Information for applicants

The Norfolk Cambridge Society (NCS) is offering up to three £500 cash awards to Year 13/14 students who attend or attended a school or college in Norfolk in the 2023/4 academic year and have applied through UCAS for an undergraduate place to study at Cambridge University.

Awards will be made to eligible students who, in the opinion of the NCS Student Awards Judging Panel, have submitted the best essays in response to the following question:

What or who inspired you to apply to study your chosen subject at Cambridge, and why does that subject matter to you and to society in general?

The criteria for selecting prizewinners will include:

• the reasons given by applicants for choosing to apply to Cambridge University to study their particular degree subject, and
• their justification of the value of their chosen subject.

Submitting your essay and application form

Essays should be circa 1000 words in length and must be submitted as a PDF.

Please avoid including any information in the essay PDF that might reveal your name or that of the school/6th form college you are attending. Such information should only be given on the application form.

The essay, and a fully completed application form, validated by your school, must be sent together as separate PDF attachments by email to awards@norfolkcambridgesociety.org.uk

The email header should be “NCS competition essay 2024” followed by the candidate’s name.

The closing date for submission will be 6 pm on 31st October 2023.

Judging Panel and Process

The NCS Awards Judging Panel will comprise members of the Norfolk Cambridge Society, all of whom are Cambridge alumni living in Norfolk. All essay submissions will be marked anonymously. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview (by Zoom) with members of the Panel in mid-to-late March. The interview date and further information about the interview format will be confirmed in early March.

Prize winners

Prize winners, and up to two family members or close friends, will be invited as our guests to attend one of the Society’s public lectures, normally held at the Norwich School.

For further information about the Norfolk Cambridge Society see our website.