizers of The Economist International Essay Competition For Young People?

• All submissions must be sent via email before the July 31st 2019 deadline.
• Your email must have the following subject title: “Open Future essay contest”
• Paste your essay in the body of the email. Don’t forget to include your age and country of origin.
• No attachments please.
• All entries must be emailed to: [email protected].
• Please send only one, final submission, and place the text in the body of the email: we cannot accept attachments. Please indicate your age and country.

Awards and Prizes

Prizes will be distribed as follows:

The overall winner will receive:

• a publication opportunity as the winning essay will be featured on The Economist‘s Open Future website a
• an invitation to one of the three Open Future Festival events, scheduled to be held in Chicago, Hong Kong, and Manchester on October 5th 2019.
• The  travel and accommodation expenses will be covered;
• If the winner is under 18, the organizers will cover travel and accommodation fees for the accompanying guardian

A longlist of 20 essayists will be published on The Econoist’s Open Future Website and each of the finalists will get a one-year digital subscription to The Economist.

Do you want to increase your chances of winning this prize?

• Don’t panic
• Read last year’s winning essays here.
• Start researching the topic
• Start writing immediately. Don’t wait until the last minute

Good luck