An Essay Exploring Critical Issues for a Better Future

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is an international writing competition, managed by The Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. Every year, youth aged 18 and under, from Commonwealth countries are given a theme for creative writing. Based on that theme there are four topics that students may choose from. This year’s theme was ‘Climate Action in the Commonwealth’, and Grade 11 student, Aanandita, won the Silver Award while exploring the many facets of this critical issue that will impact the future.

I love to pour out my ideas and write. The issue of ‘Climate change’ is something very close to my heart – Aanandita, Grade 11

In the online The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, Aanandita joined the Senior category with peers 14 years and older from all over the Commonwealth countries. One of the Climate Action Theme choices was initiated by the prompt: ‘Imagine you are President of one of the Commonwealth’s 31 Small States and you have been invited to give a speech on Climate Change to other Commonwealth leaders, what will you say?’. “I chose to write about Maldives, as it us under a huge threat of being completely submerged in the near future due to the rising sea levels - which are a result of the melting glaciers”, says Aanandita who would have been taking her IGCSE exams in May 2020.

But due to the pandemic and the closure of schools and other public meeting places, the exams did not take place, and Aanandita felt like she needed to occupy her time with something else. “Since there was not much to do, I began searching online for competitions, and that’s when I came across The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition”, explains Aanandita. Due to the complexity and severity of climate change, she had to do extensive research to find out possible solutions to the problem confronting the island nation of the Maldives. “Writing for this forced me to read a lot more on this topic and think of ways how our generation could undo the damage caused by anthropogenic contributions of global warming”, says Aanandita who is looking forward to continuing working on the topic in the future.

To know more about The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition and to watch this year's award ceremony, visit The Royal Commonwealth Society's website.