If you're a high school student with a strong interest in writing, research, and critical thinking, consider participating in an essay contest for high school students. 

These contests are usually super rigorous, and require you to work on your writing, presentation, as well as critical thinking skills as you participate. Participating (and winning) in such essay contests not only look great on your resume and portfolio, but also give you the opportunity to win cash prizes/scholarships to programs or courses. 

One such essay contest that you can consider is the Horizon Academic Essay Prize. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about the competition, including eligibility, prizes, judging criteria, and 7 tips to help you win it!

What Is the Horizon Academic Essay Prize?

The Horizon Academic Essay Prize is an annual competition that invites high school students to explore a central theme through an original essay. It is launched by Horizon Academic, an organization known for supporting high school students in conducting advanced research. Submissions should demonstrate independent thinking, structured argumentation, and a commitment to analytical rigor. All entries are reviewed by Horizon's Academic Advisory Board, which includes professors from leading global universities (more on that later in the blog).

The 2025 competition theme encourages you to question what we know—and how we know it. 

Who can participate in the Horizon Academic Essay Prize?

The competition is open to any student enrolled in high school as of September 1, 2025, regardless of country or school system. If you're currently in high school, you are eligible to enter.

Essays must be written in English and should not exceed 1,000 words in length. You may enter whether or not you have previously participated in Horizon Academic programs. However, if you are a current or former Horizon scholar, you must submit an original essay unrelated to your prior Horizon thesis work.

Is there a fee to participate in the Horizon Academic Essay Prize?

No. The Horizon Academic Essay Prize is free to enter. There are no registration or submission fees at any stage of the competition.

What are the prizes offered by the Horizon Academic Essay Prize?

Three main prizes will be awarded to winners:

• Gold Prize (1 recipient)

  • $1,000 USD cash award

  • $6,000 USD scholarship to the Horizon Academic Research Program

• Silver Prize (1 recipient)

  • $500 USD cash award

  • $4,000 USD scholarship to the Horizon Academic Research Program

• Bronze Prize (1 recipient)

  • $250 USD cash award

  • $3,000 USD scholarship to the Horizon Academic Research Program

In addition, up to 10 students will receive honorary mentions, each with a partial scholarship to the Horizon Academic Research Program.

What is the theme of the Horizon Academic Essay Prize? 

This year’s theme is “Horizons of Knowledge”, and participants are free to engage with any of these 3 questions:

• In an increasingly AI-driven world, how is our ability to think for ourselves changing?

• In today's digital age, is privacy still a relevant concern?

• Should governments regulate what is shared on social media to prevent the spread of fake news?

How will submissions be judged at the Horizon Academic Essay Prize?

Your essay will be assessed based on the following five criteria:

1. Originality & Creativity

   • Judges look for a unique perspective or novel approach to the theme. Your ability to think independently and creatively will stand out.

2. Analysis & Critical Thinking

   • Strong submissions will offer well-reasoned arguments that show a deep understanding of the topic and a willingness to question assumptions.

3. Use of Evidence & Research

   • Effective essays are supported by relevant, credible evidence. You should demonstrate the ability to integrate sources and support your claims.

4. Clarity, Structure, & Coherence

   • Your essay should be logically organized, with clear transitions and a focused progression of ideas that make your argument easy to follow.

5. Presentation & Language Use

   • Essays should be well-edited and use formal academic language. Precision, grammar, and proper formatting all contribute to your score.

Who will judge submissions for the Horizon Academic Essay Prize?

Your essay will be evaluated by the Horizon Academic Advisory Board, which consists of professors and academic leaders from institutions such as Yale University, Georgia Tech, and other popular universities. You can read more about the judging panel here.

How does one submit their entry for the Horizon Academic Essay Prize?

You can submit your essay online by visiting the Horizon Academic Essay Prize webpage: https://horizoninspires.com/essay-prize/

Be sure to review the full submission guidelines before uploading your work. Pay close attention to word limits, formatting, and deadlines.

7 Tips to Win the Horizon Academic Essay Prize

1. Fully Focus on the Prompt

Carefully read the essay prompts and choose one to answer, ensuring your work directly addresses it. Rather than covering topics beyond the prompt, aim to explore all relevant perspectives within its scope thoroughly and thoughtfully.

You should:

• Prioritize depth by selecting a few key perspectives or arguments central to the prompt and examining them in detail. Use evidence, examples, and critical analysis to demonstrate a deep understanding of each point.

• Address breadth within the prompt by acknowledging different relevant viewpoints or factors within its boundaries. This shows you have considered the topic from multiple angles without straying off-topic.

• Be selective when choosing your arguments and perspectives, focusing on those most relevant and that you can analyze meaningfully within the 1,000-word limit.

2. Support Your Arguments with Evidence and Cite Appropriately

While there are no minimum or maximum citation requirements, your arguments should be clearly supported by relevant data and academic literature. This strengthens your claims and demonstrates careful research. Use relevant statistics and peer-reviewed journal articles as evidence to support key points in your arguments, ensuring each reference directly reinforces your claims or provides essential context. Include a reference list of the sources you cite, formatted correctly in MLA 8th edition.

