Young Economist of the Year 2025
sponsored by KPMG UK and FT Schools
Our prestigious Young Economist of the Year competition is back for 2025! Last year's competition attracted entries from nearly 3,000 young people, and we can't wait to see all of your thoughts and ideas this time. The selected finalists were invited to attend tours and meetings at HM Treasury and 10 Downing Street, before presenting their research to a panel of esteemed judges at the KPMG offices in Canary Wharf. What are you waiting for? Dive in to the amazing world of economics now - whether you've studied it before or not!
Gweler y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg
AIM
The Royal Economic Society Young Economist of the Year competition 2025 sponsored by KPMG UK and FT Schools aims at encouraging Year 10 – Year 13 students (in England and Wales, or equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland) to produce their own ideas in analysing contemporary economic problems facing the UK and the world.
Students can choose from a list of topics provided below. Students do not need to be studying economics to be able to enter this competition. The RES welcomes entries from any students who are interested in economic issues and would like to share original ideas or perspectives on these issues. The RES also welcomes a diverse range of contributions and insights on the competition topics.
Entry format
Your entry must:
• answer only 1 of these 5 questions:
1. What are the economic consequences of a falling birth rate, and what approaches can be taken to mitigate these?
2. What are the drivers of wealth inequality in the UK and how can they be addressed?
3. What are the economic effects of tariffs for consumers, businesses and global economies?
4. Will aviation expansion allow the UK to achieve economic growth and meet climate commitments simultaneously?
5. How can economics explain the high price of a supercar?
• be in written or media format. Written would be in blog format no longer than 1,000 words. Media includes video, podcast or presentation slides. Videos and podcasts should be no longer than 5 minutes in length.
• be an individual or group entry. Groups to be 2-5 students.
• must not include any personally identifiable information. This needs to be entered on the competition website.
• must not use applications such as ChatGPT or other forms of artificial intelligence (AI)
• you must acknowledge the use of information/material from other sources. We do not require a detailed in-text referencing of your arguments, however a list of sources that you have consulted and have substantively influenced your arguments must be included at the end of your entry. If a written entry then this is not included in the word count. View the ‘How to reference’ video for more guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Sign up to our webinar here for exclusive hints, tips and frequently asked questions! An amazing opportunity on the 1st April 2025 at 5pm to hear from our 2025 winners, and ask any questions you may have about the competition. Sign up here.
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​​​​​​​​​​​Is there a time limit on podcasts/videos?
Yes - podcasts and videos should be no longer than five minutes long.
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Are there limitations on PowerPoints?
If your PowerPoint is recorded, and spoken over, it should be no longer than five minutes. If it is submitted as a PowerPoint alone, it should be no longer than eight slides, and have a maximum total word count of 1,000.
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Do I need a transcript for my podcast/video?
No, but think about how you will submit your references - will this be spoken, or as a word document?
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Do quotes contribute to the word count?
Yes.
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Your data
Any personal data which may be submitted in an entry will be processed by RES in accordance with any applicable data protection legislation, and RES Privacy Notice available at https://res.org.uk/resources-library/privacy-notice/
Partners
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FT Schools
The Financial Times has created a hub for schools and colleges. Teachers in schools around the world with students aged 16-19 years old can get free access to the FT here and request individual FT accounts. Colleges in the UK can also sign up. You can check to see if your institution is already registered.
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Schools Digest, a weekly newsletter from global education editor Andrew Jack, features student competitions, quizzes and the best of the Financial Times' expert analysis and coverage. All FT subscribers and those on the free schools programme can subscribe here to receive it every Monday at 7am.
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Click here for more information.
Eligibility
To enter, you must be:
• in Years 10 to 13 in England or Wales, Years 11 to 14 in Northern Ireland, or S3 to S6 in Scotland (or equivalent)
• studying in the UK
The competition is free to enter.
You do not need to be studying economics, and you can work on your entry or with up to 4 other students.
For independent school entries we promote mixed group entries with local state schools.
What happens next?
Submit your entry here.
All entries must be submitted by 29th June 2025 at 23.59 BST.
A panel will read and mark your entry before agreeing a final shortlist of 5 entries.
The 5 shortlisted entries will be announced in September 2025 ahead of an in-person final event to be held at KPMG offices in October 2025. Furthermore, a "Welsh Winner", from a school in Wales, will be selected, recognising the very best quality entry from the country.
The in-person final will involve the 5 entries giving a 10 minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of questions from an expert panel before a winner is announced.
The winning entry will be featured in the Financial Times.