12 Economics Essay Competitions for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 13 min read
If you're interested in economics, essay competitions can help you explore topics beyond what is typically covered in high school classes. These competitions encourage you to examine issues such as public policy, finance, international trade, economic history, and development while strengthening your research, analytical thinking, and academic writing skills. They also provide an opportunity to engage with current economic challenges through independent inquiry and evidence-based argumentation.
Why should I participate in an economics essay competition in high school?
Economics essay competitions provide a structured environment where you can investigate complex questions and communicate your ideas through academic writing. Depending on the competition, you might analyze economic data, evaluate policy proposals, synthesize scholarly research, examine historical or contemporary economic issues, or develop evidence-based arguments in response to a given prompt. These experiences can help you strengthen your research, writing, and critical thinking skills while preparing for college-level study in economics, business, public policy, and related fields.
To help with your search, below is a list of 12 economics essay competitions for high school students.
If you’re looking for online summer research programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
These 12 competitions span macroeconomics, international trade, economic policy, public finance, economic history, foreign relations, and constitutional economics, so students with a wide range of economics interests can find a relevant competition to enter.
Several competitions offer substantial prizes, including John Locke Institute ($5,000 per category, $10,000 grand prize), Gilder Lehrman Essay Prizes ($5,000 first place), AFSA National Essay Contest ($2,500 first place and funded trips), and Buckley Institute Essay Contest ($1,000 first place and conference invitation).
Many competitions are open to international students, including John Locke Institute, Harvard International Review, LSESU Economics Society, Yale Foreign Policy Initiative, and Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, making them accessible regardless of location.
Competitions vary significantly in format, from individual argumentative essays, such as John Locke and Yale YFPI, to team-based podcast scripts, such as the High School Fed Challenge, to historical research papers, such as National History Day and Gilder Lehrman, so students can choose based on their writing strengths and interests.
Several competitions have spring deadlines, including Georgetown GJIA (March 1), AFSA (March 1), John Locke Institute (March 31), 1787 Prize (March 31), and High School Fed Challenge (March 16), so students should identify relevant competitions in the fall and begin drafting early.
Prize/Award: Gold (top 3%), Silver (top 10%), and Bronze (top 20%) Medals are awarded, including online recognition | Certificates, including Commendation Prize, Outstanding Writing Content/Style Prize, and High Commendation Prize, are also awarded
Format: Individual | Virtual | Two rounds (Submission round; Defense round for Finalists)
Competition Dates: Defense Days – Spring: July 11; Summer: October 5; Fall/Winter: February 5
Registration Deadline: Spring: May 31 | Summer: August 24 | Fall/Winter: January 2
Eligibility: Current high school students (grades 9-12), both from the U.S. and internationally.
The Harvard International Review (HIR) hosts a biannual Academic Writing Contest for high school students worldwide, challenging them to write an advanced analytical paper on international affairs. You’ll choose from three broad themes and personally design your exact focus area and disciplinary approach. HIR offers a variety of economic topic categories, including Business, Finance & Economy, Trade, and Employment, making it a strong choice if you’re interested in the global economy. The top essays will advance to the Finalist stage, where you’ll attend a virtual Defense Day, delivering a brief presentation on your research while fielding questions from professional academic writers and researchers from HIR. Due to the journal’s prestige, HIR authors have included numerous presidents, prime ministers, and Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
Prize/Award: Scholarships for John Locke Institute programs | 1st ($5,000 USD), 2nd ($2,000 USD), and 3rd ($1,000 USD) place winners will be chosen in each category | One Grand Prize ($10,000 USD) winner will be selected from all submissions
Format: Individual | Online submission | Judged in two stages with an in-person conference and awards ceremony for shortlisted participants
Competition Dates: Registration opens: February 2 | Shortlist notification: July 7 | Academic conference: October 2–4 | Awards dinner: October 3
Registration Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Students worldwide who are under 19 as of the submission deadline
Considered one of the most prestigious high school essay competitions in the humanities and social sciences, The John Locke Institute’s Global Essay Prize accepts submissions within 10 categories, including Economics. Drawing from one of the competition’s three-yearly prompts, you’ll write an argumentative essay on a high-level question in economics based on concepts across economic theory, politics, and current events. Your essays will be evaluated by a judging panel composed of academics from elite universities such as Princeton, Harvard, and Oxford. After the preliminary evaluation round, the top student writers within each category will be shortlisted and invited to an in-person conference in London for networking, academic events, and the awards ceremony. At the ceremony, the top three submissions in each category will receive cash prizes, and a Grand Prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the best essay across all 10 categories.
