Applications are now open for the English Association’s Betty Haigh Shakespeare Prize for sixth-form students (see www.le.ac.ukengassocprizesBH.html).

What is it?

Students are invited to write a 3,000-word essay on a Shakespearean topic of their choice. The entrant with the best essay will win a book and the chance to see their work printed in the association’s newsletter. Previous prizes have included William Shakespeare: Complete Works and The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare.

How to enter

Essays must be typed and labelled with the student’s name and school address. Each entry must be accompanied by a certificate of authentication from a teacher saying that the work is original and was created unaided.

What else?

Practise Shakespearean essay technique with TES English’s step-by-step guide to a “character of Capulet” essay. Or try Daniel Ingman’s scheme of work, unravelling the key elements of essay technique one lesson at a time. Or start planning Shakespeare’s birthday celebrations with the TES Shakespeare collection.