Philosophy
- Is living the life of a well-treated slave morally superior to living in absolute poverty?
- “It is clear that all partnerships aim at some good, and that the partnership that is most authoritative of all and embraces all the others does so particularly, and aims at the most authoritative good of all. This is what is called the city or the political partnership.” Should citizens whose actions repeatedly damage the collective good be permanently removed from a polis?
- “The prison system, inherently unjust and inhumane, is the ultimate expression of injustice and inhumanity in the society at large,” do you agree with this sentiment?
Politics
- Did NATO expansionism cause the Russian – Ukrainian War?
- Is the world currently in the grips of an unescapable Thucydides trap?
- Many experts in International Relations say we are coming to the end of the era of American hegemony. Do you agree, and what are the causes for this?
Economics
- Are labor unions bad for capitalism?
- Warren Buffet said about Bitcoin, “Stay away from it. It’s a mirage, basically. In terms of cryptocurrencies, generally, I can say almost with certainty that they will come to a bad ending.” Is Buffet slowly being proven correct?
- What will happen if China allows its housing market to fail?
History
- Should the US have ever intervened in the conflict between North and South Vietnam?
- What was Nazi Germany’s most significant military blunder?
- What lessons has the study of history taught us that we have forgotten?
Psychology
- Should students be segregated by gender to maximize learning outcomes in state schools?
- Social media undoubtedly negatively affects the mental health of children and teenagers. Therefore, there should be a legally mandated minimum age of 18 years to have an account. Do you agree?
- Criminals who attack or abuse victims for racist or discriminatory reasons have a mental illness and should be treated differently from regular criminals. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Junior
- Why should we be hopeful about the future?
- Are racial quotas for universities good for social progress?
- How can we make a more equitable society?
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & FURTHER DETAILS
Entry Requirements
It is open to students from any country. Candidates must be in middle or high school, eighteen years old, or younger for all categories.
Candidates for the Junior must be fourteen years old, or younger on the submission deadline.
Only one entry of the questions in your chosen subject category is allowed per student, and must not exceed 2000 words (not footnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration). Please submit your essay, saved in pdf format, through our submission page below. The title of the pdf attachment should read First and Last Name, Category, Question Number (e.g. Kevin Brown, Psychology, Q2).
Submissions
The submission window is currently open and will close at 11:59 PM EST on September 15, 2022. Students must submit within this submission period to have their essays considered.
Students must fill out the submission form here. Be sure to upload your essay in PDFs.
Questions?
If you have any questions that are not answered above, please email us at info@actonscholars.org and we will respond as soon as possible.
