Newnham College - The Woolf Essay Prize
In 1928, Virginia Woolf addressed the Newnham Arts Society on the Subject of ‘Women and Fiction’, and from this talk emerged her seminal text, A Room of One’s Own. Newnham is very proud of its place in the history of women’s education, and we are delighted in the continuation of the Woolf Essay Prize. A Room of One’s Own raises a number of questions surrounding the place of women in society, culture, and education, and the competition allows students to contemplate these themes and ideas while developing the independent research and writing skills essential to university-level study.
Essay questions and submission
The Information and Questions document includes the questions, word limit, and submission details.
This year, the Woolf Essay Prize is open to all Women in Year 12 (or equivalent), regardless of school or country. The deadline for submission is 09:00am BST on Monday 8th June 2026.
This prize may be of particular interest to those studying English Literature, History, Politics, Philosophy or Sociology, but we absolutely welcome entries from interested students studying any combination of subjects.
Please note that AI must not be used to formulate ideas or write prose for your essay. We will disqualify all entries that are reported by AI checkers to have significant AI content.
For any queries not answered here, please contact essayprizes@newn.cam.ac.uk.
Find out more about studying English Literature at University of Cambridge and meet Shakespeare scholar Dr Bonnie Lander-Johnson.
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Discover what it’s like to study Archaeology at Cambridge!
The BA (Hons) Archaeology at Cambridge is made up of four subject areas: Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Assyriology and Egyptology. Each webinar will consist of an introduction to the subject area, a 30-minute taster lecture and a Q&A with a Cambridge academic. All sessions will take place on Zoom on Wednesday evenings from 5-6pm (UK Time).
The deadline to sign up is midday on Monday 1 June 2026.
Sign up
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Girton College - Y12 Shared Ground
Girton: Shared Ground is a brand-new programme open to students in the UK in Year 12. The programme consists of 3 webinars, resulting in a residential for selected students at Girton College, 24-26 August 2026. Successful students will have the opportunity to take part in academic lectures, visit museums across Cambridge, and present at a symposium.
This programme explores the varied perspectives taken on how to most effectively harbour a relationship with our environment. Now more than ever, students should be expanding their skillset to become adaptable to the ever-changing conversations around our planet, through science, linguistics, geography, literature and engineering. Shared Ground works with students to build and practise those skills, mapping them onto real examples for the upcoming Cambridge admissions process:
- How to critically read texts
- Advice on how to find super-curricular resources
- Tips on understanding reading lists
- What is an abstract, and how do I write one?
- Q&A with current Cambridge students
Registrations close on 1 June.
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Emmanuel College - Y12 Medic Mentoring Scheme
Taking place between July and December, the Medic Mentoring Scheme is open to Yr 12s attending state-maintained schools in the UK who are applying for medical courses at UK universities including Oxford and Cambridge. Applications close on 17th June.
Participants will have an account set up for them on our e-platform and will be paired with a current clinical medic at Emmanuel. Through more formal interactions via our webinar series and more informal interactions with a mentor via the e-platform, the scheme aims to help guide participants through the application process and prepare them to make competitive applications.
Webinars will cover:
-Introduction to the Scheme and Approaching the UCAT
-Writing a Personal Statement for Medicine (led by an Admissions Tutor)
-Approaching Cambridge Medicine Interviews (led by an Admissions Tutor)
Participants will also receive:
-Written feedback from their mentor on a personal statement draft
-A mock interview
The entire programme is free of charge. More information and the form to apply can be found here.
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King’s College - Year 11-13 Entrepreneurship Essay Competition
The competition is free to enter and is open to students in Years 11-13. It is designed to encourage students from all backgrounds to explore entrepreneurial thinking and consider higher education pathways.
Students are invited to submit a 1,000-word essay in response to one of four questions:
-How do personal experiences and social context shape entrepreneurial thinking?-Can failure be a strength in entrepreneurship?
-What responsibilities do entrepreneurs have beyond profit?
-How do constraints shape entrepreneurial creativity?
We are especially keen to reach students who may not traditionally see themselves as “entrepreneurial” or who have not previously considered applying to Oxbridge. The competition welcomes students from all subject backgrounds and encourages the use of local, community based, or personal examples.
Deadline: 5 August 2026 (9pm)
Prizes: £1,500 (winner), £750 (two runners-up)
Additional recognition: Shortlisted/Highly Commended certificates
Prize-giving: King’s College, Cambridge (December 2026)
