The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition – A Regional Celebration
- Liv Robinson
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2025 achieved a historic milestone, attracting a record-breaking 53,434 entries from across the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth - a 53% increase from 2024. Submissions came from 54 nations, with particularly strong participation from Ghana, Nigeria, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the Maldives.
This record-breaking milestone wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of everyone who generously dedicated their time to promoting the competition this year. We also acknowledge the support the Lagos State Government provided to the competition in previous years. It’s fantastic to see how that investment has continued to create a lasting impact, contributing to the growing enthusiasm for creative writing across the region and to achievements like Pandora’s remarkable success in 2025. We’re especially proud to highlight the outstanding work of our Regional Coordinator for Africa, Nikita Nkese, whose dedication helped further amplify young African voices on the global stage.
Spotlight: From the desk of the Royal Commonwealth Society Regional Coordinator for Africa (Literacy) – Nikita Nkese
As Regional Coordinator for Africa, Nikita has worked to raise awareness of the value of storytelling and the opportunities The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) offers to young Commonwealth authors to have their voices heard on a global scale.
Nikita and her team of volunteers visited schools across Nigeria and Ghana, raising awareness about the QCEC and encouraging students to submit bold, imaginative entries. At each school, she engaged the students with passion, showing them the beauty of creativity, teaching them the power of their voices, and the importance of believing in their stories.
In April 2025, she hosted a highly impactful webinar on ‘Tips for Submitting an Award-Winning Entry for the QCEC’. This session attracted over 100 young people and their parents, from different parts of the country, especially those within the qualifying age range who were eager to learn the secrets of exceptional writing.
And the results spoke loudly
These combined efforts, together with the work of our dedicated Associate Fellows who helped raise awareness across the region, led to a remarkable 31% increase in entries from Africa this year. Even more exciting, out of 54,343 submissions worldwide, Nigerian student Pandora Onyedire was selected as the 2025 Senior Runner-up for her powerful piece about a tree growing in the heart of Lagos.
As part of her prize, Pandora travelled to London for a week of cultural and educational activities, culminating in a prestigious Award Ceremony at St James’s Palace, generously hosted by the Vice-Patron of the Royal Commonwealth Society, Her Majesty the Queen. During her visit, Nikita also helped arrange a special trip to the Nigerian High Commission, where Pandora and her mother were honoured to meet Ambassador Mohammad Maidugu, the Acting High Commissioner.
Reflecting on Pandora’s achievement, Nikita shared that “Pandora’s win is not just a personal triumph; it is a national celebration.” She added that the region’s success in this year’s competition marks “a milestone in the history of Nigerian literacy, and an inspiration for generations of young writers to come.”
A huge congratulations once again to Pandora - and a heartfelt thank you to Nikita for her unwavering dedication and her inspiring work to encourage young writers across Africa to share their unique voices with the world.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Royal Commonwealth Society.