How have the humanities influenced your entry to and/or your experience of higher education?
Following the growing success of its Student Essay Competitions, the Magna Charta Observatory (MCO) is pleased to launch a new call for essays from university students worldwide. This year, the MCO is inviting students to reflect on the impact that the humanities have on access to education and the success of students during their time at university. More specifically, the 2026 question is:
How have the humanities influenced your entry to and/or your experience of higher education?
Please describe your experience with the humanities, be it as far back as school years, or other ways in which you learned about the humanities. Do reflect broadly but personally as well on this experience. For example, did studying the humanities, even a course or two, help or hinder your access to higher education? What role have the humanities played in your progression during higher education (or after higher education if you worked in another sector before returning for a second course)? After you became a university student, did the humanities engage you or not? If so, why? If not, why not? Any one or more of these elements may help you to reflect on this essay question. It is no deterrent to the marking of the essay to focus on the humanities’ influence on either your:
● entry to higher education or
● experience of higher education or
● both.
The humanities explore what it means to be human---in ancient times and today. In part, they are a set of disciplinary inquiries. Think, for example, of history, religion, the arts, languages and literatures, the Classics, philosophy or ethics. In part, the humanities are a set of interdisciplinary inquiries. Think, for example, of the humanities and the law, or music and science, medical humanities or anthropology. Nothing human is alien to humanistic questions, discoveries, dialogues, and thought.
The Magna Charta Universitatum, 2020, emphasises the critical role of universities in acknowledging that individuals and communities, often due to inequitable circumstances, have difficulty gaining access to higher education or influencing the modes and matter of academic study. Further, to realise human potential everywhere, universities deliberately seek ways to welcome and engage with diverse voices and perspectives.
Through this essay competition, the MCO wishes to learn from and raise the voice of students in universities. The MCO has representatives of students in the membership of its governing body and in its various activities. It seeks to enable the student voice to be heard both within institutions and internationally.
There will be up to 5 prizes for winners to present their essays and participate in discussions with an international audience either at the World Access to Higher Education Network/Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association Equality in Action conference scheduled from 22 - 25 November 2026 in Sydney, Australia or at the MCO’s Anniversary Conference in Vilnius Lithuania from 14 – 16 October 2026. The prizes will consist of expenses (including travel and accommodation costs) or an alternative prize, at the discretion of the organisers. Precise arrangements will be discussed with the winners.
The competition is open to students registered in any university in any country. Afghan women who have at least some recent experience of higher education are welcome to participate, regardless of their current university enrolment status. The closing date for the submission of essays is 13 July 2026. The winners will be announced on 4 September 2026. More details are contained below.
Essays will be judged on the following criteria (all four criteria will have equal weighting):
Does the author elaborate on how they define the humanities based on their own experience?
Are the arguments made by the author relevant to the impact which the humanities had on their entry to or experience during higher education?
Does the author go beyond simple description and offer thoughtful analysis?
Is the author's reflection meaningfully considerate of local factors relevant to the author's claims?
An independently chaired international judging panel comprising current and former student representatives and senior academics and leaders in universities will review entries and their decisions will be final.
Members of the judging panel for 2026:
- Emma Harden-Wolfson, Assistant Professor, McGill University, Canada
Formerly Right to Higher Education Lead, UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Peter Kwasi Kodjie, Former Secretary General, All-Africa Students Union (AASU), Ghana and Member of the Governing Council of the Magna Charta Observatory
- Meghan Lai, Student, McGill University, Canada Winner MCO 2025 Essay Competition
- Dr Roberta Malee Bassett, Global Lead for Tertiary Education and Senior Education Specialist, World Bank
- Professor Caroline Parker, MCO Ambassador and formerly Assistant Vice Principal Values at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland
- Professor June Pym Saville Foundation, Emeritus Associate Professor and Education Consultant, Saville Foundation, South Africa
- Dr Nidhi Sadana Sabharwal, Associate Professor, Nationlal University of Educational Planning and Administration, India
- Catharine Stimpson, Professor and Dean Emerita of the Graduate School of Arts and Science, New York University, USA and Member of the Governing Council of the Magna Charta Observatory
Formal requirements:
Only one entry per author is permitted.
Authors must be registered as a student at a university or higher education establishment. Afghan women who have at least some recent experience of higher education are welcome to participate, regardless of their current university enrolment status
Neither the author’s name nor the name of his/her university or higher education establishment must be included in the essay or in the file name of the essay.
Essays must be solely the work of the author.
The author is allowed to quote from other works but such quotations must be acknowledged.
The author is not allowed to use generative AI in the planning or writing of the essay. If the use of AI is suspected, the judges will exclude the essay from further consideration.
At the judges’ discretion, the writer of short-listed essays may be invited for a short online discussion before their decision is finalised.
Essays must not exceed 1000 words.
Essays must be in the English language.
Essays must be uploaded here https://events.magna-charta.org/competitions/2026-mco-student-essay-competition and not be sent by email or with a different tool.
Failure to comply with the formal requirements will result in exclusion from the competition.
By participating in the contest, the author confirms his/her authorization to processing the data which they provide. The data will be processed pursuant to d.lgs. N.196 of 2003 (code regarding the protection of personal data) and its amendments and additions, as well as EU Regulation no. 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR)
More details about the MCO and MCU can be found at https://www.magna-charta.org.
See below the webinar recorded on YouTube with more details about the Competition
