Essay Competition Terms and Conditions

Entry Requirements
 

Entry is open to women who are members of the Conservative Party. Candidates must be 18 – 35 years old on the day of the submission deadline. Members of the CYW Executive Committee (Chair, Deputy Chairs, Vice Presidents) are not permitted to enter.

Each essay should address only one of the questions, and must be between 800 - 1200 words in length (not counting diagrams, tables of data, footnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration). Please submit your essay, saved in PDF format, through our website. The title of the PDF attachment should read SURNAME, First Name (e.g. MAY, Theresa). We ask that essays are double spaces in size 13 font.

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Candidates are strongly advised not to leave uploading their entry to the last minute - technical difficulties will not be taken into account when enforcing the deadline for submissions. 

Key Dates

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Thursday, 28 January 2021: Submission deadline (23:59 is the final time essays may be submitted).

Monday, 8 February: Short-listed candidates notified

Winners will be announced at an online award ceremony (date to be advised).

Prizes

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There are three main cash prizes:

1st place - £500

2nd place - £250

3rd place - £100

The three winners will be invited to a roundtable (virtual unless otherwise advised) with key members from the No 10 Policy Unit and Conservative Party Policy Board. They will have the opportunity to pitch their policy idea, receive feedback and ask questions about political life.

The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

Criteria

Essays will be judged on:

• Originality of ideas

• The extent to which the ideas are feasible, efficient and fair

• The quality of research and persuasiveness of the writing

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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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