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The 2026 Essay Competition
See below for a report of the 2026 Essay Prize
Every year the Richard III Society offers a prize of £200 for the best essay on a topic relevant to
The Life and Times of Richard, duke of Gloucester, Richard III, 1452-1485
There is a second prize of £100 and a third prize of £50.
We receive entries in the format of NEAs, EPQs, IB EEs or closely similar, well-researched and referenced essays of between 3,000 and 5,000 words by a student under the age of 19 on 31st August 2027.
Your A-level provider will include advice on how to write an NEA:
The broad topic may be interpreted to include discussion of questions about the political influence of contemporaneous individuals; Parliament; Bishops and Popes; Illegitimacy and inheritance.
Relationships between Yorkist kings and the nobility; international relationships with European powers under either Yorkist king; marriage policies of monarchs;
Rebellions; why Richard III lost support; individual battles in the Wars of the Roses;
The technology of medieval armour and weapons; how forensic DNA is used in medieval archaeology; a comparison of 15th and 21st C science and technology.
Send your essay as a pdf to essay@richardiii.net
Deadline for the 2027 entries will be announced.
Include the name of your school, your History teacher and their contact email.
Iain Farrell
Education Officer
Richard III Society
This year’s A‑Level Essay Competition has been one of our most exciting yet. Entries poured in from across England, a testament to the growing momentum of our Schools Conference, whose continued success once again funded the awards.
Our entrants came from a broad mix of schools—state and independent alike—and, as in previous years, we were delighted to see an almost perfect gender balance. It is heartening to witness such a diverse group of young historians choosing to explore the medieval world at A‑level. We also had essays from younger students, including one from a primary school.
The open brief—“The Life and Times of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Richard III, 1452–1485”—sparked an impressive range of interpretations. Many students tackled Richard III directly, examining his shifting reputation, his network at Bosworth, and the legitimacy of his claim to the throne. Other essays looked at Richard, Duke of York’s ambitions, Edward IV’s royal authority, music as propaganda, and Welsh support and prophecy. The variety, as ever, was a joy to read.
Most essays were produced within the strict frameworks of the AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications, which limit the sources and approaches students may use. Even so, entrants made strikingly sophisticated use of both medieval evidence and modern scholarship. The marking panel remains keenly aware of the constraints imposed by the exam boards and judges each essay with these in mind.
Assessing work of such consistently high quality is never easy. Every submission is checked for originality and for the absence of AI‑generated content, and all shortlisted essays are fully anonymised before being circulated. I am deeply grateful to Duncan Rowe and Iain Farrell for their expertise and care throughout the process. Thanks also to Jane Trump for designing the prize certificates and to Neil Trump for managing the distribution of prize money.
We are pleased to announce the following results.
First Prize (£200): RD, Sutton Grammar School. ‘Y Mab Darogan: Was Wales the decisive factor in Henry Tudor’s victory over Richard III?’
Second Prize (£100): EH, Hereford Sixth Form College.“History is written by the victors”: To what extent did the Tudors shape modern views of Richard III?
Third Prize (£50): IA, Sexey’s School. ‘A lust for the crown’: To what extent do contemporary and near contemporary sources construct, rather than merely reflect, the development of the political ambitions of Richard, Duke of York, 1452–1460?
A huge well‑done to all our young historians. Their curiosity, discipline and imagination made this year’s competition a pleasure to judge. Our thanks also go to the teachers, tutors and families who encouraged and supported them.
We look forward to seeing what next year’s entrants will uncover.
Julie Bungey
Essay Competition Co-ordinator