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. Winning entries will be published on our website.

The Benjamin Franklin House Literary Prize is held in association with The Telegraph and endowed by Benjamin Franklin House Chairman John Studzinski, a leading executive and philanthropist.

Literary Prize Judges

• Dr. Márcia Balisciano, Director of Benjamin Franklin House
• Lord Guy Black, Executive Director of the Telegraph Media Group
• Wendy Moore, English journalist, author, and historian
• Dr. Huw David, Director of Development at the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford
• Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group and Board Member of Benjamin Franklin House

2019 Competition

The quote for 2020 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 writers aged 18 to 25.

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.

2021 Competition

Check back in March 2021 to find out the quoatation for this year’s competition and further details of how to apply.

In the meantime, please contact our Education Manager with any queries.