School Essay Competition

2023 competition 

The 2023 School Essay Competition, organised in partnership with the Financial Times, invites students to answer the following question:

What risks are associated with climate change and what should we be doing about it?

Your answer will need to briefly explain what climate change is, as well as identifying consequences and mitigation strategies. You should use FT resources, as well as other sources, possibly including:

Climate Change for Schools | Financial Times (ft.com)

Europe’s Climate Leaders | Financial Times (ft.com) 

UK government ‘strikingly unprepared’ for global warming | Financial Times (ft.com)

Global warming set to reach 1.5C in the near-term, UN reports | Financial Times (ft.com)

The illusion of saving the planet with a trillion trees (ft.com)

Geography class: Scientists study how wavy jet stream plus ‘extra warmth’ fuels extreme weather | Financial Times (ft.com)

Geography class — Climate graphic of the week: ‘alarming’ trends revealed in weather reports | Financial Times

Geography class: World on track for up to 2.6C temperature rise by 2100, reports UN | Financial Times (ft.com)

The competition closes at 5.00pm on Monday 2 October 2023. Entries will not be accepted after this time.
 

The judges are looking for:

• A clear essay or ArcGIS StoryMap which is well-evidenced and reaches a clear conclusion

• Submissions that do not exceed 1,000 words (excluding references)

• Referenced sources of information and data

• Submissions which are the entrant’s own work and relevant to the question and guidance

You can find further information about sustainability and environmental issues using the Society's and FT for Schools online resources:

• Financial Times FT Free subscription for schools

• Society's school resources

The Society runs this competition in partnership with the Financial Times as part of its education programme to support geography teachers and their pupils. The competition is open to all schools and advertised through our wide networks. Submissions are judged without seeing the entrants’ names or school details.

Your school can become a School Member of the Society, and you and your pupils can join as an Associate Fellow/Fellow or Student Member respectively.