Uehiro Oxford Prize - how to take part

Overview

The National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize in Practical Ethics 2025 is now closed for entries.

An overview of the process is below:

  • Entry is by submitting an essay of up to 2000 words on any topic relevant to practical ethics.  
  • To enter, please submit your written papers by 23:00 Sunday 2nd February 2025 to admin@uehiro.ox.ac.uk. Finalists will be notified during the week commencing 24th February 2025 of selection.
  • Two undergraduate papers and two graduate papers will be shortlisted from those submitted to go forward to a public presentation and discussion, where the winner of each category will be selected.  
  • The public presentation will take place on Tuesday 18th March, from 17:30. Please save this presentation date, as you will need to attend if selected as a finalist.
  • The winner from each category will receive a prize of £500, and the runner up £200. Revised versions of the two winning essays will be considered for publication in the Journal of Practical Ethics. 

If you have a question that is not answered by the information on these pages, please email: admin@uehiro.ox.ac.uk

 

How to take part     Terms and conditions     Past winners

How to take part

Stage 1: The Essay

Your essay of up to 2000 words may cover any topic relevant to practical ethics. The question to be addressed should be stated clearly in bold at the outset. References are permitted but not required.  The essay can draw upon existing published work but must be sufficiently original for it to be eligible for consideration for publication in the Journal of Practical Ethics. The focus of the marking will be on the quality and originality of your argument.

How to submit your entry:

  • Pre-prepare your submission for blind review by removing any identifying information from your manuscript.
  • Provide a separate title sheet with the title of your essay, your name and contact details, email address and a word count.
  • Please note that essays exceeding 2000 words may not be considered.
  • Footnotes and references are not included in the word count, however footnotes should be kept to a minimum.
  • Email both a pdf and Word version of your anonymised manuscript, plus the title sheet, to admin@uehiro.ox.ac.uk by the closing date. 

Essays will be assessed based on quality and originality of argument, including:

  • Persuasiveness of argument
  • Critical acumen
  • Clarity of structure and content
  • Intelligent use of literature
  • Understanding of the topic
  • Originality
  • Potential for impact beyond the academy

Scores and feedback will not be generally provided. Feedback will be provided to the winners if their papers are invited to be submitted to the Journal of Practical Ethics. Anti-plagiarism software will be employed by the assessors.

Stage 2: Presentation Event

Shortlisted authors will be invited to the public presentation event. Before a panel of judges and the audience, they will each be asked to give a presentation of 15 minutes (maximum), explaining the key ideas of their paper. This will be followed by a 5 minute Q&A with the audience. Each finalist will be allowed a strict maximum of 20 minutes overall.

The panel will make a final judgement on each presentation, based on the same criteria as those used to assess the original essays, taking also into account the presenter’s capacity for communication with the audience.

After the presentation we invite the audience to join the finalists and judges at a drinks reception, during which the panel will announce the winners. Following which the finalists are invited to join the judging panel at a celebration dinner to be held in one of the Oxford colleges.

Finalists from outside of Oxford may have their travel and accommodation provided to allow them to attend this event in person, to be confirmed upon application.

Terms and conditions

By entering the National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize in Practical Ethics, you agree to accept the following T&Cs:

 
Terms of Entry

  1. Entry to the National Uehiro Oxford Essay Prize in Practical Ethics is free of charge. The Competition is funded by the Uehiro Oxford Institute.
  2. The Competition is open to undergraduates and graduates enrolled in any University in the UK.
  3. All entries must be original and written by the entrant. Any essays that feature plagiarised material or that have been written with the use of AI will be disqualified. 
  4. Essays must be written by a single entrant, essays with multiple authors will not be considered.
  5. Essays may address any question pertinent to practical ethics.
  6.  Essays may not be longer than 2000 words. Any essay that exceeds this limit may be disqualified. Footnotes are not included in the final wordcount.
  7. All entries must be submitted by 23:00 on Sunday 2nd February 2025 . Late entries will not be considered. 

Essay Selection

  1. Shortlisted essays will be selected by the judging panel with assessment based on quality and originality of argument, including:
    • Persuasiveness of argument
    • Critical acumen
    • Clarity of structure and content
    • Intelligent use of literature
    • Understanding of the topic
    • Originality
    • Potential for impact beyond the academy
  2. Scores and feedback will not be provided. The exception to this is the two winners if their papers are invited to be submitted to the Journal of Practical Ethics.
  3. Anti-plagiarism software will be employed by the assessors. 
  4. The judging panel will be comprised of researchers from the Uehiro Oxford Institute and invited guest judges.
  5. The judges’ decision is final. 
  6. Shortlisted entrants will be contacted during the week commencing the 24th February 2025.

The Presentation Event

  1. The event will take place in Oxford, UK, on Tuesday 18th March 2025, from 17:30. Finalists are invited to attend in person but may participate online if necessary. 
  2. There is no alternative prize available if participants are unable to attend the presentation. 
  3. Reasonable travel costs may be reimbursed for participants if necessary upon prior application.
  4. Accommodation costs may be reimbursed if accommodation is required due to length of journey, at the discretion of the Uehiro Oxford Institute. Please discuss with the Institute in advance of any booking. 
  5. The winner from each category will receive a prize of £500, and the runner up £200.
  6. The judging panel will be comprised of researchers from the Uehiro Oxford Institute and special guests.
  7. The judges’ decision is final. 
  8. Revised versions of the two winning essays will be considered for publication in the Journal of Practical Ethics.
  9. Videos and photographs may be taken during the event, for marketing and communications purposes. Images may be used in the Institute's Annual Report and other marketing activities.