Lumiere Scholars Essay Award (cash prizes)
ListedCompetition
- Award
- Portable cash awards: $1,000 gold (one), $500 silver (two), $300 bronze (three). Separate Lumiere-program tuition discounts are conditional on admission and are not portable college funding.
- Timeline
- Nov 30, 2026Free registration at EST
- Dec 20, 2026Essay at EST. Optional early submission October 25, 2026
- Jan 4, 2027Shortlist
- Jan 10, 2027Virtual ceremony .
- How to apply
- Register free and submit one original English argumentative essay up to 2,000 words excluding footnotes/bibliography, answering one of five Fall 2026 prompts. Use MLA 8 citations; evidence and counterarguments matter. Provide an academic referee email for authenticity checks. Writing entirely your own; feedback allowed, external writing services prohibited.
- What you'll need
- An essay
- Who can apply
- Students worldwide enrolled in high school as of December 31, 2026. Lumiere current/alumni scholars eligible but cannot submit their final Lumiere paper. Solo submission; no collaborative essays.
- Good to know
- Prompts cover democracy/inequality, cancer, international treaties, political media and unrepresented stakeholders. Original research/data collection is not required. Advertised tuition discounts and $100 early-submission scholarship bonus are separate from cash awards. July 9, 2027 Oxford event invitation does not establish paid travel.
- Details
- International students eligible