Enter the WCIB 2026 Essay Competition
Updated: Sep 18
Enter the WCIB essay competition and have your chance to win up to £200 with your essay writing skills & network with banking professionals.
Enter the WCIB essay competition and secure your chance to win £200!
The competition is run by the Worshipful Company of International Bankers (WCIB), in partnership with The Brokerage for students in Year 12 / 13 attending a state school / college in London.
Prizes:
£100 for first round winners
£50 for first round runners up
£200 for overall winner
£150 for highly commended entries
The winning student will be featured in the prestigious Banker magazine as part of the promotional material - with free access, for all participating students, to the magazine.
Please note - there are limited spaces. Only the first 200 entrants will be able to take part. REGISTER YOUR INTEREST ASAP!
The Question:
In a world of deep fakes, misinformation, and fake news where AI is changing the information landscape’, how can individuals best determine the facts on the issue under consideration?
Write a letter to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport outlining your thoughts and any recommended policies.
WORD COUNT IS 1000 WORDS
HOW TO ENTER:
Register your place HERE (We’ll then send you a submission link)
Write your essay/letter
Submit your essay
Application submissions is now open and will close on Sunday 25th October 2026.
There will be an awards ceremony on Monday 30th November 2026.
See last years event here
Essay competition key details:
DOWNLOAD THE POSTER PDF HERE
DEADLINE!! Submit by Monday 5th October 2026
Good luck!
RESEARCH
It is important to research the topic to give you insight into both sides of the argument. It is not a competition to see who has the most research- select what sources you use carefully Judges are looking for how you use the research to support your argument- don’t just include quotes or statistics for the sake of it.
FORMAT
Make sure to submit your response as a Word / Google Sheets document (not a PDF or image file) Save your response as your first and last name WCIB 2026 Essay entry e.g. John Smith WCIB 2026 Essay entry Use size 12 font and either Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri black font Only include images if they are directly relevant to your response e.g. an image of a graph Include your word count at the bottom of your answer.
MARKING CRITERIA:
Judges from the WCIB will be marking your essays by scoring the following elements. Bear these in mind when you are planning and writing your essay:
If you formulate a creative and interesting argument
How well you answer the question How strong an argument you formulate
How well-structured your response is
How well is research used in your response
USE OF AI / CHAT GPT:
Please note that all essays will be scanned for use of AI / Chat GPT. If your essay is identified as having a high likelihood of having used AI / Chat GPT your submission will be withdrawn.
Make sure to check that the email and phone number in your submission are correct as this is how we will contact you if you are a first round winner / runner up All first round winners and runners up will then be invited to an Awards ceremony in early Dec where the overall winner will be announced.
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