Competitions · Humanities and writing · SoT Psychology Essay Competition
The Scholars of Tomorrow Psychology Essay Competition.
Fifteen hundred words looking at a social problem through psychology, open to anyone aged eighteen or under anywhere in the world, and judged by an academic committee drawn from Harvard and East China Normal University.
What it asks for
A social problem, read through psychology.
The brief is narrower than "write about psychology", and understanding it is most of the difference between a placing entry and an ordinary one.
Start from a societal issue
The organisers describe the aim as encouraging young people to consider social issues from a psychological perspective through critical writing.
And raise attention to what follows from it
The stated purpose includes drawing attention to contemporary social problems and to the psychological problems they generate. The causal direction matters.
Argue rather than describe
The competition is built around critical writing. An essay explaining a psychological concept is not answering the brief; an essay using one to make a case is.
In 1,500 words
Short enough that the issue has to be specific. A general essay about anxiety in modern society will not fit and will not place.
At a glance
The essentials.
The competition is organised by Scholar of Tomorrow, a non-profit academic platform, with ASC, Stoooges Education, SEA Academy and Social Justice Watcher as co-organisers. An academic committee of professors from Harvard and East China Normal University acts as the final judging panel.
- Who can enter
- Students from any country and any school
- Age
- Eighteen or under on the submission deadline
- Length
- Up to 1,500 words
- File format
- Microsoft Word documents only
- Typography
- Double spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman preferred
- Structure
- No page limit, but submissions are expected to be organised into sections
- Plagiarism check
- Strong essays are submitted to Turnitin before awards are decided. Any essay with evidence of plagiarism is eliminated
- Deadline
- 1 September
- Results
- Mid-October
- Fee
- An entry fee applies. Ask the organiser for the current amount
- Awards
- First, second and third prizes carry cash awards, alongside shortlist recognition
The format rules
Word only, double spaced, sectioned.
The submission requirements are short and specific, and the file format one is the easiest to get wrong.
Microsoft Word, not PDF
This is the opposite of most essay competitions on this site, several of which accept PDF only. Check before exporting.
Double spaced, 12 point
Times New Roman is preferred. These are the conventions of an academic manuscript rather than a finished document.
Organised into sections
There is no page limit, but the organisers expect submissions to be divided into several sections. That is a structural instruction, not a stylistic preference.
And read the guidelines before submitting
The organisers ask entrants to read the submission guidance carefully before sending. Format failures are the cheapest way to lose an entry.
Who judges it
An academic committee, and a plagiarism check before the decision.
Both of these are worth knowing, and the second one has a specific timing.
Professors from two universities
The organisers assembled an academic committee from Harvard and East China Normal University to serve as the final judging panel, describing it as a measure to ensure academic rigour.
Turnitin runs before awards are decided
Essays under consideration for awards are submitted to Turnitin. Any showing evidence of plagiarism is eliminated at that point - after being judged strong enough to reach the stage.
Several co-organisers
ASC, Stoooges Education, SEA Academy and Social Justice Watcher co-organise alongside Scholar of Tomorrow.
Open to any school
There is no restriction on country or school type, which is not true of every essay competition in this section.
Preparation
How Hanlin prepares an entry.
Fifteen hundred words connecting a social problem to psychology is a specific exercise, and it rewards choosing well before writing.
Choosing a small enough issue
One problem, examined properly, beats a survey of several. The word limit forces the choice; making it deliberately is better than discovering it at 2,000 words.
Grounding it in real psychology
Named studies and findings, used to support an argument. The judging panel is academic and will notice the difference between psychology and assertion.
Sectioning the essay
The organisers expect several sections. Deciding what those are - the problem, the psychological account, the implication - is half the structure done.
And citing everything
Turnitin runs before awards are decided, on exactly the essays that were strong enough to be considered. Careless attribution loses an essay at the last stage.
Why Hanlin
Preparation for SoT Psychology Essay Competition at Hanlin is taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
Programme formats
Five ways this is taught.
Group size is the whole difference between these. It decides how much of the tutor's attention a student gets and how far the course can bend to them, so it is worth choosing rather than accepting.
| Format | Group size | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| One-to-one | One student | Content, pace and emphasis set by what this student actually needs rather than by a syllabus. The only format that can be rebuilt mid-course. |
| Small group | Three to eight | Opens at three. Frequent discussion, and the tutor can slow down or move on according to what the group has absorbed. Most students chasing a higher award are taught in this one. |
| Class | Eight to twelve | Taught by the subject lead or a medal coach. Less back-and-forth, so it suits a student who will say when something is unclear. |
| Large class | Ten to twenty | For students in the middle of the placement range, and a way to try a competition before committing. Students often move to a small group or to one-to-one afterwards. |
| Past-paper class | No cap | Past papers worked through in sequence in the weeks before the sitting. Free to students already enrolled. |
Course length for SoT Psychology Essay Competition is set after a placement paper. The gap between where a student is and what the paper asks for is what the course has to close, and that gap is not the same for two students in the same year group.
