Fifth former 'highly commended' in OxBright Essay Competition

A fifth former has been highly commended for his essay in the OxBright Essay Competition.  

Matthew W (SH) entered the competition by writing an essay answering the question “How can long-term thinking in the field of Law foster optimism about the future?”.  

The OxBright Essay Competition offers pupils a chance to think deeply about a topic beyond the school curriculum and widen their academic horizons.  

Matthew said:”I am deeply honoured to have been highly commended in the law section of the OxBright Essay Competition where the prompt given was "How can long-term thinking in the field of law foster optimism about the future?".  

“To formulate a topic to answer this broad question, I was particularly guided by Lord Bingham's inspiring book, The Rule of Law, where he emphasised the importance of the accessibility, predictability and intelligibility of the law to ensure the maintenance of the rule of law, a fundamental principle of society and order. Hence, I chose to focus my answer on the topic of linguistically decolonising legal systems inclusive and culturally relevant jurisprudence in the modern era and adapting the law to the heritage of different jurisdictions, thus ensuring that the rule of law can be fully advanced in the long-term.  

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate in the OxBright Essay Competition and to have my work highly commended.” 

The panel of judges were very impressed with Matthew’s essay, nominating it as Highly Commended and ranking it within the top 20% of a competitive field of over 1000 entries. Matthew received a Certificate of Achievement and has won a free place at an OxBright academic conference. 

Congratulations Matthew!