Arts and Humanities Essay Competition 2023 Winners

Magdalene College is delighted to announce the winners of the inaugural Arts and Humanities Essay Competition.

The competition invited Year 12 students from UK state-maintained schools to submit a response to one of twelve essay questions, which encompassed a variety of Arts and Humanities subjects available to study at undergraduate level at the University of Cambridge. In its first year, the competition attracted over 110 excellent entries.

First Prize was awarded to Edward Morgan from King James’s School in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Edward’s fantastic essay addressed the question ‘Can artificial intelligence create art, and what issues does this raise?’.

Two entries were deemed deserving of Second Prize, which was awarded jointly to Ansruta Ayyalasomayajula from Rugby High School in Warwickshire, and Evie Neppl from Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School in Essex. Ansruta’s essay discussed the merits of English as an ‘international language’, whilst Evie’s reflected on the concept of evil and its implications for studies of philosophy and religion.

Third Prize was awarded to Isaac Sallé from Aylesbury Grammar School for his essay on reading literature for escapism.

Honourable Mentions were also awarded to Ayman Hussain (Archbishop Blanch School, Liverpool), Erin O’Hare (Upton Hall FCJ, Wirral), and Lucy Smith (Beverley Joint Sixth Form, East Yorkshire).

All winners and their guests have been invited to a prize-giving celebration at Magdalene College.

The judging panel, composed of Magdalene Fellows from across the Arts and Humanities, provided the following feedback to entrants:

The judges were extremely impressed with the overall quality of the essays that they read, and in particular with the range of responses given to the different set questions. These showed ingenuity, independence of mind, critical thinking, and creativity, as well as a great deal of research and effort. The essays were characterful, interesting, and enjoyable to read, and it was very difficult to pick winners. We recognise that many excellent essays have unfortunately gone unrewarded, but congratulate everyone on their efforts.

You can read the prize-winning essays below.

Magdalene College Arts and Humanities Essay Competition 2023

First Prize

Edward Morgan (King James’s School) (261.93 KB)

Joint Second Prize

Ansruta Ayyalasomayajula (Rugby High School) (174.97 KB)

Joint Second Prize

Evie Neppl (Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School) (141.53 KB)

Third Prize

Isaac Sallé (Aylesbury Grammar School) (229.87 KB)

Honourable Mention

Ayman Hussain (Archbishop Blanch School) (189.44 KB)

Honourable Mention

Erin O’Hare (Upton Hall FCJ) (77.22 KB)

Honourable Mention

Lucy Smith (Beverley Joint Sixth Form) (152.13 KB) 

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