New essay prize to shine a light on the challenge of disinformation

The Worshipful Company of Communicators launches competition for sixth-formers and undergraduates

Students across the UK are being invited to share their views on how to tackle disinformation in the Worshipful Company of Communicators new essay competition, to go live in September 2026.

The Worshipful Company of Communicators, one of the City of London’s newest livery companies, will award two prizes of £2,500 each to the best essay by a six-former and by an undergraduate, written in response to a question to be released this autumn.

Announcing the new competition, the Master of the Worshipful Company of Communicators, Justine McGuinness said:

‘This is an exciting initiative designed to help tackle a modern phenomenon, the misrepresentation or manipulation of information. This competition invites young people to engage with the issues and to share their perspective in the form of a structured essay, in response to a set question.’

The theme of tackling disinformation reflects a growing workstream within the Company’s charitable and public interest work, which includes schools’ outreach, teaching lessons in-person and careers activity.

The competition is open to any student studying at a UK institution. There are two entry categories:

•             Category One, Ages 16 to 18

Open to secondary school students and college students aged 16 to 18 at the time of submission.

•             Category Two, Ages 18 to 21

Open to university undergraduates aged 18 to 21 at the time of submission.

The competition website is now live and can be viewed here. Entry will be via and an online form and judging will be blind.

The three judges for the 2026/27 prizes will be:

•             Sally Sykes, Past Master, Worshipful Company of Communicators and trustee of the Company’s charity

•             Simon Lewis OBE, Managing Partner, Lewis Advisors

•             Professor Sander van der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology at University of Cambridge and Author of FOOLPROOF

The Master of the Worshipful Company of Communicators, Justine McGuinness, continued:

‘Thank you to everyone who has worked on this project. The Company is grateful to our judges, who will be able to use their expert knowledge and experience to select the winners of this new national competition.’

The competition timetable kicks off after the summer holidays:

•             September 2026: Competition launches. Essay question published. Entries open.

•             September to November 2026: Entry period. Submissions accepted by email.

•             Late November 2026: Submission deadline. Late entries will not be considered.

•             December 2026: Judging and shortlisting. Anonymised submissions distributed to judges.

•             Early January 2027: Judges’ meeting. Shortlisted essays scored and ranked.

•             Early February 2027: Winners announced.

•             March 2027: Prize presentation ceremony.

Ends

Notes to Editors

1.          For further information on the competition, please visit our website at https://communicatoressay.co.uk

2.          Once submitted, all entries are anonymised before being distributed to the judging panel. Judges receive no information about the identity, school, or background of any entrant. Essays are assessed on five criteria: clarity of thought and persuasiveness of argument; quality of written English; originality; evidence of use of sources; and relevance to social, economic and/or security factors. Criteria are applied equally across both age categories.

3.          The Worshipful Company of Communicators is part of the livery, the City of London’s Livery Companies and Guilds. The Company contributes to society through charitable giving and by promoting the communications profession, including public/media relations, public affairs, corporate and financial communications, internal communications and employee engagement, crisis management and digital communications. With a growing membership of about 300, we have a forward-thinking outlook and approach, recognising that professional communication is an essential activity throughout society.

4.          Press enquiries to Oscar Houseago on 07535 862072.