Prize/Award: Essay publication in the Journal of Future Economists | All non-award-winning participants will be named, but not published, in the Journal
Format: Team submission | Virtual | One round
Competition Dates: Competition Opens: September 9 | Paper Submission Deadline: March 16 | Notification: May 15
Registration Deadline: February 17
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9-12) attending school in the U.S. or its territories, or outside of the U.S. at a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) school | Homeschool students may participate, but require additional paperwork | Only one submission is permitted per high school
Hosted by the Federal Reserve, the central banking system of the U.S., the Fed Challenge is an economics essay competition focused on data analysis and innovative research. The competition provides a different big-picture prompt each year, typically in the format “The economics of…”; recent topics include music, globalization, climate change, and food. Through this open-ended structure, you’ll be challenged to identify and analyze a unique issue in the field at hand, from the economics of Michelin-starred restaurants to the economic impact of an aging workforce. Submissions are typically requested in the form of a podcast script applying the research methodology of a formal academic paper. Your submission will be reviewed by prestigious economists from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the top 12 will be published in the Journal of Future Economists. Even if you’re not named a winner, all participants will be named within the journal, providing publicity and recognition.
Prize/Award: Selected winning essays receive publication and recognition through the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (specific awards vary by year)
Format: Individual | Virtual | One round
Competition Dates: Winners announced in late spring/early summer.
Registration Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9-12) and gap year students who have not yet started college
The Georgetown Journal of International Affairs hosts an annual High School Essay Contest, accepting submissions across the Journal’s online publication sections, including Business & Economics. You’ll submit a research-focused analytical essay of up to 1,500 words aligned with GJIA’s current theme for professional submissions oriented towards your chosen section. Your work may address themes such as parallels between political and economic actors or the economic impact of technological innovations. Your work is expected to analyze current events and recent changes in international affairs and global finance, and to offer an original critique that leads to a concrete policy application. Selected submissions receive recognition from one of the leading undergraduate international affairs journals in the United States, making this a strong economics essay competition for high school students interested in policy.
Prize/Award: 1st place: $2,500, funded Washington D.C. trip and Semester at Sea | 2nd place: $1,250, funded International Diplomacy Program attendance | Honorable mentions: Certificate of achievement
Format: Individual | Virtual | Two rounds
Competition Dates: Winners are announced in June.
Registration Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: U.S. students in grades 9–12, including homeschool students and U.S. citizens abroad | Previous first-place winners, immediate family members of AFSA, Semester at Sea, and National Student Leadership Conference directors or staff are not eligible
The American Foreign Service Association’s National High School Essay Contest is a diplomacy-focused writing competition that provides opportunities to address economic issues. Each year, AFSA provides a rigorous briefing on the competition topic, including historical context on relevant legal, political, and economic issues. You’ll address the prompt from an angle of your choosing, ultimately directing your analysis towards the role that the U.S. Foreign Service ought to play in the issue at hand. Your economics-oriented essay may dwell on topics such as global relations and financial policy, funding for diplomatic initiatives, or global economic development. The top essay writers will interview a panel of judges from the AFSA, delivering brief analyses of their submissions and fielding technical questions. Prizes include monetary awards and scholarships to academic programs in diplomacy and foreign relations.
Prize/Award: Certificates signed by the LSESU EconSoc President; various Amazon Gift Cards
Format: Individual | Virtual | One round
Competition Dates: Essay prompts released in early summer | Results announced in autumn
Registration Deadline: September 1
Eligibility: Students worldwide who have completed the equivalent of their penultimate or final year of secondary school (or are entering university after a gap year)
The LSESU Economics Society Annual Essay Competition is an international writing competition organized by the London School of Economics Students' Union Economics Society. Open to students worldwide, the competition invites participants to answer one of five economics essay questions written by LSE economics faculty, covering macroeconomics, microeconomics, political economy, and contemporary public policy. Essays are assessed for originality, analytical reasoning, use of evidence, and academic writing quality. The competition has attracted participants from more than 60 countries and is recognized for offering high school students an opportunity to engage with university-level economics questions.
