Congratulations to the Finalists and Winners in our 2024 Competition – view them on this page.
See below for an example of the guidelines to our annual competition; the details for 2025 will be announced at the end of the year.
THE 2024 ANCIENT WORLDS COMPETITION
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The Big Question If you could make a documentary about the ancient world, what would you talk about and why?
The Deadline 6pm on 11 April 2024
Age Range 11-18 years
Prize Fund £650 and awards as shown below
Pitch us your documentary idea in 15 minutes or less – and you could be in with the chance of winning a share of £650 prizemoney! Before you get started, please read the guidelines and our FAQs below:
The Big Question
If you could make a documentary about the ancient world, what would you talk about and why?
There is lots of scope for you to interpret this question in your own personal way.
- Think about where you might like to film or set your documentary, what you’d show, what you’d talk about and why these choices are so interesting to you and a potential audience. You don’t need to do any filming, other than record yourself speaking, this is just your chance to pitch! Please note: your pitch won’t lead to making a documentary, but you might make it to our Grand Final!
- We acknowledge that ‘the ancient world’ covers a hugely expansive time-frame and global geography. For the purpose of this competition, the ancient world is defined as ‘the region around the Mediterranean and the Near East between 3000 BCE and CE 476’ including Ancient Egypt, the Hellenistic World and the Roman World (including Roman Britain and North Africa).
The Presentation
- Your presentation must be delivered in 15 minutes or less. Please note that if you reach the Final, in order to be fair to all contestants, you will be asked to stop after 15 minutes whether you have finished or not, so please practise and time your presentation to ensure this doesn’t happen to you!
- You can deliver your presentation with or without accompanying images (e.g. a PowerPoint, handouts, video extracts). but please note that those who reach the 2024 Final will have to present with an accompanying slideshow with relevant and interesting slides to engage the audience in their presentation. Presentations consisting of only a video to be shown at the Final i.e. with no live speaking or interaction from you on the day are not acceptable as this is a public speaking competition so please bear this in mind in the planning stage.
- Individual feedback will not be given and the decisions of the selection committee and the Competition Judge, Professor Michael Scott, are final.
- Heats are held within your school and it is up to each school to decide on how this is organized and the winning presentation chosen.
How To Enter
If you are successful in your internal school heat and chosen as your school’s winner (or you do not attend an educational institution and are entering independently), your video entry will be submitted to the competition by completing the following:
- Upload the video of the presentation to YouTube. Guidance on uploading films is available here. The video must be UNLISTED (not public or private).
- Then fill in this form – in the form you will be asked to share the link to the YouTube video.
- The deadline for entries is 18:00 BST on Thursday 11 April 2024.
The LSA CA committee will watch all entries and draw up a shortlist of competitors, who will receive certificates of commendation. From this shortlist, four presenters/pairs will then be selected by the committee to compete in the Final when they must deliver their same presentation in front of a live audience.
The Final
The Grand Final will be held on Saturday 27 April 2024 at AKS Lytham, Lancashire, FY8 1DT, as part of our Ancient Worlds Day. The four finalists will be invited, alongside their friends, family and teachers, to deliver their presentations in front of a friendly and enthusiastic audience and our judge and LSA CA President, Professor Michael Scott. Travel bursaries are available to cover reasonable transport costs.
Michael is a broadcaster, author and academic, with particular interests in Greek religion, sanctuaries and archaeological discoveries. He has written several books on the ancient Mediterranean world as well as ancient Global History such as From Democrats to Kings, X Marks the Spot, and Ancient Worlds; and has written and presented a range of TV and Radio documentaries for National Geographic, History Channel, ITV and the BBC. In 2021, he won the Classical Association Prize, and he is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International affairs and a Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick.
The Prizes
1st Prize £200 The LSA CA Champion Award and Laurel Trophy for Schools
2nd Prize £100
3rd Prize £50
4th Prize £50
People’s Choice Award £50 and the People’s Choice Award (voted for by the audience at the Final and therefore only open to the four Finalists)
Lancashire Classics Award £100 and the LSA CA Lancashire Award (See eligibility criteria below.)
International Award £100 and the LSA CA International Winner’s Certificate
The school of the overall winner will also be awarded the prestigious LSA CA Laurel Trophy for Schools to be held for one year.
