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QUEEN’S COMMONWEALTH WRITING COMPETITION

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Application Deadline: 30 April, 2026

LOCATION: United Kingdom

THE QUEEN’S COMMONWEALTH WRITING COMPETITION

The Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools, which has been proudly delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883.
Each year, the theme is drawn from Commonwealth values and principles. It encourages young people to engage with pressing issues of the day, such as the environment, equality, and youth leadership, to foster an open-minded and empathetic worldview.

ELIGIBILITY:

You are eligible to enter the competition if you are 18 years or younger and are a national or resident of a Commonwealth country or territory. If you are 19 years old or older by 30 April 2026, we encourage you to enter the Commonwealth Short Story Prize – Commonwealth Short Story Prize – Commonwealth Foundation

The maximum word count is 1,000 words. Entrants should not feel any need to use up all available words. There is no minimum word count, and our judges mark based on the quality of the writing, so longer entries will not automatically score higher than shorter entries.

Wholly or partly AI generated work is not accepted in the Competition and the RCS has complete discretion in making the decision about the use of AI to disqualify an entry or recommend that an entry is marked down.

Entrants to the competition will have their certificates sent to their nominated email address at the end of the judging process in the later part of 2026

BENEFIT:

A winner will be selected from each region of the Commonwealth (the Americas, the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Europe), and from these five, one overall winner will be chosen. All regional winners will be invited to London for a week of cultural and educational activities, culminating in an award ceremony. If you are not selected as a winner, you will still be awarded a certificate, and you have the chance of winning one of the below options. Gold Certificate Silver Certificate Bronze Certificate Certificate of Participation Local RCS branches often hold local and regional ceremonies or offer prizes, so if you were made aware of the competition by your local RCS branch, please contact them after the competition closes on 30 April 2026 to inquire about any activities they might have planned.

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awards, Events, Opportunities, other events, PhD/post doctoral

CHATHAM HOUSE/MO IBRAHIM FOUNDATION ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP

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Application Deadline: 7 April 2026

LOCATION: England

This fellowship is a joint initiative with the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. It offers candidates at the early-to-mid-stage of their career the opportunity to spend ten months at Chatham House working on an individual research project of their choosing.

Fellows take part in the core work of the Institute, developing their skills through the leadership programme, and furthering their professional network in the field of international affairs.

ELIGIBILITY:

Citizenship: The fellowship is open to citizens of any African country. Applications are also accepted from applicants holding dual nationality, which includes any African country.

Education: Applicants must hold a completed BA degree or equivalent and have experience with conducting research.

Career: The ideal candidate should be at the early-to-mid-stage of their career and come from one of the following fields or work: academia, NGO, business, government departments, civil society, or the media. All applicants should possess knowledge of, and an interest in, international affairs, their chosen area of research, and Chatham House’s mission and research.

Age restrictions: They do not impose age restrictions for applicants.

Fellows are expected to work full-time towards their fellowship, and therefore it is not possible to undertake a fellowship at the same time as pursuing work or studies.

A fellow’s time is split between three key areas: 

Completing a personal research project: the fellow chooses and design a personal project to undertake with the guidance of a Chatham House expert (approximately 60%).

Leadership Masterclass Programme: it is a key part of all fellowships. It aims to develop fellows knowledge, network, self-awareness and to equip them with important skills on which they can draw in their future careers as leaders in their field (approximately 20%).

Contributing to ongoing research activities: working with their host research team and other Chatham House teams as appropriate, fellows contribute to existing research priorities in line with the Chatham House mission (approximately 20%).

BENEFIT:

Remuneration and benefits:

Academy Fellows receive a monthly stipend of £2,565 for London living expenses to cover accommodation, utilities, food, and transport.

Chatham House also covers:

Relocation costs: travel, accommodation support, and visa fees. If required, Chatham House will sponsor a fellow’s visa (T5: Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange);

UK Immigration Health Surcharge (excluding dental/optical care and prescriptions); and

Research expenses, relating to fieldwork, outreach, events, and publications.

Following the successful completion of their fellowship, alumni benefit from access to:

The Academy faculty and alumni; and

Five-year Chatham House membership.

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