Prize/Award: $150, publication on the Yale Foreign Policy Initiative website, and feature on YFPI's social media platforms
Format: Individual | Virtual | One round
Competition Dates: Winners announced by September 15
Registration Deadline: July 31
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9-12 or international equivalent)
The Yale Foreign Policy Initiative (YFPI) High School Essay Contest is an international competition that invites high school students to write an original essay on a contemporary foreign policy issue of their choice. The open-ended format allows participants to explore topics such as international trade, economic development, global debt, sanctions, labor markets, and financial policy. Essays are evaluated by Yale students and faculty for originality, analytical rigor, research quality, and engagement with contemporary global issues. Winning essays are published on the YFPI website and featured through its public platforms, giving students an opportunity to share their work with a wider audience. For those interested in the intersection of economics and international affairs, this is a strong economics essay competition for high school students.
Prize/Award: 1st Prize: $5,000 | 2nd Prize: $1,500 | 3rd Prizes (5 awarded): $500 | An award of $500 is given to the schools attended by 1st and 2nd Prize winners | Prizes are awarded separately for each category
Format: Independent | Virtual | One round
Competition Dates: Winners announced in early September
Submission Deadline: June 22
Eligibility: Current high school students attending schools in the Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School Program
Named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s David McCullough Essay Prize is a history essay competition offering a broad scope of focus areas. You’ll choose to submit either a close reading Interpretive Essay analyzing a primary source from The Gilder Lehrman Collection or a Research Essay on a topic of your choice from American history. In either track, you’ll have the ability to explore topics like the financial impacts of historical events, economic policy changes, financial crises, or economic developments in the U.S. from 1491 to 2001. Past winning essays cover economics topics such as socialism, women in the workforce, the New Deal, and trade relations.
Prize/Award: 1st: $1,000 | 2nd: $500 | 3rd: $250 | Winners are invited to the Buckley Institute Annual Conference
Format: Individual | Virtual (in-person conference for winners) | One Round
Competition Dates: Essay topic released in the summer | Conference and awards ceremony held in the fall
Registration Deadline: Varies annually (typically early October)
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–12 who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
The Buckley Institute Essay Contest is a broadly political competition for high school students focused on issues in conservative politics across economics, national policy, social freedoms, and ideology. The competition provides a yearly topic inspired by the research focuses and perspectives of the Institute’s namesake, William F. Buckley, Jr. Based on prior winning entries, economics essay topics can span the intersections of the U.S. social order and taxation policies, human commoditization and market expansion, mathematical economics, and more. If you’re named one of the top three high school essayists, you’ll receive a cash prize and be invited to attend the Buckley Institute’s annual conference alongside winners from undergraduate-level competitions and Yale faculty members.
Prize/Award: Regional: Honorable Mention, Silver Key, Gold Key | National: Silver Medal, Gold Medal, American Visions | National Medalists: National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall, scholarships (up to $12,500), publication in annual anthology
Format: Individual | Online submission (apart from National Ceremony) | Two rounds
Competition Dates: Regional Awards are released in late January | National Medals are released in March | National Ceremony is held in June
Registration Deadline: Varies by region, generally from early December to early January
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9-12) | Students may submit their work within multiple categories, and may enter multiple submissions within a single category
The Scholastic Writing Awards, considered among the well-regarded high school writing competitions, is an opportunity for students to earn national recognition for their abilities in economics-focused analytical writing or reporting. While commonly associated with creative writing genres, Scholastic’s Critical Essay and Journalism categories challenge students to submit brief academic research papers or news articles on a topic of their choice. Unlike many peer competitions, you’ll be eligible to submit multiple entries and be evaluated for awards for each one. The Scholastic Awards begin with a regional competition, in which three tiers of awards (Gold, Silver, and Honorable Mention) will be distributed. Regional Gold Key winners will advance to the national level, where famous writers will consider your work for substantial prizes of up to $12,500 and publication in the annual anthology. If named a National Medalist, you’ll attend the National Ceremony in Carnegie Hall, where you’ll get to network with prestigious authors and artists, attend special events, and receive in-person recognition.