This Competition is kindly supported by the Classical Association.
Previous Finalists with their prizes
Student FAQs
- Do I need to be a member of the LSA CA to participate?
No! This Competition is open to anybody aged 11-18. If you would like to join the branch to access (online or in-person) our lecture programme, social events and extra activities then you can do so here: it’s quick and easy and costs just £5 for the whole year!
- Do I need to live locally to participate?
No! The Competition is open to all students aged 11-18 from within the UK or from abroad, but only UK entrants will be eligible for the Final. (Read FAQ 3 if you’re an international student!). Some students are also eligible for the Lancashire Award: kindly sponsored by a member of the LSA CA, the Lancashire Award is for the best submission from a student who lives in Lancashire and/or who attends a Lancashire school. The Award comprises prize money of £100 and the Lancashire Award.
- I live outside the UK, am I allowed to enter?
Yes you are, and £100 prize money is available! In our previous Competitions, we have received entries from across the world. If you are based outside the UK and enter the Competition, you will be entered into the ‘International’ section of the Competition. Please just tick the box on the entry form. Certificates of Achievement will be emailed to shortlisted presenters and the International Award Prizemoney will be sent to the overall winner (via PayPal or BACS). International entries will not be selected as one of the four Finalists but their video may be shown during the Grand Final.
- Do I need to go to school/college to enter?
No! We welcome entries from students from any educational background, including those who don’t attend a formal institution. If you are based in a school or college you will need to liaise with your teacher to see if there are any other pupils entering the competition as each institution can only submit ONE entry.
- Do I need to be studying Classics to enter this competition?
No! You don’t need to have any prior experience or formal education in an ancient worlds subject to enter, just an interest in researching and presenting your answer to this question.
- How much does the Competition cost?
It is free to enter the LSA CA Ancient Worlds Competition. If you are selected for the Final and need financial assistance to travel to Lytham St Annes, we can offer you a bursary to cover reasonable transport costs.
- Can I enter with a friend?
Students aged 11-15 (as of 11 April 2024) may enter the competition as an individual or as a pair.
Students aged 16-18 (as of 11 April 2024) must enter as a solo speaker. You may work with friends on your own separate presentations and do research together but you must deliver your own presentation in your own words to be considered for a place in the Final.
- Do I need to use PowerPoint or Slides when I give my presentation?
We highly recommend that you use images to enhance your presentation and keep the audience engaged. Please ensure your presentation does not comprise solely of a separate video with no accompanying input from you as the presenter, as this is a public speaking competition. Short video extracts, within a PowerPoint presentation for example, are perfectly acceptable.
- How long should my presentation be?
Your presentation must be no longer than 15 minutes. There is no minimum length but presentations of less than 7 minutes do not usually progress beyond the first round because the speaker doesn’t have time to develop their argument and share lots of detail about their ideas. 10-15 minutes is ideal!
- If I win, do I get to keep the award?
The winner will receive their own individual Competition award which is theirs to keep forever! The winner of the People’s Choice Award and Lancashire Award will also receive their own award to keep.
Teacher FAQs
- Can my students enter in pairs?
Students aged 11-15 (as of 11 April 2024) may enter the competition as an individual or as a pair.
Students aged 16-18 (as of 11 April 2024) may not enter as a pair – the video submission must be of a solo speaker in order to be considered for selection for the Final.
- Do you have an example of a previous entry into the Competition that I can show my students?
Please send us an email at lsaclassics@gmail.com
- Do we keep the Laurel Trophy for Schools if our student wins the Competition?
No. The student keeps their individual trophy but The Laurel Trophy for Schools is awarded to the school/college of the winning student to keep for one year – it must then be returned to the LSA CA. Schools will be responsible for engraving their name and year, and for the safekeeping and return of the Trophy; the LSA CA Secretary will contact the school to arrange the return of the Trophy in good time for the current year’s Competition. A missing or damaged trophy will need to be replaced at the winning school’s expense.
4. How can we promote our involvement in the Competition?
We love to see which schools are participating in our Competition across the world – tag us on X/Twitter or Instagram at @lsaclassics and use the hashtag #AncientWorlds24
Lytham St Annes CA 
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