Explore student competitions.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK mock trial competition where students prepare criminal cases and take on courtroom roles to prosecute and defend before legal professionals. Open to students aged 15–18 from non-fee-paying schools in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from legal analysis, argument preparation, advocacy skills and competitive regional-to-national progression.

QUICK SUMMARY

An England and Wales drama and oracy competition where students perform a Shakespeare monologue or duologue and introduce their interpretation. Open to students aged 11–14 in Years 7–9 at schools or home schools in England and Wales. Rated Intermediate Level, with difficulty mainly coming from performance skills, textual understanding and confident spoken delivery.

QUICK SUMMARY

An England and Wales debating competition where school teams argue for or against motions on current and controversial issues. Open to students aged 11–18 in Years 7–13, with one team of three speakers representing each school. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from argument construction, rebuttal, teamwork and competitive multi-round judging.

QUICK SUMMARY

An England and Wales public speaking competition where school teams take on the roles of speaker, chairperson and questioner. Open to students aged 13–16 in Years 9–11 at schools in England and Wales. Rated Intermediate Level, with difficulty mainly coming from speech delivery, questioning, teamwork and quick thinking.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK constitutional studies competition where students create a poster or short video explaining important developments in the UK constitution. Open to UK students aged 14–19, entering individually or in teams through a school, college or homeschool setting. Rated Intermediate Level, with difficulty mainly coming from constitutional understanding, clear explanation and creative presentation.

QUICK SUMMARY

An England, Wales and Northern Ireland mock trial competition where students take courtroom roles and argue a specially written criminal case. Open to students aged 12–14 from non-fee-paying schools. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from understanding legal procedure, preparing arguments, teamwork and confident courtroom performance.

QUICK SUMMARY

UK Chess Challenge is a nationwide junior chess pathway for UK players aged 18 or under, welcoming a wide range of playing experience through schools, clubs and individual routes. Participants can progress from local activity towards regional and national honours. The main challenge is making accurate decisions under time pressure and adapting across repeated games against unfamiliar opponents.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Expert, this UK school programme is for secondary and post-16 students who form and operate a team company through their school. Participants develop, trade and present a real venture before possible regional and national finals. The main challenge is combining product decisions, finance, sales, operations and persuasive pitching while sharing accountability over an extended project.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Intermediate, these creative competition strands are open through ISA member schools, with Sports Design serving Years 5–13 and other art categories covering relevant pupil groups. Schools manage entry into category or regional judging and national recognition. The main challenge is responding originally to the brief while showing thoughtful design choices, technique and clear visual communication.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, this free online photography competition is open to Commonwealth nationals and residents aged 18–30. Entrants submit their own images and supporting information through the competition platform. The main challenge is producing an original, technically controlled photograph that responds convincingly to the theme and communicates a clear visual story to an international judging panel.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK economics writing competition where students propose evidence-based responses to major global economic challenges. Open to students aged 14–18 studying at UK secondary schools or British international schools. Rated Intermediate Level, with difficulty mainly coming from economic analysis, policy evaluation and clear, persuasive writing.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK economics competition where students analyse a contemporary economic issue through a written, video, podcast or presentation entry. Open to Year 10–13 students, or equivalent, studying in the UK, entering individually or in teams of up to five. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from economic analysis, evidence-based argument and competitive national judging.