<p>The R.A. Butler Prize 2026 is an annual essay competition run jointly by Trinity College, Cambridge and the University of Cambridge's Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS). The prize honours Lord Butler, a former Master of Trinity, and is open to students in the penultimate year of their schooling at the point the questions are released each March.</p><ul><li>Eligibility: Year 12 / Lower Sixth in England and Wales, S5 in Scotland, or the international equivalent. Students must expect final school results between September 2026 and August 2027.</li><li>Essay length: up to 3,000 words, including footnotes and references but excluding bibliography.</li><li>2026 themes: political strongmen, effective leadership, self-determination, climate-driven displacement, war crimes, social media and political movements, state regulation of bodies, democratic scapegoating of minorities, and the end of globalization.</li><li>Prizes: first prize £600 (£300 to the candidate, £300 in book tokens to the school); second prize £400 (£200 to the candidate, £200 in book tokens to the school). Commendations and Special Commendations also awarded.</li><li>Winners are invited to visit Cambridge and are announced in September.</li></ul><p>Submit via the Trinity College essay-prize portal by 12 noon (BST) on Friday 31 July 2026. Queries can be sent to butlerprize@trin.cam.ac.uk.</p>