How it runs
Six steps, four people on your side.
The same process for every student, so that nothing depends on one tutor remembering to do it.
Step 1Pre-course assessment
A placement paper before anything is booked, so the course tier is chosen on evidence rather than on a year group.
Step 2Tutor matching
A subject tutor is matched to the result, and their full background is provided before you agree to it.
Step 3Plan and group
A study group opens with four people on one student: the tutor, a planner, a supervisor and an academic manager.
Step 4Scheduled teaching
The teaching office sets the timetable around the competition date and school term, and teaching begins.
Step 5After-class reports
What was covered, and how the student handled it, reported after every lesson.
Step 6Homework follow-up
The teaching assistant and the form teacher both check that homework is done, which is where most preparation quietly fails.
Free resource pack
Past questions and writing pack
The same material our own SoT Psychology Essay Competition students work from. Scan the code, say what you need, and an advisor sends it.
Tell an advisor which competition and year group, and the material comes back the same day. Free, and you do not have to enrol in anything. If we do not already hold what you need, we will go and find it.
- PDFEvery past question the competition has set
- PDFShortlisted and published essays, to calibrate the standard
- PDFStructure, referencing and word-count guide
- PDFEntry checklist and the dates for the current cycle
Teaching team
Who would teach it.
Three of the twenty-two tutors on the published Hanlin roster - the ones whose subject this is.
Zhang
Master's in cognitive science at UC San Diego on full scholarship, after double honours in neurobiology and behaviour and in cognitive science at UC Davis. Ten years overseas, a perfect TOEFL speaking score, and named an outstanding education scholar at UCSD.
Lu
Master's in education from the University of Pennsylvania and a double major in psychology and philosophy at Mount Holyoke. Cross-cultural teaching experience across China and the US, with research work in child and adolescent development, cognition, and international students' identity.
Yang
Educated at American Heritage School, then English literature and philosophy at the University of British Columbia and a master's in language education at Toronto. Eleven years in North America, with a close working knowledge of the international curricula and overseas admissions.
Where it is taught
Hanlin learning centres.
Teaching runs from Hanlin's own centres in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Hangzhou, and online for students elsewhere.
Talk to an advisor
Everything Hanlin does for SoT Psychology Essay Competition, in one conversation.
Entry, planning, coaching and the past papers. An advisor will tell you which of these a student actually needs, including when the answer is none of them.
Competition entry and planning
Which competitions suit this student, in what order, and by when - then we handle the registration, including the ones that can only be entered through a school or a centre.
Competition coaching
Taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
International curriculum tutoring
IB, AP, A-Level, IGCSE and the US high school curriculum, taught alongside school and timed around the exam calendar.
Competition past papers, free
A large library of past papers, mark schemes and syllabus breakdowns across every competition on this site. No charge and no enrolment.
Scan to add an advisor
Say which competition or course you are asking about. Replies in Chinese or English.
Or call +86 21 6352 6630FAQ
The SoT psychology essay competition, briefly answered.
What students and families ask before entering.
Who can enter?
Students from any country and any school, aged eighteen or under on the submission deadline.
How long can the essay be?
Up to 1,500 words.
What should I write about?
A social issue examined from a psychological perspective. The organisers describe the aim as encouraging critical writing about societal problems and the psychological problems arising from them.
What file format?
Microsoft Word documents only - not PDF. Double spaced, 12 point, preferably Times New Roman.
Is there a page limit?
No, but submissions are expected to be organised into several sections.
Who judges it?
An academic committee of professors from Harvard and East China Normal University acts as the final judging panel.
Is plagiarism checked?
Yes. Strong essays are submitted to Turnitin before awards are decided, and any essay showing evidence of plagiarism is eliminated.
When are the deadlines?
Submission closes on 1 September, with awards announced in mid-October.
Is there an entry fee?
Yes. Ask the organiser for the current amount.
What can you win?
First, second and third prizes each carry a cash award, alongside shortlist recognition.
Related
Other psychology competitions.
What students enter alongside this one.
Psychology essay enquiries
One social problem, read through psychology, in 1,500 words.
Open to any student anywhere under nineteen, judged by an academic panel, and short enough that the choice of issue decides the essay. Tell us what the student has been thinking about and an advisor will help narrow it.