“Have the courage to use your own understanding.”
Immanuel Kant · 1784Submissions are open
Our first issue is an open essay competition, closing 15 December 2026. There is no set theme, so write on whatever philosophical question you think is worth arguing about. A panel of experts reads every entry, and the strongest essays go into issue one.
At a glance
Enough room to build a proper argument without padding it out.
Any area of philosophy, from epistemology to metaphysics. We set no theme.
Written in English, saved as a PDF, with a reference list at the end.
Eligibility
The competition is open to students anywhere in the world. You do not need to be based in the Middle East, and your school does not need to teach philosophy.
You are eligible if you will be in high school on 15 December 2026, which means anywhere from Grade 9 (Year 10) through Grade 12 (Year 13). If you graduate before that date, you are not eligible for this issue.
Submission Guidelines
Stuck for a question?
An open brief is harder than a set theme. If you have no idea what to write about yet, that is normal, and there are two places to look.
Available now
Our beginner guides walk through ethics, knowledge, the mind and the thinkers behind them. Read a few and see which argument you find yourself disagreeing with. That disagreement is usually your essay.
Browse the resources →Places limited
A workshop on how philosophical writing actually works: building an argument, handling objections, and citing properly. Aimed at anyone who has never written a philosophy essay before. Students who register their interest get first refusal on places.
Register to claim a place →Use it to track down sources or check what an unfamiliar term means. That is research, and we have no problem with it.
Do not use it to write or reword your argument. Running AI text through a humaniser is still AI writing and we treat it the same way. Every entry gets checked, and disqualification is automatic.
The whole point of entering is to think something through yourself. An essay a machine could have produced tells our panel nothing about you.
The panel
Is the argument clear and properly evidenced? Can a reader follow exactly what you are claiming, and why you think it?
Is the contribution original, and do you sustain it? We would rather read a serious attempt at a hard question than a tidy restatement of a familiar position.
Our panel of experts reads every entry, Oxford PPE graduates among them. The strongest essays go into the first issue of the Logos journal under your name.
“Have the courage to use your own understanding.”
Immanuel Kant · 1784Open to high school students worldwide, Grade 9 to Grade 12. You do not need to have studied philosophy, only to have an argument you are willing to defend.
Questions? Read the Journal FAQ first.
Still unsure about something? Email us at logosyouthphilosophy@gmail.com.
Register your interest
Register your interest instead. We will know to expect you, and you can send the essay whenever it is ready.
Four fields, takes under a minute. We use this only to gauge how many students are interested, keep you posted about the workshop, and let you know when submissions open. Nothing is shared with anyone outside Logos. Ready to enter properly? Head to the submission guidelines.