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John Locke Competition 2025

Get ready for the the John Locke Essay Competition!

The John Locke Essay Competition is back in 2025, with a new slate of prompts, from philosophy to law and beyond. Join us to:

  • Work 1-on-1 with a high-quality writing coach for 12 weeks
  • Outline, write, and revise essays on up to 3 competition topics
  • Submit a competitive essay to the John Locke competition
  • Get your non-submission work published in the Letterly Journal!
Register Before March 31st!

Use the code LOCKE10 by March 23rd for 10% off your purchase!

How it works

Un'Locke' Your Writing Potential

The John Locke Essay Competition is a great opportunity not only to hone your writing skills, but also to think creatively about important topics and build a unique perspective worth sharing.  Letterly’s method emphasizes individual instruction and deep engagement with multiple topics to ensure that the final submission is well-reasoned, well-written, and fully authentic.

1-on-1 Coaching

Letterly coaches come from top-tier universities and are ready to serve as “sparring partners” in discussing any topics you choose.

Topic Engagement

Your coach will push you to build an educated, creative perspective on multiple essay topics through deep engagement and discussion.

Publication Options

The essays you do not submit to the competition can still get published on The Letterly Journal, to build your writing portfolio!

syllabus

12 Weeks to Essay Perfection

Over 12 weeks, students will build an understanding of the John Locke Essay Competition and previous winning essays, build a strategy tailored to their goals & interests, and get exposure to multiple essay before selecting their best piece.

Learn about the history of the John Locke Institute. Students will identify what makes the essay competition unique and survey various essay topics for this year’s competition.

Pen

Read and analyze several winning entries by previous students. With their coach’s guidance, students will determine a strategy and plan for submitting their best work to the competition.

Light bulb in hand

Students will research, outline, write, and edit full-length essays on up to 3 competition topics with their coach, to build exposure to multiple schools of thought and develop a clear voice.

Wall covered with open books

After drafting multiple essays, students and coaches will select their favored, most-competitive essay to put the final touches and submit to the John Locke Institute before June 30th, 2025.

Enroll by March 23rd for 10% off the course!

For a limited time only, interested families can get 10% off the purchase of this writing workshop by using the promo code LOCKE10 on purchase.  Click below to register for a Letterly account to get started!

Register Now!
  • March 23rd: End of the early bird promo period; use promo code LOCKE10 for 10% off before then!
  • March 31st: Letterly's course registration deadline; make sure to sign up before time runs out!
  • May 31st: John Locke Institute registration deadline; we will help you to get registered to submit on time.
  • June 30th: John Locke Institute submission deadline; submit your best piece to the competition!

Student Experiences

Check Out These Testimonials from Previous Students

“Through Letterly, I was able to find my unique writing style and come up with a perspective that I wanted to share with the world, which I never would have found without the support. Thanks to Letterly, I am proud to have been a finalist in the John Locke Essay Competition's Junior Prize category last year!”

Ben

“My coach taught me a lot, not only about how to write better, but also about how to think in new ways about lots of topics. I felt really inspired when I finally figured out what I wanted to say, and it felt like my authentic voice was finally free!”

Carly

“At Letterly, I interacted with a personal coach who understood my skills and strengths and guided me in the right direction. I could discuss my writing in detail through weekly meetings and receive personalized feedback on improving it. By the end, I better understood how to create clear and impactful essays that would resonate with the reader. Personally, I improved a lot on word redundancies and expanded my vocabulary.”

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