Competitions · Humanities and writing · Marshall Society Essay Competition
The Marshall Society Essay Competition.
Twelve hundred and fifty words - the tightest limit of any economics essay competition here, and deliberately so. The society wants evidence, not background. Free to enter, and winning work goes in their magazine.
The word limit
Twelve hundred and fifty words, on purpose.
The society explains why the limit is so short, and the explanation is the best guide available to what they want.
They want evidence, not context
The stated reason for the limit is that entrants should use good evidence to support a view rather than spending length introducing concepts and background.
The bibliography does not count
References sit outside the limit, so cite properly and generously. The 1,250 words are for argument only.
Which changes how to open
There is no room for a paragraph explaining what inflation is. Start where the argument starts and assume a reader who knows the subject.
And it makes this the shortest of the four
The LSE essay competition allows 1,500 words, YEEC 1,000 in blog form. This one sits between them and asks for the most academic register.
At a glance
What the competition is.
The Marshall Society is the economics society of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1927 in memory of Alfred Marshall. Its past members include John Maynard Keynes, Nicholas Kaldor, Joan Robinson and Manmohan Singh.
- Who can enter
- Anyone who has not started undergraduate study. You need not be at school in the UK
- Cost
- Free
- Length
- 1,250 words maximum. The bibliography is excluded
- Referencing
- APA. Every source cited must appear in the bibliography
- Language
- English, with attention to grammar and structure
- How you submit
- Through the society’s online form. Submission by email is not accepted
- If the form will not open
- The society suggests switching browser or connection - the form is hosted on a service that is not always reachable
- Declaring help
- You must declare any assistance received, including the use of generative AI such as ChatGPT, on the submission form
- Exclusivity
- The essay may not be submitted to any other competition
- Deadline
- Late August. Late submissions are not accepted
- Queries
- Questions must reach the organisers at least 48 hours before the deadline
How it is judged
Four criteria, and originality is the last of them.
The published criteria are worth reading in order, because the weight sits at the top.
| Criterion | What it means here |
|---|---|
| Logic | Whether the argument holds together. With 1,250 words there is nowhere for a broken step to hide |
| Persuasiveness of the argument | Whether a reader is actually moved. This is distinct from whether the logic is sound |
| Use of evidence | How well evidence is deployed to support the view. This is the criterion the word limit exists to protect |
| Originality of the view | Whether the position is the entrant’s own. Listed fourth, but it is what separates the shortlist from the pile |
The society reserves the right to amend its terms and to make the final choice of winners.
What happens after
Publication, prizes, and silence.
The outcomes are modest in money and unusually good in what they lead to - and most entrants hear nothing at all.
Winning work is published
Selected essays appear in the Marshall Society’s magazine, The Dismal Scientist. Being published by a Cambridge university society is the substantive outcome here.
£50, £25 and £25
Fifty pounds for first place and twenty-five for second and third. The money is not the point.
Only winners are contacted
Winners, runners-up and shortlisted entrants are contacted through the email address used to submit. Everyone else receives no feedback and no notification.
Results go on the website
The outcome of the judging is published on the society’s site, so entrants who are not contacted can check there.
Two rules to plan around
The AI declaration, and the exclusivity clause.
Both are conditions of entry rather than guidance, and the second one has a real cost.
Declare any help, including AI
The essay must be entirely your own work, and any assistance - including generative AI such as ChatGPT - must be declared on the submission form. Declaring is a requirement, not a disadvantage.
The essay is committed to this competition
Entries may not be submitted to any other competition. A student who writes one strong economics essay a year has to choose which competition gets it.
And there are no extensions
Late submissions are not accepted, and questions have to reach the organisers at least 48 hours before the deadline or they will not be answered.
Your data stays with the competition
The society states that personal data is used only for the competition and is not disclosed to third parties without prior consent.
Preparation
How Hanlin prepares a Marshall Society entry.
Twelve hundred and fifty words is about two and a half pages. Everything about the preparation follows from that.
Choosing a question you can actually settle
A question that needs three thousand words cannot be answered in 1,250. Picking the one where the student has a definite position is more than half the work.
Building the evidence first
Find the data, the study, the historical case - then write around it. The limit exists to make evidence the centre of the essay rather than the decoration.
Cutting the introduction entirely
Most school essays open with two hundred words of context. Here that is a sixth of the essay spent saying nothing the reader did not know.
And getting the APA right
It is required, it does not count toward the limit, and it is the cheapest way to look like someone who has done the reading.
Why Hanlin
Preparation for Marshall Society 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 Marshall Society 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 Marshall Society 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 engineering management from NYU and a double degree in finance and supply-chain management from Syracuse. Nearly nine years overseas and in finance, including at a well-known venture firm - experience that feeds scenario-based teaching. College Board-accredited.
Bai
Master's in social entrepreneurship from Hult International Business School in San Francisco and a business administration degree from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, with an exchange at Texas A&M's Mays Business School. Accredited by the College Board, Cambridge International and the IBO, a certified intermediate economist, and a judge at the 2020 Diamond Challenge global final and the 2021 NEC China final.
Jiang
Master's in business analytics from the Schulich School of Business, a finance and business economics degree from York University and a software engineering degree from the Harbin Institute of Technology. Years in North America, university teaching before returning, and long experience across the whole economics curriculum.
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 Marshall Society 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 Marshall Society competition, briefly answered.
What students and families ask before entering.
Who can enter?
Anyone who has not yet started undergraduate study. You do not need to be at school in the UK - the competition is open internationally.
Does it cost anything?
No. Entry is free.
How long can the essay be?
1,250 words maximum, with the bibliography excluded. The society explains that the limit exists so entrants use good evidence rather than spending length on background.
What referencing style?
APA, with every cited source listed in the bibliography at the end.
How do I submit?
Through the society’s online form. Email submissions are not accepted. If the form will not load, the society suggests changing browser or connection.
Can I use AI?
You must declare any assistance you received, including the use of generative AI such as ChatGPT, on the submission form. The essay must otherwise be entirely your own work.
Can I enter the same essay elsewhere?
No. Entries may not be submitted to any other competition.
When is the deadline?
Late August. Late submissions are not accepted, and any question about the process must reach the organisers at least 48 hours beforehand.
How is it judged?
On logic, the persuasiveness of the argument, the use of evidence to support the view, and the originality of the view. The society makes the final choice of winners.
What do winners receive?
£50 for first place and £25 each for second and third, and selected essays are published in the society’s magazine, The Dismal Scientist.
Will I hear back if I do not win?
No. Winners, runners-up and shortlisted entrants are contacted by email. Everyone else receives no feedback, though the results are published on the society’s website.
Related
Other economics essay competitions.
What students enter alongside this one - noting the exclusivity rule.
Marshall Society enquiries
Free, open worldwide, and shorter than you think.
Twelve hundred and fifty words with the bibliography excluded means the essay is all argument and evidence. Tell us what the student wants to write about and an advisor will help find the position they can actually defend in that space.