Humanities Writing Competition
This annual competition is open now! Please see the competition rules in the Information for Entrants document below.
This competition is now closed. Please come back to this page in Autumn 2025 for the 2025-26 competition.
Award ceremony: Thursday 8 May 2025, invitation only.
2024-25 Competition
This is an opportunity for students to research and write beyond the curriculum, using one or more of five selected objects from the Lawrence Room museum objects, as their focus. Essays or creative responses (such as dramatic monologues, short stories or poems) are equally welcome.
Focusing on Girton’s museum collection in the Lawrence Room, the Humanities Writing Competition aims to use ancient objects as a starting point for thinking across curricular divides – about the varieties of human experience that these survivals from the past can embody and reflect and the trains of thought they can set off.
In factual essays, we are looking to encourage the ability to connect different areas of knowledge, to think about details, and to communicate clearly. A winning entry will typically draw on some in-depth research on the artefact being discussed, provide references to it, and also some ideas of the entrant's own; it is always fascinating for us to discover unexpected perspectives on the museum's contents.
In creative entries, we are looking for an imaginative response to the object(s) based on an understanding of relevant historical facts and contexts, and a precise and controlled use of language.
In both factual and creative entries, clear and correct English and good presentation are expected. You may find it useful to work with a recognised style handbook like the MHRA Style Guide, available online.
We do not provide detailed feedback on individual essays other than those of the winners, but we send thanks and a certificate of entry to all the competitors for taking part.
The following themes have been suggested by the competition committee, but entrants are welcome to devise their own:
- Divine protection
- Individuality and anonymity
- Gender roles
- Contrasting artistic styles and levels of technology
- The tension between museum displays and religious/cultural beliefs