Exploring the evidence that the works of Shakespeare were written by Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Shakespeare Authorship High School Essay Contest

Read the 2012 winning essay:

Bringing Truth to Light – Why it Matters Who Wrote William’s Words

by Jacob Karlsson Lagerros

About the Shakespeare Authorship High School Essay Contest

The purpose of the Shakespeare Authorship High School Essay Contest is to involve secondary school students in the creative and analytic synthesis of knowledge about Shakespeare, the Shakespearean Canon, and the Shakespeare Authorship question, by offering prizes for the best essays.

Since we began our contest in 2002, many teachers have written to thank us for the pedagogical opportunity provided by the essay contest. “Thanks so much for providing the forum to inspire students towards excellence,” wrote Audrey Wells from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.

In previous contests, we’ve received hundreds of entries. Essays came not only from the United States, but from many other countries including Canada, Bulgaria, Romania, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and the United Kingdom. We welcome entries from students of all nations and hope that this year many more teachers from all over the world will find the essay contest a useful resource for stimulating thinking, discussion, and the development of analytic and critical thinking skills.

Contest Guidelines

Download the 2012 Contest Guidelines here.

For questions and more information about the contest and eligibility, send inquiries to shake_a_speare@hotmail.com.

2012 Shakespeare Authorship High School Essay Contest Winners

Winner: Jacob Karlsson Lagerros

Jacob Karlsson Lagerros, a student at Viktor Rydberg Gymnasium in Stockholm Sweden, has been selected as winner of the 2012 Shakespeare Authorship High School Essay Contest. His essay, “Bringing Truth to Light – Why it Matters Who Wrote William’s Words, was selected from more than 60 submissions.

2nd Place: Rachel Woods of Franklin, TN

3rd Place: Hayley Hohman of Mead, WA

Honorable Mention:

Catherine Wu of High Point, NC

Olivia Barnett of New York City

Rachel Grewcock from Longborough High School, UK

Judges of the 2012 contest: Dr. Robin Fox, Dr. Ren Draya, and Sarah Smith.

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