1. What Are the Judges Actually Looking For?
One of the most important things to remember is that the audience is not a generic grader or an automated system. Competition evaluators are often senior academics from institutions such as Oxford or Cambridge. These are economists who already know textbook definitions by heart. Repeating concepts such as opportunity cost, GDP, or supply and demand without substantially deeper analysis will not impress them.
What evaluators are truly looking for is independent thought supported by logical reasoning. They want to see how a writer approaches a complex, open-ended question, how trade-offs are weighed, incentives examined, and a coherent argument constructed that is firmly grounded in economic reasoning.
For instance, consider a real prompt from the 2025 John Locke Essay Competition:
“What kinds of behaviour are engendered by the hope of profit? Is such behaviour better or worse, on balance, than the behaviour we should expect if all enterprises were owned by charities or governments?”
A good essay may begin by defining profit, government ownership, and charitable enterprises. An outstanding essay, however, goes much further. It analyzes the incentive structures created by profit, such as innovation, efficiency, and risk-taking, as well as the potential for rent-seeking or exploitation, and compares them systematically with the incentives present in non-profit or state-run systems.
Rather than offering a one-sided answer, top essays delve deeper by exploring tensions and trade-offs, acknowledging counterarguments, and using real-world examples or economic theory to support their conclusions. Ultimately, evaluators want to see whether a writer can take a broad, ambiguous question and transform it into a clear, persuasive, evidence-based argument that demonstrates genuine economic reasoning.
2. Common Mistakes Students Can Avoid
Relying on the “Encyclopedia Approach”
Many highly capable students fail to reach the top ranks not because they lack knowledge, but because they fall into a few predictable traps. One of the most common traps is the “encyclopedia approach.” This happens when a student tries to showcase everything they know by cramming as many economic terms and theories as possible into a single essay. While this may seem impressive, it often backfires. Since evaluators are experts, excessive name-dropping will make the essay feel superficial. In writing economic essays, depth always matters more than breadth. Explaining one or two concepts through research and analysis is far more powerful than mentioning ten without analysis.
Ignoring Counterarguments and Trade-offs
Another frequent mistake students can make is ignoring the opposing viewpoint. In school assignments, arguing forcefully for one position may be enough, but in elite economics essays, it is not. Economics is fundamentally the study of trade-offs, and every policy or system has its own fair share of benefits and costs. If an essay fails to acknowledge counterarguments or address the weaknesses in its own position, it will appear incomplete and overly simplistic to professional economists.
Confusing Description with Analysis
Many essays accurately describe economic situations but stop short of explaining why outcomes occur. Simply stating that inequality increased or prices rose is not enough. Without analyzing incentives, mechanisms, and behavioral responses, the essay will remain descriptive rather than analytical.
3. What Makes an Essay Outstanding?
Show Analytical Depth
Outstanding economics essays distinguish themselves through analytical depth. Rather than labeling a policy as “good” or “bad,” strong writers explain why these outcomes occur. They don’t merely predict that prices will rise; they will walk the reader through the mechanism, how a policy changes incentives, how producers and consumers respond, and how those responses lead to a new equilibrium. Each step in the reasoning feels intentional, logical, and necessary.
Original Perspective
Exceptional essays also contain a spark of original thinking. This doesn’t require inventing a new economic theory. Instead, it may involve approaching a familiar issue from an unexpected angle, using a specific historical or contemporary example, or drawing on data to challenge a commonly accepted assumption. When originality is paired with clear, precise writing, the essay moves beyond technical competence and begins to resemble the work of a young economist rather than a strong student.
A Strong, Reflective Conclusion
Rather than simply repeating the introduction, outstanding conclusions reflect on broader implications. They may suggest what the analysis means for future policy, economic understanding, or unanswered questions, leaving the reader with something to think about.
4. Detailed Guide For John Locke Competition
To help you put these ideas into practice, we’ve created detailed guides for the Marshall Society Essay Competition and John Locke Institute Essay Competition. These resources break down past prompts and offer specific strategies to help your submission stand out.
Evaluate Your Writing with Aralia Education
In our specialized John Locke Institute Essay Competition Prep Class, students will receive a comprehensive roadmap to complete a detailed essay, from a guided analysis of primary sources to the development of an original, compelling thesis.
Aralia’s students have consistently excelled in this prestigious competition, achieving Grand Prizes, Third Prizes, and High Commendations. If you want to move from being “good” to “outstanding,” then Aralia Education is here to guide you!
John Locke Essay Competition Prep
In this John Locke Essay Competition Prep course, students will learn the ins and outs of essay writing, in preparation for entering the competition. We offer prep classes in all categories: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law. Students will choose one topic, compose an original thesis and argument, and write an essay for submission. Students will engage in a guided analysis of primary and secondary sources, develop critical thinking skills, and discover interesting insights. In addition to the group lecture classes, students will receive guidance on their individual projects from the instructor, in one-on-one sessions.
