LONDON, Oct. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 15 year old student, Emma Luo, from Scarsdale, New York, USA, has been announced as the Grand Prize Winner of this year’s prestigious John Locke Global Essay Prize, organised by The John Locke Institute, an independent educational organisation which emboldens the brightest students to become more academically ambitious and intellectually adventurous.

The John Locke Global Essay Prize is an esteemed competition for students which encourages independent thought, clear reasoning, critical analysis, and the ability to write persuasively. This year, over 63,000 hopeful students submitted essays from 191 countries. In total, over 100 million words were written.

John Locke Global Essay Prize Winner receives prize from Martin Cox, Director General of The John Locke Institute

Emma Yuo wins Grand Prize in John Locke Global Essay Prize

The awards ceremony, held this weekend at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, welcomed over 2,200 attendees, including the competition’s finalists, their families, and distinguished guests. Speakers included renowned psychologist and psycholinguist Steven Pinker and leading British public intellectual, Viscount Matt Ridley, both bestselling authors.

The Grand Prize-winning essay came from the Economics category, with Emma Luo exploring the issue of “Private or Public Ownership: A Balancing Act”. She developed original research to interrogate the role of government intervention and regulation in shaping social, economic and environmental outcomes.

When interviewed after the award ceremony, Emma Luo said, “I have always really enjoyed the arts whether that’s music or creative writing or especially economics. And expressing my love of this to others.

“I’m immensely grateful for this opportunity as I see it as a pathway to my future, especially kindling my love for economics.

“It’s not only a win in terms of a prize for me, but for the rest of my community as well. They have played a huge role in supporting me throughout my entire life.

“We should always live up to our dreams.”

The John Locke Global Essay Prize invites participants to write essays on a wide range of topics within categories, spanning Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law.

The Prize is judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Ivy League universities, with a rigorous selection process for each category, and a Grand Prize winner for the best entry overall.

Professor Terence Kealey, Chief Examiner for the John Locke Global Essay Prize, said,

“This was clearly a tight competition. The essays I reviewed were exceptionally good.

“We were looking for essays that were well written. But more than anything those which showed an individual voice, someone who looks at a question in a personal way - a piece that was well defended and well argued, but unique to that individual.”

Martin Cox, Director General of The John Locke Institute, said:

“At the John Locke Institute, we try hard to help students listen to people on the other side of an argument - to understand the critics to their own position. This competition helps us to foster this approach. The students need to address the questions from other points of view. This is needed in the world right now.

“This competition offers affirmation and encouragement for the incredible young people who have worked so hard on their entries. It is an endorsement of their choice to aim high and pursue their goals. When they see what a big occasion this is, they get to see that their efforts have been worth it.”

About The John Locke Institute: https://www.johnlockeinstitute.com/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/940f574f-8404-4662-b97a-650a9a351df6