John Locke Essay Competition 2026
This summer I wrote an essay for the John Locke Essay Competition, and the results just came out! I was shortlisted in the top 17.5% and received a commendation, alongside an invitation to attend the Awards Ceremony and Academic Conference in London.
This year, I chose the Q1 from the economics category: Should We Fear a Cashless Society? My answer was no, because we're already living in one. Between tapping my phone to pay and splitting bills on apps, cash barely shows up in daily life anymore. Instead of fearing the transition, I argued we should govern it, with ethics, regulation, and responsible use of technology to reduce crime and abuse.
Writing this essay reinforced my love for learning about international politics and business. It felt like a natural balance between Business For Youth, my youth organization where I explore business hands-on through interviews and projects, and Mercy Ko, where I author news summaries on current events and issues around the world. It also made me realize the importance of responsible technology use and that money is really about trust – a payment system in one country can affect people all over the world.
I'm so grateful for this opportunity to learn about this growing intersection of technology and economics, and I'm excited to participate again this year! Below is my certificate and a link to the full essay :)
Comments