History of Parliament Schools Competitions 2015

The details for both schools competitions are now available! For the eleventh year running we will run competitions for 11-14 year olds (Key Stage Three) and 16-18 year olds (sixth formers). This year we have based our Key Stage Three competition on our new KS3 materials on Political Reform.

The winners of both competitions will receive prizes of book tokens or money, and will be invited to Westminster with members of their family and teachers for the presentation of their prizes.

Our Key Stage Three competition is based on our new materials, and has two options.

Option one: This focusses on the events at ‘Peterloo’ in 1819, when 11 people died in Manchester at a peaceful rally to call for reform of the political system. We ask entrants, using the materials on our website, to write a news story on the events at ‘Peterloo’.

Option two: This focusses on Chartist movement of the 1830s and 1840s, which called for a more democratic system and votes for working men. We ask entrants, using the materials on our website, to write a short article for a newspaper either in favour of Chartism and how the movement tried to achieve its aims, or against it and how it should be stopped.

The winners of the competition will receive a prize of book tokens, and be invited with their families and teachers to Westminster to receive their prize. The closing date for the competition is 30 July 2015.

For full details on how to enter, competition rules, and for resources for students, click here.

Our Sixth Form competition is again an essay competition, with the prize awarded to the best essay on a subject of the candidate's own choice related to the parliamentary or political history of Britain and Ireland.

The winner will receive a cash prize and again be invited to Westminister to receive this. Again, the closing date is after the summer holidays to give students who have just finished their GCSEs and are preparing for their A Levels a chance to enter as well. The closing date is 30 September 2015.

For full details on competition rules and how to enter, click here.

For details of winners of the 2014 competition, click here.

Good luck to all the entrants!