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Essay Contest for Students (Grades 9-12) interested in economics: Winners Published in the #1 Economics Department in America | Open to High Schoolers Worldwide
An opportunity to get published in the #1 Economics Department in America )
This university’s economics department is ranked:
#1 in the United States (US News & World Report, 2025)
Top 5 in the world for Economics & Econometrics (QS World University Rankings, 2025)
Every year, this department's student-run economics journal opens an essay contest to high schoolers worldwide. Win, and your work gets published in their print magazine alongside undergraduate research from students at Princeton, Stanford, and LSE.
This is not a participation trophy. It's a real credential from the top-ranked economics program in the country.
The Spring 2026 contest is open now. Deadline is approaching.
In this edition, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about this essay contest - from eligibility and steps to the unique benefits it offers as well as link to past winning essays.
Do note the deadline for this essay contest is 14 March, 2026
Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] with any questions.
For FULL DETAILS, including the prompts, requirements, and past winning essays, please see BELOW…
The Berkeley Economic Review High School Essay Contest | Spring 2026
The Campanile (Sather Tower) stands tall over the picturesque UC Berkeley campus, a 307-feet monument serving as the heart of the university. It was modeled after St. Mark's Campanile in Venice. Completed in 1915, it is the world's second-tallest clock and bell tower, offering an observation deck with panoramic views of the Bay Area.
What is the Berkeley Economic Review?
The Berkeley Economic Review (BER) is UC Berkeley's premier undergraduate economics publication. They produce two things:
A peer-reviewed academic journal featuring undergraduate research and professor interviews
Equilibrium - a semesterly print magazine with accessible economics writing
The high school essay contest winners are published in Equilibrium.
Berkeley Economic Review is the University of California, Berkeley’s premier undergraduate, peer-reviewed, academic economics journal
Why does this matter?
UC Berkeley's Economics Department is amongst the most prestigious in the world:
A publication in Equilibrium is a real credential from the #1 economics department in America - something you can credibly list on your college application.
What are the essays prompts?
Prompt 1: The Economics of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is expected to affect workers differently across the skill distribution. Analyze how AI adoption may reshape labor demand for high-skill, middle-skill, and low-skill workers in the United States, considering both productivity-enhancing and displacement effects. Discuss how these impacts might influence wage inequality. Propose and critically evaluate one specific policy designed to help workers adapt to AI-driven changes.
OR
Prompt 2: Education and the Cost of College
Over the past several decades, the rising college wage premium has been identified as a major contributor to income inequality in the United States. Analyze two structural factors that have amplified this premium. Then, propose and defend a specific policy aimed at reducing inequality by addressing these educational disparities. What trade-offs or unintended consequences might the policy create?
The University of California, Berkeley campus is located in the city of Berkeley, California, on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Key Details
Deadline | March 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST |
Word Limit | 1,000 words (excluding Works Cited and figures) |
Format | MLA, 12pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins |
File Type | PDF or Word (.docx) |
Eligibility | Any high schooler who hasn't started undergrad yet (open worldwide to citizens of any country) |
Winner Announced | First week of May 2026 |
What Winners Get
Published in Equilibrium, Berkeley Economic Review's print magazine
Featured on BER's website and social media
A credential you can list in the "Awards" section of your college application
Rules
Submit only ONE prompt
Individual submissions only (no group work)
No AI tools allowed - ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc. are strictly prohibited at every stage. Essays using AI will be disqualified. All submissions must entirely be the applicant’s own original work, including idea development, analysis, and writing
Must include a Works Cited page
Mak sure to ground your work in evidence from credible sources like economic journals, papers and historical data
How to Submit
For more details on the contest, click here
Click here to submit (This is the official Google Form)
Email submissions will not be reviewed.
Who can I contact if I have any additional questions?
You may contact me at [email protected] or also email the organizers directly to: [email protected]
#GoBears
Read Past Winning Essays
The best way to understand what BER looks for is to read what's won before:
Spring 2025 Winner: Yu Shuen (Vanessa) Wang - “Trend versus Truth: Unmasking Consumerism in a 'Sustainable' World" Download Equilibrium Issue 11 (PDF)
Spring 2024 Winner: Aaryan Raghunathan - Essay on AI and labor markets Read the full essay
Fall 2022 Winner: Jaehee Jung - "The Impact of Inflation on Generation Z" Download Equilibrium Issue 8 (PDF)
Fall 2021 Winner: Aditi Pavuluri - "Economic Implications and Long-Term Solutions of the Debt Ceiling Crisis" Download Equilibrium Issue 7 (PDF)
Browse all past issues of Equilibrium:https://econreview.studentorg.berkeley.edu/magazine/
David Card, a labor economist and professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, won the 2021 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for work that challenged orthodoxy and dramatically shifted understanding of inequality and the social and economic forces that impact low-wage workers.
Additional FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Are international students eligible to participate? Yes! BER accepts submissions globally.
I've already graduated from high school. Am I eligible to participate? You are only eligible if you haven't begun your undergraduate university studies yet. So if you've graduated high school but haven't started university, you are still eligible.
Can students work together to submit an essay? No. BER only accepts essays written by a single student.
What are the prizes for this contest? If selected, your essay will be published in Equilibrium and featured on BER's website and social media.
Will this look good on my college application? Yes! If your essay is selected, you can list it in the "Awards" section and mention that your work was published in Equilibrium, the Berkeley Economic Review's magazine.
Can I use AI tools like ChatGPT? No. AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.) are strictly prohibited at every stage - idea development, analysis, and writing. Essays using AI will be disqualified.
“Always aim for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land at The Campanile”
GOOD LUCK - MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!
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