Check Eligibility for the 2020/2021 Bodley Head/FT Essay Prize Here

Every year, the Financial Times and The Bodley Head, one of Britain’s leading publishers of non-fiction, team up to find the best young essay-writing talent from around the world.

Now in its eighth year, The Bodley Head/FT Essay Prize competition has been the springboard for many exciting writers. This year the regular judging panel is joined by the award-winning writer Yiyun Li and leading literary agent Emma Paterson.

Prizes

• £1,000 (one thousand pounds Sterling) to the winning entrant;
• £300 (three hundred pounds Sterling) to each runner-up;
• Publication by the Financial Times in an FT publication (which may include on ft.com) subject to clause 12 below;
• E-publication by the Promoter of the winner’s winning entry; e-publication by the Promoter of the two runners-up entries;
• One mentoring session for winner with a member of the Promoter’s editorial staff.

Eligibility

• Open to anyone in the world;
• Applicant should be between 18 and 35 years old.
• The judges are looking for a dynamic, authoritative and lively essay of no more than 3,500 words in English, on any subject.

Entry Requirements

Entrants are advised to retain a copy of their entries as the Promoter will be unable to return any submitted entry. Each entry must be:

• In English
• An original work of which the entrant is the author and which has not been previously professionally or commercially published in any language and is not in breach of any third party rights
• A complete essay in itself; (ie not a fragment of a larger work) and
• Submitted via the competition landing page on ft.com with the following specifications: no more than 3,500 words on any subject matter.

How To Apply

Essay entries will be accepted until midday (GMT) on Thursday September 24, 2020. The winning entrant and runners-up will be notified by the Promoter by telephone in the week beginning November 2, 2020. The winner and two runners-up will be announced in the Financial Times by November 14, 2020.

Click Here To Apply

For more information, visit The Bodley Head/FT Essay Prize.

Application Deadline: September 24, 2020