To integrate data effectively in your paper, you should:

• Use statistics and data to illustrate trends, patterns, or impacts that relate specifically to your thesis statement.

• Cite peer-reviewed research to ground your claims in established scholarship and engage with existing debates.

• Explain the significance of the data; don’t just insert numbers or quotes. Interpret how the evidence supports your claims.

• Balance data with critical analysis; your essay should not be a list of facts but a reasoned discussion that weaves evidence into a cohesive argument.

3. Use Appropriate Theoretical Frameworks

Consider structuring your analysis using relevant academic frameworks or models. Depending on your approach, frameworks from philosophy, sociology, political science, economics, or other disciplines can help organize your argument and deepen your critical engagement. Using a framework can guide your thesis and provide consistency in your arguments.

Consider the following frameworks:

• Utilitarianism

• Deontology

• Conflict Theory

• Social Constructionism

• Public Choice Theory

• Game Theory

• Sustainability/Green FrameworksFeminist Frameworks

4. Access Free, Credible Academic Resources

You are not expected to pay for journal access. Use free platforms to find credible academic articles and data for your essay. Students may not use personal anecdotes to substantiate their arguments.

What is considered a credible source?

• Peer-reviewed journals publish articles reviewed by experts to ensure sound research methods and conclusions. Examples include Nature, The Lancet, Journal of Political Economy, and American Sociological Review.

• Academic books published by reputable academic publishers or university presses, such as Cambridge University Press, Springer, Routledge, MIT Press, and Wiley-Blackwell.

• Official reports and data from reputable institutions, such as government agencies or international organizations like the U.S. Census Bureau, WHO, and the UN.

• Reputable academic databases, including JSTOR, Google Scholar, PubMed, and ResearchGate.

• Credible news outlets and magazines for current events or recent developments, such as The New York Times, BBC, or The Economist. Use these sparingly and primarily to supplement academic sources.

Sources to avoid or use cautiously:

• Personal blogs, Wikipedia, and unverified websites, as these often lack rigorous fact-checking.

• Social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok), which are generally unreliable due to lack of editorial oversight and prevalence of misinformation.

• Commercial or advocacy websites with clear biases that may present skewed information.

• Non-peer-reviewed articles or opinion pieces without strong evidence.

5. Maintain Originality — Avoid AI-Generated Content

The Horizon Academic Essay Prize highly values originality and intellectual independence. Your essay must be entirely your own original work. The use of AI tools (such as ChatGPT or other language models) to generate or significantly assist in writing, analysis, or content creation is not permitted. 

Participants are required to declare any use of AI tools in connection with their essay. If AI was used, they must clearly specify the extent and purpose of its usage. Any use of AI will negatively impact the evaluation, and extensive reliance on AI may result in disqualification. Incomplete or misleading declarations will lead to immediate disqualification at the discretion of the Academic Advisory Board.

6. Write Clearly and Formally

Use clear, formal academic language and ensure your essay is well-organized with a strong introduction, coherent body paragraphs, and a concise conclusion. Proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling are essential. In formal academic essays like those for the Horizon Academics Essay Prize, it is generally best to minimize or avoid the use of the first-person pronoun “I.” This helps keep the focus on the argument and evidence rather than personal opinions, making your writing appear more objective and professional.

Dos:

• Use formal vocabulary, choosing academic words over slang or conversational phrases. For example, say “significant” instead of “a lot” or “demonstrate” instead of “show.”

• Be concise and direct by expressing your ideas clearly without unnecessary words. For example, “The study indicates…” is better than “It is indicated by the study that…”

• Use active voice, which tends to be clearer and more engaging. For example, “Researchers found…” instead of “It was found by researchers…”

Don’ts:

• Avoid slang and colloquial language; words like “kids,” “cool,” or phrases like “a bunch of” are too informal.

• Do not use contractions; instead, write “do not” instead of “don’t.”

• Avoid vague language; words like “things,” “stuff,” or “very” do not add meaning.

7. Follow Submission Guidelines Carefully

Adhere strictly to all formatting requirements and the word count detailed in the competition rules. Following these guidelines is crucial to ensure your essay is eligible and professionally presented.

Your essay should be no more than 1000 words (exclusive of in-text citations, reference list, and footnotes), and essays are expected to be in the 900-1000 word range. Shorter than this and you run the risk of not fully addressing the prompt.

Your in-text citations and reference list should use the Modern Language Association (MLA) 8th edition citation style.

To ensure a blind review, do not include your name, school, or any identifying information within the essay. 

Additionally, students are not permitted to collaborate on a joint entry and are expected to be the sole writer and editor of their own work. Discussion, feedback, and proofreading are permitted, but the only person making changes to and writing the essay must be the participant.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.

Image Source - Horizon Academic Research Program logo