Lincoln College, University of Oxford - Life Sciences Essay Competition 2026
Lincoln College, University of Oxford
Apply NowFancy testing your ideas against Oxford minds? Enter Lincoln College’s Life Sciences Essay Competition 2026 — explore AI in medicine, ethics of ‘mirror life’ or genome regulation, build analytical writing skills, connect with academics and boost your university application. Deadline 16 March 2026.
The Lincoln College Life Sciences Essay Competition 2026 invites Year 12 (or equivalent) students across the UK to submit a single essay (up to 1,500 words, excluding bibliography) answering one of three set questions on topics such as AI in medicine, the feasibility and ethics of generating 'mirror life', or the function of non-coding regions of the genome. Entries should be submitted as a PDF with pages numbered and the entrant's name and school clearly shown on the first page.
Diagrams and charts are encouraged and do not count towards the word limit. Submissions must be the entrant's own work; AI-generated text or images are prohibited, and essays must not be material submitted to an exam board.
All entries require approval from a teacher at the entrant's school (you will be asked to provide the teacher's name and contact email on the form). The deadline for submissions is Monday 16 March 2026 at 23:59 GMT.
Successful entrants achieving bronze or higher will receive certificates; gold-award winners are invited to a prize-winners day at Lincoln College (free, with lunch provided) with travel support available for those who need it.
16 Mar 2026
Location
- Must be a UK student in Year 12 or equivalent.
- Entries accepted from students studying in any school in the UK.
- Particularly encouraged: students attending a state-funded school.
- Particularly encouraged: students who would be the first in their immediate family to go to university.
- Particularly encouraged: students who are or have previously been eligible for Free School Meals.
- Particularly encouraged: young carers or students who have been in care.
- All entries must be approved by a teacher at the entrant's school; teacher name and contact email must be provided on the submission form.
- Essay must be entirely the entrant's own work; use of AI to generate text or images is not permitted.
- Essay must not include work that has been or will be submitted to an exam board as part of the student's studies.
Free to enter; no participant fee.
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