The John Button School Prize awards $2,500 for the best essay on a subject concerning Australia’s future by a Victorian student who is in Years 10 to 12 and is younger than 19. It also awards $2,000 to the student’s school and both student and school receive a commemorative plaque.
Essays submitted for the School Prize will discuss Australian politics or policy. They might address such topics as Australia’s population, climate change, reconciliation with Indigenous Australians, water, asylum seekers, education, health, or the state of the arts - big ideas for Australia’s future.
The winner will be announced at the Melbourne Writers Festival in August at the annual John Button Oration.
The John Button School Prize has been presented by The Melbourne School of Government since 2016.
For more information and how to apply, please visit the
John Button School Prize at Melbourne School of Government.