Trinity College Cambridge Gould Prize for Essays in English Literature 2026

The Gould Prize for Essays in English Literature is part of Trinity College Cambridge’s wider programme of essay prizes for Lower Sixth and Year 12 students. Trinity launched the prize in 2013 using a bequest made by Dr Dennis Gould, with an explicit educational purpose: to encourage talented students to explore literature more deeply, consider applying for English at university and recognise high-calibre work from a wide range of backgrounds. Its institutional setting matters, but the prize is not an admissions shortcut. It is an invitation to demonstrate serious literary thinking before university. The competition asks students to write a 1,500–2,500-word essay in response to a set question. The eligible reading is broad: literature originally written in English from anywhere in the world, as well as literature originally written in languages of the British Isles. This gives students room to choose a text they genuinely understand, while the word limit forces them to make a precise claim rather than produce a general appreciation of a famous author. The strongest entries are likely to be close, selective and interpretive. Trinity’s own guidance emphasises that detailed attention to a few passages is more valuable than displaying a huge reading list without specific insight. The prize also explicitly requires independent work without help from school or artificial intelligence, so students should treat their research notes, drafting and final argument as their own academic work. Winning and highly commended candidates may be invited to visit the College, adding a small but meaningful connection to the academic environment behind the competition. We rate the Gould Prize at Advanced Level. The entry route is open and the question is clearly defined, but the expected standard of independent literary criticism is well above ordinary coursework. It is best suited to students considering English, literature, history, comparative literature or related humanities subjects, especially those who enjoy explaining how language and form create meaning rather than simply describing what happens in a text.