Bennett Prospect Public Policy Prize

The Bennett Prospect Prize for Public Policy is awarded by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and is held in partnership with Prospect magazine. The goal is to encourage early career researchers and policy professionals to enter a short essay or film that explores creative solutions to a pressing public policy question of our age.

Entry to the Bennett Prospect Public Policy Prize 2020/21 is now closed.

A high-profile panel of four judges are currently shortlisting the entries for the 2020/21 Prize and will agree upon the finalists including one winner. The winner and finalists will be announced in Spring 2021.

Judges for 2020/21 entries:

• Professor Diane Coyle, Bennett Institute, University of Cambridge
• Professor Michael Kenny, Bennett Institute, University of Cambridge
• Professor David Runciman, Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge, and host of the Talking Politics podcast
• Tom Clark, Editor, Prospect Magazine

The winner receives:

•  £10,000
• Publication in the Bennett Institute Public Policy series
• Publication online in Prospect
• An introduction to a leading policy practitioner to discuss how the winning idea might be brought into practice

All finalists receive:

• Publication in the Bennett Institute Public Policy series
• Invitation to the Bennett Institute’s annual conference 
• A year’s subscription to Prospect

How to enter: 

We welcome submissions in the form of a 2,500 word essay or a short film of no more than 10 minutes from any early career researcher or policy professional of any nationality, based anywhere worldwide as long as they can answer the question and meet the following eligibility criteria.

Eligibility:

• Within five years of having submitted a PhD and started a research based career OR
• Within five years of starting work in a policy focused career
• Within five years of starting work in a policy focused career but undertaking part-time post graduate studies

The following are NOT eligible:

• Current full-time Undergraduate, Masters, PhD and DPhil students
• Holder of a tenured academic position
• Current and former affiliates of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy

Further eligibility guidelines:

• Co-produced entries will be accepted subject to both parties meeting the full eligibility criteria
• Work must be previously unpublished and unplagiarised
• Previous Bennett Prospect Prize entrants/finalists may enter