Download competition poster to display in your school/college here:
Download presentation to share information about the competition with your students here:
Teachers register your interest here: https://forms.gle/XQE2r9W3nXJoU1GR6 (if you are a student please ask your psychology teacher or tutor to do this for you).
Learn more about our award winning head judge Dr Linda Kaye here: https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/person/dr-linda-kaye/staff/
Learn more about the ATP here and become a member of this amazing community:
In 2021 I launched my first essay writing competition, judged by Professor Reicher, my personal tutor at the University of Exeter, where I was a student from 1994-1997. His lectures on the psychology of riots and carnivals captured our attention in a way that truly made “Psych Stick”, but Steve also made sure that when the chips were down we “Stuck” at it, and gave it our all. He is, therefore, somewhat responsible for PsychStix as if it wasn’t for his tutelage, I might not have ended up teaching this remarkable subject for over 25 years!
At PsychStix, we want to provide opportunities to cultivate great research and critical thinking skills, whilst allowing students the freedom to communicate with flair, passion and determination! Finding your academic voice and having the confidence to speak up and contribute to the discourse is a critical step in creating a connected and inclusive world, where everyone’s experiences inform the big debates. Doing so with humility, yet the conviction that derives from thorough and robust research may also ensure that people take the time to listen! So, let me introduce the 2023 competition!
Essay title: How should psychologists leverage advances in modern technology in their research and/or practice? You may refer to one of more examples in your answer, e.g. artificial intelligence, virtual reality.
This year the competition will be judged in two age categories (Under and Over 16s) with 1st and 2nd prizes awarded in both categories.
– PsychStix certificates for all short-listed entrants;
– Second Prize: £25, plus PsychStix goody-bags
– First prize: £50, plus PsychStix prize hamper
– The winners in each category will have their work published in ATP Today magazine and on the PsychStix website.
This year our competition will be judged by Dr Linda Kaye of Edge Hill University. Dr Kaye is an expert in cyber-psychology and her research focuses on how participation in the online/virtual world affects everyday experiences and behaviour, specifically how online settings promote social inclusion and well-being.
Edge Hill is located in Lancashire, (North West UK) and was named as the Modern University of the Year in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022. This award recognises the university’s investment in their students including dedication to the highest quality of teaching and learning and fantastic facilities and accommodation (which has also been rated as number 1 by UniCompare 2023).
The competition has been kindly sponsored by the Association for the Teaching of Psychology. The ATP is a highly respected national and international community of psychology teachers providing members with opportunities to network and collaborate. Please click here: https://www.theatp.uk/to find out how to join this amazing organisation that provides outstanding CPD in the form of an annual conference, one-day events and the fabulous ATP Today magazine, three times per year.
Competition Rules
1. All essays must be submitted by Monday 4 December 2023 at 5.00 pm.
2. Essay should be no more than 1500 words and must be presented in 12 point text, double line spaced.
3. All essays must be submitted by a teacher or private tutor (in the case of home-schooled pupils/students), who must be a member of the PsychStix Facebook group or mailing list. Schools will be charged £24 for participation (up to 2 entries in each age category, 4 essays in total), to cover postage costs of certificates/prizes etc, marking of essays. This will be payable on submission of entries, it is free to register interest in the competition using this google form. All entrants will receive feedback on their submission.
4. This year the competition is open to students aged 14-19 and there will be two age categories with prizes in for winners in both categories, Under 16s (e.g. Year 10-11) and Over 16s (e.g. Year 12-13). The age restrictions have been increased to allow any students needing to repeat a sixth form year to be included. Furthermore, this year the competition will also be open to those below sixth form age, including those studying GCSE psychology. Entries are welcome from all pre-university, Psychology programmes, e.g. A Level, AP, IB, Pre-U, GCSE etc. including students enrolled in online schools.
5. Teachers who wish to submit entries must first complete a registration form so that we can generate student codes. We wish to keep the essays completely anonymous so that they are judged entirely on merit. When essays are submitted they should be sent as pdfs with a file name of “Essay Comp” followed by the unique codes that will have been given to you for each entrant.
6. No more than two entrants per school per age category, please. You may wish to open the competition to whole classes and choose the best two entries to submit. Please do send a personal email to psychstix76@gmail.com to let me know how many entrants there were from your school as a whole as I would like to ensure all competitors are recognised where possible!
7. The competition is open to international students but please be informed that physical prizes cannot be sent to students outside the UK due to restrictions around items that can be sent in the post, importation taxes, etc. Cash prizes can be sent by bank transfer to winners anywhere in the UK, Europe or the US and digital certificates can be sent to all entrants.
8. Essays will be judged according to the following criteria:
– Detailed knowledge of psychological research, including theories, studies and/or methods;
– Mindful, logical, and informed reflection/analysis;
– Clarity and coherence throughout the piece;
– Compelling, imaginative, and engaging style;
– Essays must include in-text citations and full APA referencing; academic honesty is imperative and essays will be checked for plagiarism and use of AI (all schools will be provided with detailed guidance regarding the appropriate use of AI)
– All essays must include a brief abstract of no more than 100 words and a reflective learning journal to include, if relevant, how and why AI was used in the creation of the essay – please download a copy of the reflective learning journal form here:
Essays will be judged by a panel of experts; shortlisted essays will then be sent to Dr Linda Kaye to select the winners!
Teachers/tutors will receive an email from PsychStix with PIN codes to submit their essays, if for any reason you do not receive a message within 48 hours please do email me at PsychStix76@gmail.com
PsychStix 