How entries are judged.
Every eligible entry is read and assessed against the same six published criteria. Names and schools are hidden in the first round. Students' Choice voting is kept separate from expert judging.
The six criteria
Judges score each criterion separately. Feasibility applies only where an entry proposes something; where it does not, the entry is scored on the other five.
Identifies what matters most about the question, including what is often overlooked.
- Is the question narrowed to something that can be argued well in 1,000 words?
- Does the entry notice something a well-informed reader might not have considered?
Supports claims with relevant sources and data, cited accurately.
- Are the important claims backed by sources a reader could check?
- Is the evidence used fairly, including evidence that cuts the other way?
Reaches a position of the writer's own rather than restating common views.
- Does the entry arrive at its own conclusion?
- Would the argument be different if someone else had written it?
Each step of the argument follows from the last, and objections are addressed.
- Does the conclusion follow from what came before?
- Is the strongest objection stated and answered?
Where a proposal is made, considers cost, practicality and who would need to act.
- Who would have to act, and why would they?
- What would it cost, and what would have to be true for it to work?
Written precisely enough to be followed by a non-specialist.
- Could an intelligent reader outside the field follow it on first reading?
- Are technical terms explained or avoided?
How scores work
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5. Judges are given written descriptions and example entries for each level before they start, and their early scores are checked against each other's.
The six criteria carry equal weight.
Three stages
There are two entry rounds. Round 1 closes on 28 February 2027 and Round 2 on 15 June 2027. Entries in each round are judged in the same three stages, against the same criteria.
1. First-round reading
Trained first-round assessors, calibrated against the published rubric, read every eligible entry with the author's name and school removed. Each entry is read by at least two assessors. Entries with widely different scores are read again.
Result: in each round, the top 10% of eligible entries receive a Distinction, and 50 entries are shortlisted, allocated across the three tracks in proportion to the number of entries in each.
2. Specialist judging panel
Each shortlisted entry is read independently by at least two specialist judges from its track.
Result: 20 Finalists in each round, with at least five from each track.
3. Final panel
The final panel, led by the Chair of Judges, reads the 20 finalist entries and selects a winner for each challenge. After Round 2, it chooses the Ten Years From Now Grand Prize from the finalists of both rounds.
Result: three Challenge Winners in each round, and one Grand Prize.
Keeping it fair
- Anonymous first round. Your name, school and country are removed before first-round reading. Please don't put them in your entry.
- Conflicts of interest. Judges do not assess entries from students they teach, are related to or know personally, or from schools they work at. They declare conflicts before reading.
- Calibration. Assessors score the same sample entries before judging begins and compare results.
- Originality checks. Entries are checked for plagiarism and for undeclared AI-generated text. See the AI-use policy.
- Students' Choice is separate. The public vote opens after the finalists are chosen and has no effect on any expert award.
Who judges
The final awards are decided by a panel of academics, practitioners and founders, chaired by the Chair of Judges. The Chair and the panel will be announced on this site, with each judge's role and credentials.
Results
Every entrant is told their result by email. Round 1 results are announced on 5 May 2027 and Round 2 results on 20 August 2027. The Grand Prize and Students' Choice are announced on 20 August 2027.
Once results are published, each award will show how many eligible entries and how many countries it was chosen from. Judges' decisions are final, but if you think a mistake was made in processing your entry, you can ask us to check it. See section 10 of the competition rules.
Read the question first.
Then read the guide on building an argument. It follows these criteria.