Benjamin Franklin is one of history’s great figures. While he made lasting contributions in many fields, his first passion was writing. He believed in the power of the written word as the bedrock of a democratic society, to inform, and stimulate debate.

Each year a question or quote exploring Franklin’s relevance in our time is open for interpretation in 1000-1500 words. The competition is exclusively for young writers, aged 18-25, with a first prize of £750, and a second prize of £500.

The Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize is endowed by Benjamin Franklin House Chairman John Studzinski, a leading executive and philanthropist.

The quote for the 2020 Literary Prize was: ‘‘Glass, China, and Reputation, are easily crack’d, and never well mended” Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1750. We accepted both fiction and non-fiction entries from aspiring young writers.

Our first-place winner was Saudamini Sigdel, a student in International Relations at the University of Westminster, London. Read Saudamini’s fiction entry here.

Our second-place winner was Matthew Fitzgerald, a student in English Language and Literature at the Open University. Read Matthew’s non-fiction entry, here.

Thank you to all who participated, the standard of submissions was extremely high! Check our Literary Prize page in March 2021 to find the quotation for this year’s competition and further details of how to apply.