The Society and the Financial Times are delighted to announce the winner and highly commended students of their joint Schools Essay Competition that asked students to discuss whether it is better for the world to be wealthier or more equal.
The competition sought thoughtful and well-argued responses to the topic, which is central to the Sustainable Development Goals of ending poverty and reducing inequality, and was open to all A Level geography students aged 16 – 18 in the UK.
The overall winner is:
The four judges described Lily’s entry as providing an excellent summary of the key issues and their complexities. These included a consideration of what we mean by ‘better’ and that both increased wealth and reduced inequality can coexist. It was a fluent and sophisticated essay.
In addition, given the range and depth of entries received, the Society and Financial Times have recognised four other essays submitted with highly commended awards:
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Hannah Castenskiold (James Allen’s Girls School, Dulwich)
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Heather Magowan (The Perse Upper School, Cambridge)
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Neel Shah (Queen Elizabeth’s Boys School, Barnet)
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Guy Zilberman (Wellington College, Berkshire)
The winner and highly commended students will be presented with their awards on 22 November as part of our prestigious School Members lecture. In addition to receiving a certificate, the winners will receive a year’s subscription to Geographical magazine.
The five essays have been published on our website here.