Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize
The purpose of the Prize is:
- To give students in Year 12 or the Lower 6th who are considering applying to a University an opportunity to write about a subject they are interested in. This should enable them to develop their abilities for independent research and thought in Philosophy.
- To support teachers of able pupils by providing interesting and challenging further work in Philosophy and by bringing such students into contact with Higher Education.
- To encourage able students to consider applying to study Philosophy, either at Oxford or at another university, by giving them some experience of the type of work involved.
- To recognise the achievement and effort of the best of those who apply through prizes and commendations. Note: the judges are not able to provide feedback on any essays.
Assessment Criteria
Entrants should be in Year 12 (or equivalent) at their school or college. The judges will look for originality of thought, a clear grasp of the issues, clarity in presentation and a critical approach to what has been read. They will also look for a clear structure to the essay.
How to Apply
Essays should be no more than 2500 words in length and should be on one of the topics listed below. Essays should be word processed and submitted by email to admissions@oriel.ox.ac.uk. A font size of 12pt or greater should be used, and the page margins should be set to no less than 1 inch. Entries must be sent with a completed entry form, which is available to download here. Please include a bibliography (note: this does not count towards the word limit). The deadline for submission is noon on Friday 14th June and we hope to have the results announced in time for the winner(s) to attend the College Open Day on either the 3rd or 4th July to collect their prize in person.
Titles for 2019 Entries
- Is anything special about the present moment?
- Can one be mistaken about one's own state of mind?
- Which is more important in determining the wrongness of a person's action: the person's intentions or the action's effects?
2018 Competition Result
The joint winners of the 2018 competition were: Francoise Nel and Lucy Psaila. Francoise and Lucy each receive prizes of £200 and you can read their winning essays below: