2024 Policy Competition
Do you have a great policy idea to solve one of the country’s most challenging issues? Do you want to pitch that directly to the No 10 Policy Unit and a government minister? Then get writing…
CYW is excited to announce the launch of our 2024 policy competition.
The competition aims to inspire new policies and political thinking as well as promoting the ideas of young Conservative women from across the United Kingdom.
All you need to do to enter is choose one of the five topics below and submit your best idea on how to solve the issue in no more than 600 words. The finalists will then have the opportunity to pitch their policy proposals to the No 10 Policy Unit and a government minister who will determine the winning entry.
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Stage 1: Entries must be received by Sunday 17th March 2024 at 23:59. Individuals whose entries are shortlisted will be notified at the beginning of April.
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Stage 2: Finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas directly to No 10 in a ‘dragon’s den’ style presentation – further details will be circulated to the finalists in April.
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Your policy proposal ​
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The policy topics have been inspired by the Prime Minister’s key priorities and some of the country’s most pressing issues which are impacting young people. Entrants should submit a one sentence summary of their policy and a 500-600 word proposal explaining their policy on ONE of the following topics:
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Since 2010 the UK economy has performed well, growing faster than Germany, France, Spain and Italy. However Covid, global instability and inflation have hit economic performance and the OBR now predict growth of 0.7% in 2024 and 1.4% in 2025. What policy change do you think would help grow the economy and get Britain moving again?
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With an ageing population and growing health needs, the NHS faces increasing pressures. What policy idea do you have to support and future-proof the NHS?
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Protecting the environment is one of the biggest concerns for young people and the Environment Act of 2021 introduced new legally binding targets to protect our environment, clean up our air and rivers and improve biodiversity. What is your policy suggestion to support the environment for next generation? (You may choose to focus on one environmental issue such as pollution, renewable energy, conservation etc.)
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Many young people are struggling to get on the property ladder. What is your policy suggestion to ensure more young people in Britain have the opportunity to become homeowners? (Given the complexity of the issue you may focus your idea on one aspect e.g., planning, finance etc.)
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The Conservative Party has always been the party of business. What policy idea would you suggest to better support British businesses?
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Criteria
Entrants should offer up innovative and pragmatic policy suggestions with the following criteria in mind:
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Pragmatism: policy implementation can be challenging and almost always involves trade-offs (costs, ease of implementation etc). A good policy idea needs to be deliverable.
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Specificity: each of the topics is multi-layered and you may only be able to fix one aspect. A good submission will understand how the issue breaks down and may focus on solving one aspect of a bigger problem.
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Originality: the extent to which the solution has not been tried before.
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Communication: the persuasiveness of your writing and the extent of your research.
Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible.
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Please email committee@conservativeyoungwomen.com if you have any additional questions.
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