For students in the UAE · 2027 cycle
John Locke Essay Competition Preparation in Dubai
The John Locke Institute's Global Essay Prize is open to students in the UAE on the same terms as everyone else: free to enter, submitted online, judged by academics. What differs here is the calendar. The deadline lands in the middle of exam season, and the reading weeks fall in Ramadan.
Atlantic Ivy is based in Barsha Heights. We teach John Locke preparation live online in Dubai evening hours, in groups of at most eight.
2026 cycle
93%
of Atlantic Ivy students shortlisted (38 of 41)
17.5%
of all contestants shortlisted, by the Institute's count
2025, our first year: 12 of 18 shortlisted, with two Very High Commendations, including the first Emirati student to receive one. Full results, year by year
Entering from the UAE
What a student in Dubai needs to know
There is no regional round and no local partner school. A student registers on the Institute's own site, picks one of thirty questions across ten subjects, and uploads an essay of up to 2,000 words. Anyone under 19 on the deadline can enter, and those under 15 are judged in a separate Junior category.
The competition does not care which curriculum a student follows. Whether the school is British, IB, American or Indian curriculum, the questions are the same and so is what a student needs: a position they can defend, sources that would hold up in a university seminar, and time for several drafts.
If the competition itself is new to you, start with our complete guide to the John Locke Essay Competition, which covers the rules, the judging criteria and the prizes.
- Free
- to enter from any country
- Online
- registration and submission
- Under 19
- on the submission deadline
- Under 15
- judged as Juniors
The calendar
How the 2027 competition sits against a UAE school year
The Institute has not announced 2027 dates, so the competition column follows the 2026 calendar. School dates vary by school and curriculum; check your own. Checked October 6, 2026.
| When | In the competition | In a UAE school year |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-January 2027 | Our January cohort begins, before the questions are out. | The second term has just started. |
| Late January 2027 (expected) | The Institute publishes all thirty questions. | Mock exams for many Year 11 and Year 13 students. |
| February to early March 2027 | Question choice and the bulk of the reading. | Ramadan is expected from about 8 February to 9 March 2027, subject to moon sighting, with Eid al-Fitr straight after. CBSE and ICSE board exams begin. |
| Late March 2027 (expected) | Free registration closes. It was 31 March in 2026. | Spring break at many schools falls around now. A good fortnight for a first full draft. |
| April 2027 | Submissions open. Second and third drafts. | Last clear month before IGCSE, A-level and IB Diploma exams. |
| May 2027 | Submission deadline, expected at the end of the month (31 May in 2026). | IGCSE, A-level and IB exams are under way. Exam-year students should already have submitted. |
| Early July 2027 (expected) | Shortlist announced by email. | Summer holidays. Many families are travelling, so watch the inbox you registered with. |
| Autumn 2027 | Academic conference and awards dinner. London in 2026. | First term of the new school year. |
If this is an exam year
Students sitting IGCSEs, A-levels, the IB Diploma or board exams in spring 2027 should treat the end of April as their deadline, not 31 May. That means a full first draft by the spring break, which in turn means starting in January.
If it is not
Students outside a public exam year have the most room. A February start still leaves time for the reading, three drafts and the 1-on-1 hours before the end of May.
Every date, with what is confirmed and what is expected, is on the John Locke deadline and timeline page.
Classes
Class times and fees for UAE families
Classes are live online with at most eight students, taught by mentors who studied at Oxford, Cambridge, Yale and Harvard. All times below are Dubai time (GST). Three cohorts run for the 2027 cycle, starting in January, February and March.
Weekly class times
- Ages 14 and over
- Thursday 6 to 8 PM or Friday 4 to 6 PM
- Ages 13 and under
- Tuesday 6 to 8 PM or Sunday 2 to 4 PM
Dubai time. Ivy Scholar sessions are arranged individually with the mentor.
Fees in AED
AED 3,200
Academic Essay Basics
12 group sessions, 24 hours. Foundations before a first attempt.
AED 4,800
John Locke Basics
12 group sessions plus 6 hours of 1-on-1, 30 hours. The track most families choose.
AED 3,080
Economics Scholar
14 group sessions, 28 hours. Economics for students entering that category.
AED 9,600
Ivy Scholar
20 hours of 1-on-1 mentorship, scheduled around the student.
Draft edits are unlimited on every track. The programmes are compared hour by hour on the John Locke Essay Competition prep page, where you can also enroll.
Results
What our students have done so far
93% of our students (38 of 41) were shortlisted for the 2026 John Locke Essay Prize — more than five times the 17.5% of contestants the Institute shortlisted worldwide. We count every student who entered, including the three who were not shortlisted, and we do not treat the rate as a guarantee.
- 2026
38 of 41 students shortlisted.
- 2025
2 × Very High Commendation (including the first Emirati student to receive Very High Commendation)
- 2025
3 × High Commendation
- 2025
4 × Commendation
- 2025
12 × Shortlist (12 of 18 students in our first cohort)
How the 2026 figure was counted is written up in our 2026 results, in detail.
Common questions
What UAE parents ask us
Can students in Dubai and the UAE enter the John Locke Essay Competition?
Yes. The John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize is open to students in any country who are under 19 on the submission deadline, and entry is free. Registration and submission are both done online through the Institute's own site, so nothing has to be posted or sat in person. Students under 15 on the deadline are judged separately in the Junior category.
Are your John Locke classes held in person in Dubai?
No. Atlantic Ivy is based in Barsha Heights, Dubai, and our debate and public speaking classes are taught there in person, but John Locke preparation is taught live online in groups of at most eight. Class times are set in Dubai time, in the early evening and at weekends, so students join from home after school. The free consultation is also an online video call of about thirty minutes.
How much does John Locke Essay Competition preparation cost in AED?
Academic Essay Basics is AED 3,200 for 24 hours of group teaching. John Locke Basics, the track most families choose, is AED 4,800 for 30 hours including 6 hours of 1-on-1 mentorship. Economics Scholar is AED 3,080 for 28 hours. Ivy Scholar, which is entirely 1-on-1, is AED 9,600 for 20 hours. Draft edits are unlimited on every track.
Does it matter whether my child is in a British, IB, American or Indian curriculum school?
Not for eligibility, and not much for the essay. The questions are not tied to any syllabus, and the judging criteria reward argument and evidence, which no curriculum owns. Where the curriculum does matter is the calendar: students sitting IGCSE, A-level, IB Diploma or board exams in the same spring need to finish the essay before revision takes over, which usually means submitting by the end of April.
When should a student in the UAE start preparing?
For most students we recommend the January cohort. It starts before the questions are released and gets research method and argument structure done in the quietest part of the school year, so that the reading and first draft are not competing with Ramadan evenings, board exams or May exam leave. Students in a public exam year should plan to submit by the end of April and not use the full window to 31 May.
Do shortlisted students from the UAE have to travel to London?
No. Shortlisted students are invited to the Institute's academic conference and awards dinner, which was held in London on 2 to 4 October 2026, but attendance is optional and priced separately by the Institute. Families who do plan to go should check UK entry requirements for their passports well in advance. The venue and dates for 2027 have not been announced.
Three start dates for the 2027 cycle
January, February or March 2027. Places are capped at eight per group and go in order of enrollment. If you are not sure which track fits, the consultation is free and takes about thirty minutes by video call.