1^st William Powell, St John Rigby College, Greater Manchester

  2^nd Sophie Moody Stuart, Benenden School, Kent

  3^rd Mathieu Yap, King’s College Wimbledon, London

Highly commended:

  Nye Steele, D’Overbroecks, Oxford

  James Wellings, Haberdashers’ Boys’ School, Borehamwood

  Jemima McDuell, Newstead Wood School, Orpington

  Olivia Stephens, Colchester County High School for Girls

  Saskia Edwards, King’s College Wimbledon, London

  Chloe Lam, Cheltenham Ladies’ College

Commended:

  George Thomas, Tonbridge School

  Conrad Chung, Abingdon School

  Andrew Sergeef, Tonbridge School

  Henry Collins, Tonbridge School

  Max Lee, Highgate School

  Yusuf Khand, The Liverpool Bluecoat School

  Ethan Penny, The Blue Coat School, Oldham

Congratulations to all who completed their 2,000 word essays. To have done that is an achievement in itself.

The prize money for the essay competition is: First – £1,500; Second – £600 and third – £300. This prize money will be divided equally between the students and the schools. Students whose entries are “highly commended” will receive £50 each. The awards ceremony will take place at the Athenaeum Club in London in the late afternoon of 4^th May. The winners and those highly commended will be invited to attend. Professor Timothy Garton Ash, who was himself monitored by the Stasi, will present the prizes.

The essays were anonymised before the judges saw them. The judges did not know who wrote the essays or which school they attend. This was to prevent any unconscious bias. The judges included the director of the Stasi Museum in Berlin.

The subject for the 2023-24 essay prize has now been announced. It will be Repression in pre-war Nazi Germany.