Terms and
conditions.

By using this website, or by entering the essay competition, you agree to these terms. They apply alongside our privacy notice, which explains how personal data is handled.

The initiative

The Reasoning Commons is an educational initiative based in India. This website is informational. Nothing on it is professional advice, and while we try to keep it accurate and current, we do not warrant that it is free of error.

Eligibility

In its inaugural year the essay competition is open to students of Classes 11 and 12 studying at a school in Sonitpur district, Assam, in any stream and under any board. Entry is free. One essay per student. We may ask for proof of enrolment, and an entry may be set aside if eligibility cannot be established.

Entering

• Entries must be between 1200 and 1500 words, excluding notes and bibliography, and must be submitted as a PDF through our submission form
• The PDF must not carry the entrant's name, school or any other identifying detail
• Every entry must include a signed declaration of original work
• Entrants under eighteen must have the consent of a parent or lawful guardian, given through the submission form

Original work

The essay must be entirely the entrant's own. Discussing ideas with others is welcome; another person writing any part of the essay is not. The use of artificial intelligence tools to write, draft or edit the essay is not permitted. Entrants may write about such systems, but the writing and the thinking must be theirs.

Where an entry appears not to be original work, we will raise it with the entrant before reaching any conclusion. Entries found to breach this section will be disqualified, and where a prize has already been awarded it may be withdrawn.

Judging

Essays are judged blind. Every entry is read anonymously, and the jury's decisions are final; we do not enter into correspondence about the merits of individual entries. We may decline to award a prize in any category if, in the jury's view, no entry merits it.

Prizes

Prizes are as stated on the competition page and are awarded at our discretion in accordance with the jury's decisions. There is no cash alternative to the books or certificates. Prize money, books and printed certificates for the first three places are sent to the entrant's school. Any tax arising on a prize is the recipient's responsibility.

Your work, and what we may do with it

Entrants keep the copyright in their essays. By entering, you grant The Reasoning Commons a non-exclusive right to store and reproduce your essay for the purpose of judging and administering the competition. We publish an essay only with the author's separate and specific permission, and where an entrant is under eighteen, with the consent of a parent or lawful guardian as well. This includes the anthology of the first edition, which collects the fifteen strongest essays. Permission is sought in the submission form, and may be withheld without any effect on the assessment of the entry.

This website

The text and design of this website belong to The Reasoning Commons. You are welcome to quote from it with attribution, and to print the essay topic for classroom use. Wholesale reproduction of the site or its content for commercial purposes is not permitted.

Where we link to other websites, we do so because we think the material is useful. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content.

Changes and cancellation

We may change the dates, the rules or the structure of the competition, and we may in unusual circumstances suspend or cancel it. If we do, we will publish the change on this website and tell entrants who have already submitted. We will not change the rules in a way that disadvantages an entry already made.

Liability

We take reasonable care in running the competition and this website. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, for entries not received because of a failure in the entrant's internet connection or email, or for delays in courier delivery of prizes.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of India, and the courts at Tezpur, Assam have jurisdiction over any dispute arising from them.

Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to founder@thereasoningcommons.org.

Last updated: August 2026.