150th Anniversary Essay Competition
THE COMPETITION
To mark the 150th Anniversary of the Chartered Banker Institute, we are delighted to launch a special Anniversary Essay Competition. The competition invites aspiring and established banking professionals, students, and thought leaders to reflect on the future of responsible banking and the Institute’s enduring role in shaping a trusted, ethical profession. Designed to celebrate 150 years of advancing professional standards, the essay competition will encourage fresh perspectives, original insights, and innovative ideas that will help define the next chapter of banking. The winning essays for each category will be showcased as part of the Institute’s anniversary celebrations.
THE QUESTION
The competition will consist of one round of contestants being asked to consider the following question, “Define Professionalism in One Sentence, Then Defend It.” Your essay should contain your own one sentence definition of professionalism in modern banking. You should then explain why this definition matters and how it can be applied by individuals at all levels/stages of their career. Entries should be all your own work and entries may be passed through the Institute’s plagiarism and Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection software.
Your overall answer to the question should be no more than 1,500 words. Entries should be submitted in Word format via [email protected] with ‘150th Anniversary Essay Competition’ in the subject line. Please submit your entry, along with a short biography about your career, plus the category in which you are entering (see below), by Tuesday 30th June 2026.
ELIGIBILITY
The competition is open to anyone in the UK or internationally and you don’t need to be a member of the Institute to enter. There are 3 categories:
- Current member of the Institute (any grade of membership)
- Non-member of the Institute
- Young Banker category (open to both members and non-members of the Institute, who have worked in Banking for less than 5 years).
THE REWARDS
The winner of each category of the 150th Anniversary Essay Competition will receive a prize, plus the opportunity to have their essay published on the Institute’s website and referred to in other Institute publications.
Prizes will be as follows and presented at the Institute’s Annual Banking Conference in October 2026:
- Current Institute member (any level of membership) - £300 prize
- Non-member of the Institute - £150 prize and discounted membership of the Institute for a year
- ‘Young Banker’ category (open to both members and non-members of the Institute, who have worked in Banking for less than 5 years) - £150 prize and complimentary membership of the Institute for a year
THE JUDGING PANEL
Entries will be judged by a panel of senior representatives of the Institute, with the winners being contacted by the end of September 2026.