Prize/Award: School/Affiliate: Advancement to the following round | National: Prizes include medals, trophies, special topic-related prizes, scholarships, and/or monetary awards
Format: Individual | Hybrid (virtual submission, in-person competition rounds) | Three rounds
Competition Dates: Regional and affiliate contests vary | National Contest is held in mid-June
Registration Deadline: Determined by local affiliate contests | National registration closes on May 19
Eligibility: Senior Division is open to high school students (grades 9-12)
The National History Day Contest recognizes substantial research projects by high school students on topics in American history, featuring an academic Paper category. Given the major role of economic forces in historical developments, each overarching yearly theme enables students to pursue research in economic history. Former years have emphasized economic approaches such as economic rights, financial issues in foreign policy, the Great Depression and the New Deal, and child labor. Your entry will be assessed based on thematic alignment and high-quality engagement with historical context, multiple perspectives, and both primary and secondary sources. You’ll first submit your paper to your school, where a limited number of submissions will be assessed for region-wide evaluation. If you’re named one of the top two writers in your region, you’ll travel to the University of Maryland for the National Finals to field questions from expert judges in American history and compete for a wide range of prizes. You’ll also network with researchers and academics, attend special exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institute and/or White House Historical Association, and more.
12. The 1787 Prize
Prize/Award: $2,500 (split between team members)
Format: 1-3 student teams | Virtual | One round
Competition Dates: The winner is announced in May/June
Registration Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: High school students in grades 11-12
The 1787 Prize is a national constitutional studies essay competition that invites high school juniors and seniors to examine contemporary issues through the lens of the U.S. Constitution. Although the competition focuses on constitutional law and civic education rather than economics, many annual prompts lend themselves to discussions of taxation, commerce, federal economic powers, regulation, property rights, and public policy. Students submit an original essay of up to 2,500 words that is evaluated for historical understanding, constitutional analysis, originality, and quality of argument. Winning essays receive monetary awards and national recognition from the competition organizers. For students interested in constitutional economics or public policy, this is a worthwhile interdisciplinary writing competition.
Frequently asked questions
What economics essay competitions are available for high school students?
Options include international affairs and policy competitions, such as Harvard International Review, John Locke Institute, Georgetown GJIA, AFSA, and Yale YFPI, economic theory and analysis competitions, such as LSESU Economics Society, monetary policy competitions, such as High School Fed Challenge, economic history competitions, such as Gilder Lehrman Essay Prizes and National History Day, political economy competitions, such as Buckley Institute Essay Contest, constitutional economics competitions, such as The 1787 Prize, and multi-category academic writing competitions, such as Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Which economics essay competitions offer the largest prizes?
John Locke Institute awards $5,000 per category and a $10,000 grand prize across all categories, Gilder Lehrman Essay Prizes award $5,000 for first place, AFSA awards $2,500 plus a funded Washington D.C. trip and Semester at Sea placement for first place, and Buckley Institute awards $1,000 plus a conference invitation. Scholastic Art and Writing Awards offers scholarships of up to $12,500 for national medalists.
Which competitions are open to international students?
John Locke Institute, Harvard International Review, LSESU Economics Society, Yale Foreign Policy Initiative, Georgetown GJIA, and High School Fed Challenge (for students at DoDEA schools abroad) all welcome international entrants, making them strong options for students outside the United States.
Which competitions are best for students interested in economic history?
Students interested in economic history might consider Gilder Lehrman David McCullough Essay Prizes for research into American economic developments from 1491 to 2001, National History Day Paper Category for long-form historical research with economics themes, and Buckley Institute Essay Contest for political and economic policy analysis from a conservative perspective.
When should I start preparing for economics essay competitions?
Several competitions have March deadlines, including Georgetown GJIA (March 1), AFSA (March 1), John Locke Institute (March 31), 1787 Prize (March 31), and High School Fed Challenge (March 16). Yale YFPI closes July 31, and LSESU Economics Society closes September 1. Harvard International Review and Scholastic Awards have rolling or semester-based deadlines. Students should identify competitions of interest in the fall and begin drafting early to allow adequate time for revision and editing.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. 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.