You Be The Chemist Challenge®

Nobel Economists &
LSE Professors

Essay questions set by LSE Nobel
laureates and distinguished professors

 

9 Years of Excellence

Launched in 2017, with a strong reputation especially among UK secondary schools
 
 

Prestigious Award

Certificates jointly signed by the question-setting professor and
the LSESU Economics Society

60+ Countries

 Participants from over 60 countries and regions worldwide
 
 
 

Advanced Opportunities

Top-performing students will advance to elite economics
challenges and selective camp

INTRODUCTION

The LSESU Economics Society is the largest and most influential academic society at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). With the exclusive support of the LSE Department of Economics, it serves as a key platform for students to access top academic networks and embodies LSE’s academic authority and heritage in the field of economics.
 
The Society is dedicated to advancing cutting-edge research and academic exchange. Its flagship publication Rationale covers research areas including macroeconomics, development economics, financial markets and behavioural economics. Selected research outputs have been cited and recognized by the external academic community, fully demonstrating the depth and value of student research.
 
The Society is also renowned for its high-standard academic events and international exchanges. The “Sen Club” seminar series has hosted Nobel laureates in Economic Sciences including Amartya Sen, Eric Maskin and Oliver Hart. The annual LSE Economics Symposium brings together leading academics and students worldwide to discuss the most influential economic issues of our time, and has become an important platform for dialogue between academia and industry. The LSESU Economics Society has long been dedicated to developing high-level economics academic challenges for undergraduates and outstanding high school students, and its series of economics challenges enjoys a strong global reputation among undergraduates. (https://lsesueconsoc.org/)
 
Since 2025, ASEEDER has established a strategic partnership with the LSESU Economics Society to bring the two prestigious LSE official economics competitions, which enjoy exceptionally high reputations and academic value in the UK, to students worldwide.

ABOUT LSESU ECONOMICS ESSAY COMPETITION

The LSESU Economics Society Essay Competition is a global academic event officially organised by the Society. All essay questions are set exclusively by current faculty members of the LSE Economics Department. Previous question-setters include Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides (2010 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences), Professor Sir Tim Besley (former President of the Royal Economic Society), and Professor Sir Richard Layard (LSE Emeritus Professor and pioneer of wellbeing economics). This means participants engage directly with genuine university-level economic thinking, gaining early exposure to frontier theories and pressing real-world issues.

Launched in 2017, the competition has attracted students from over 60 countries and regions worldwide. It enjoys an exceptionally strong reputation among secondary schools across the UK. Outstanding submissions receive a certificate bearing the dual signatures of an LSE professor and the LSESU Economics Society President. A strong performance in the competition serves as powerful academic evidence for students applying to economics-related programmes.

Competition website: https://www.lsesuesec.org/

2026 Topic-Setting Professors 

The topics for the LSESU Economics Society Essay Competition are exclusively set and developed by core professors of the LSE Economics Department. The themes consistently focus on cutting-edge real-world economic issues or the innovative application of classical theories, to foster students’ capabilities in independent research, critical analysis and innovative thinking.

The scoring criteria are also formulated in full alignment with the academic standards of university-level economics essays. Participants are required to demonstrate accurate understanding of economic theories, sound use of supporting evidence, and competent critical analysis skills.

2026 Essay Topics

  • TECHNOLOGY & WORKER WELLBEING

Evidence shows that workers like to work from home, say one day a week, but they hate monitoring devices that the firm might use to see how they allocate their time during the home day. What do you think the firm should do, if it wants to motivate its workers by giving them something that they like, but at the same time ensure it gets its money’s worth during working hours?

  • ENERGY & ECONOMICS

Following a sharp rise in UK energy prices, prepare a brief for a central bank on how monetary policy should respond. Take into account that the UK is a net importer of energy, and that the Bank of England has a mandate of keeping inflation steady at 2%.

  • AI & EMPLOYMENT

Suppose AI reduces the number of people needed to perform a large fraction of jobs, threatening to cause high unemployment. What measures should be put in place to limit inequality in pay (and, ideally, also in hours worked)?

  • TAXATION & FAIRNESS

Is it possible and desirable to raise taxation on the top 1%?

  • GREEN TECHNOLOGY

How will development and adoption of climate-friendly technologies affect inequality and the distribution of wealth?

Detail Scoring Dimensions

Overall Grade Rating and Assessment

Advancement system

Awards and Honors

  • High Distinction: Top 5% – Certificate signed by the President of the LSESU Economics Society
  • Top 3 Award: Top 3 entries per essay question – Award certificate jointly signed by the President of the LSESU Economics Society and named professor
  • Question Winner: 1 winner per essay question – All of the above certificates, and additional £50 Amazon gift card
  • Overall Champion: 1 winner across all entries – Certificate jointly signed by the President of the LSESU Economics Society and the LSE Head of Department of Economics, and a £100 Amazon gift card

* Only winning students receive certificates. Participation certificates are not available.
* Award winners will advance to elite economics challenges and selective camp.

 

Eligibility and Requirements

  • Eligibility: Grade 9-12, 2026 / 2027 graduates recommended
  • Submission Deadline: 1 September 2026, 05:59 (GMT+7, Vietnam Time)

Late submissions will not be accepted.

Participants must submit their work to GeniusStar by 05:59 (Vietnam Time) on 1 September 2026 via email to geniusstarvietnam01@gmail.com. Submissions may be sent either as an email attachment or as a Drive link. If submitting via Drive, participants must upload the file to their own Drive and ensure that the sharing permission is set to “Anyone with the link can view”. The file name should be formatted as “FORENAME SURNAME (UPPERCASE) + QUESTION X” for example, “PETER SMITH + Question 1”.

 
registration form

Includes the exam, grading, proctor fee, past-papers, certificates. (ASEEDER doesn’t provide any trainings)

registratrion deadline

26th August 2026

Consultation