The Reasoning Commons Essay Competition

Submissions for 2026 are closed

Entries were accepted from 1 October to 31 October 2026. Results will be announced by 15 November. An essay competition at the graduate level is coming soon, so keep checking this space and follow our Facebook page for news.

The Reasoning Commons Essay Competition asks students to look at what they believe, and at how they came to believe it.

It does not test scientific knowledge, and it is not a contest of fine writing. It rewards careful reasoning. That means looking at a claim critically, weighing the evidence fairly, taking opposing arguments seriously, and reaching conclusions that go no further than the evidence allows.

Every entry is read without the writer's name and judged on how well it reasons, not on which side it takes. The judges look for essays that think a question through, deal fairly with other views, keep evidence and assertion apart, and are only as confident as the evidence allows. Entrants do not need to agree with the judges, and gain nothing by trying to.

The first edition was open to students of Classes 11 and 12 at schools across Sonitpur district, Assam. Entry was free.

Schools, junior colleges and colleges in Sonitpur district that would like to take part in future can write to founder@thereasoningcommons.org. We would be glad to talk it through.

This year's
topic

There is one essay topic each year. Here is the topic for 2026, with a short note and some suggested reading.

Essay Topic

Does relying on AI to think for us strengthen human thought, or weaken the abilities it replaces?

Note

Every major tool for thinking has changed how people think. Writing meant we no longer had to remember everything. The calculator changed how we do arithmetic, and the search engine changed how we look things up. AI goes further. It can summarise, analyse, write code and write prose. Does handing this work over leave us free to think more deeply, or does it slowly wear down the abilities it takes over? The answer may depend on which mental skill you mean, how often you hand it off, and whether relying on a tool changes only what we do or also how we learn to think in the first place.

Suggested reading

  • Nicholas Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid? (The Atlantic, 2008). The best-known version of the argument that digital tools wear down attention, memory and deep reading.
  • Clay Shirky, Why Abundance Is Good: A Reply to Nick Carr (2008). A reply to Carr, arguing that new tools add to what the mind can do. Best read alongside him.
  • Plato, Phaedrus (the myth of Theuth). An ancient argument that writing would weaken memory. It runs to about two pages, and much of it will sound familiar.
  • Vannevar Bush, As We May Think (The Atlantic, 1945). An optimistic case that machines can extend the mind instead of replacing it.
  • Recent research on cognitive offloading and AI. Look for peer-reviewed studies published since 2023 on how relying on AI tools affects memory, learning and judgement. Read the findings with care, because the evidence on both sides is still tentative.

All of this reading is optional, and all of it is free online. It is there to help entrants find their way into the debate, and not to be copied. Essays should not reproduce or closely paraphrase these sources, or present their arguments as the entrant's own. Citing more sources does not earn more credit. The reasoning is what counts.

A note on using AI

Since the topic is AI, here is the rule in plain terms. Entrants may read as much as they like about AI and write about it freely, but they may not use it to produce the essay. Using an AI tool to generate, draft, rewrite or edit any part of a submission is not allowed, and any entry found to have been produced that way will be disqualified. The thinking and the writing have to be the entrant's own.

Submissionguidelines

These are the rules for the 2026 edition. They apply to every entry we received.

Eligibility

Students of Classes 11 and 12 at any school in Sonitpur district, Assam, in any stream and under any board. The first year covered schools across the district, and we hope to open the competition more widely over time. Entry was free, and each student could submit one essay.

Format

  • 1,200 to 1,500 words
  • A PDF file
  • Written for an intelligent general reader, in the tone of a good magazine essay rather than a school assignment
  • No name, school or other personal details in the PDF. These are collected separately through the submission form
  • Sources cited in any consistent style. Any factual claim a reader might reasonably doubt needs a source

Original work

  • The essay must be entirely the entrant's own. Talking ideas through with others is fine. Having someone else write any part of it is not
  • Every entry includes a signed declaration of original work

Use of AI

  • AI tools may not be used to generate, draft, rewrite or edit any part of the essay. This covers the whole submission, including the title, structure and references
  • The rule is about how the essay is produced, not what it is about. Entrants are expected to write about AI, and may read about it as widely as they like
  • An entry found to have been generated or edited with an AI tool will be disqualified

Theawards

First prize

₹5,000

with a book and a printed certificate

Second prize

₹3,000

with a book and a printed certificate

Third prize

₹2,000

with a book and a printed certificate

Prize money, books and printed certificates for the top three places will be sent to each winner's school, to be presented there.

Everyone who submitted a complete entry will receive a digital certificate of participation.

The fifteen strongest essays will be published in an anthology of the first edition, with each author's permission. The submission form asked for that permission, and whether an entrant said yes or no makes no difference to how the essay is judged.

Submissions
are closed.

Entries for 2026 closed on 31 October. Thank you to every student who sent in an essay. Results will be announced by 15 November.

An essay competition at the graduate level is coming soon. Keep checking this space, and follow our Facebook page for news.

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Questionswe are asked

When are the results?

Submissions were open from 1 October to 31 October 2026 and are now closed. Results will be announced by 15 November. Keep checking this page.

Is there a competition for college students?

An essay competition at the graduate level is coming soon. Keep checking this space, and follow our Facebook page for news.

Who could enter, and did it cost anything?

Students of Classes 11 and 12 at a school in Sonitpur district, Assam, in any stream and under any board. Entry was free, with no charge at any stage.

What if I sent more than one essay?

Each student could submit one essay on this year's topic. If we received more than one entry from the same student, only the first is considered.

Did I need to read the suggested reading?

No. All of it was optional, a starting point for anyone who wanted one, and every item is free to read. A strong essay might use none of it, and nobody is marked down for skipping a particular book or article.

Could I use AI to help me write it?

No. AI tools could not be used to write, draft or edit the essay. Given the topic, we wanted to be clear about this. Entrants could write about AI, but the thinking and the writing had to be their own.

Reading about the subject was fine, including anything an AI tool pointed you to. Using a tool to find things out is one thing. Having it write for you is another.

Will the judges know who I am?

No. Names, schools and contact details were collected separately through the submission form and are kept apart from the essays. That is why the PDF itself could not carry any identifying details.

Did my parents need to be involved?

If you are under eighteen, yes. Indian law requires the consent of a parent or lawful guardian before we can process your personal data, so the submission form asked for their details and their consent. Our privacy notice explains exactly what we collect and why.

Can I withdraw my entry?

Yes. Write to us and we will withdraw your entry and delete the data we hold for it. An essay withdrawn while judging is under way cannot be considered.

Will my essay be published?

Only if you gave permission in the submission form. The fifteen strongest essays will be collected in an anthology of the first edition. Saying no makes no difference to how an entry is judged, and you keep the copyright in your work.