The Minds Underground™ Psychology Essay Competition 2026
We run two Psychology Competitions - The British Psychology Olympiad (designed in collaboration with Aseeder) and our Psychology Essay Competition.
The British Psychology Olympiad follows a different format to the standard Minds Underground Psychology Essay Competition, with more than 1 round. Candidates who would not like to enter the full Olympiad are able to enter just the MU Psychology Essay Competition (See questions below).
Format:
Round 1 - Multiple Choice Question Round (MCQ): Sunday 8th February 2026 (register via the button below)
Round 2 (National Round) - Open Question Test: Sunday 22nd February 2026
Round 3 (Global Round) - Global Psychology Essay Competition: Winning Olympiad Candidates must submit an essay for the global Minds Underground Psychology Essay Competition by 11pm on 3rd April (see Olympiad submission form via email - do not submit below). For those just entering the Essay Competition (not part of the Olympiad), the deadline is also 3 April (submit below). Olympiad candidates who do not make it to Round 3 may still enter the Essay Competition separately via the submission form on this page.
Psychology Essay Competition Overview
The Minds Underground™ Psychology Essay Competition invites students in Year 12 – though younger entrants and Year 13 university re-applicants are also welcome – to explore human behaviour, the mind, and psychological theory through independent research and academic writing.
This competition provides an opportunity to develop university-level essay and analytical skills, engage with current debates in psychology, and prepare for psychology admissions tests and interviews at Oxbridge and other top universities.
Entrants must choose one question to answer.
The 2026 Minds Underground Psychology Essay Competition questions are now live. Submit by 3 April 2026!
01
Are humans the most intelligent species?
2026 Psychology Essay Competition Questions
03.
Do personality traits remain stable across a lifetime?
Are you in Year 11/12 & Thinking of Pursuing Psychology at Degree Level/ Oxbridge?
We offer a range of exciting opportunities for students aspiring to a degree in Psychology at a leading university:
Research Projects in exciting current fields with subject experts
Psychology Summer School for university/ Oxbridge applicants
Long-term Oxbridge Psychology mentoring: Boosting knowledge beyond the curriculum, preparing for personal statement and interviews - visit our on-curriculum site, U2 Tuition for more information: https://www.u2tuition.com/oxbridge-mentoring
Interested in a Psychology Competition Mentor? Looking for specialist support researching & writing? Our Oxbridge-educated masterminds are here to help! Sessions from £75/h + VAT. Enquire here
Past Questions
01
To what extent is the mind just the product of a biological computer?
03.
How deeply ingrained is our sense of self? Are humans the only species to experience this, and how can it be affected in pathological states?
N.B. You may be interested in undertaking one of MU’s online Psychology: Decode the Mind masterclasses with our experts to give you ideas and help direct your research. Some examples below! Contact us if you may be interested in taking a masterclass as a group class and we will enquire with other students to see if anyone will split the rate.
To discover how to decode the mind, we need to learn how information is encoded, processed, stored and retrieved. In this masterclass you will explore the types of coding and uses in different sensory modalities, be given an introduction to synaptic transmission (how neurons talk to one another), reading of primary research w. Hodgkin, Huxley & Katz and key breakthroughs in the study neural activity.
Host: Jake is currently studying Neuroscience (Biomedical Sciences) at Oxford University, with a focus on: Brain & behaviour, body & cells and genes & molecules. He has spent some time in a biomedical research lab, preparing cell cultures exploring infection in COPD, and carried out a research project looking at pupil dilation as a measure of cognitive load.
Suitability: Minds Underground™’s online psychology masterclasses are aimed at students looking to study degrees in: Psychology, Philosophy, Behavioural Sciences and Neuroscience.
Duration: Suggested 1-2hrs dependent on the level of detail desired.
Explore the mind as a computational engine – to what extent is our brain just a dumb computer? This masterclass will give you an introduction to scientific concepts mirroring most modern ideas & technology – people thought the brain worked by hydraulics when that was fashionable, now it’s often compared with a computer. To what extent is this a valid analogy?
Host: Jake is currently studying Neuroscience (Biomedical Sciences) at Oxford University, with a focus on: Brain & behaviour, body & cells and genes & molecules. He has spent some time in a biomedical research lab, preparing cell cultures exploring infection in COPD, and carried out a research project looking at pupil dilation as a measure of cognitive load.
Suitability: Minds Underground™’s online psychology masterclasses are aimed at students looking to study degrees in: Psychology, Philosophy, Behavioural Sciences and Neuroscience.
Duration: Suggested 1-2hrs dependent on the level of detail desired.
10% of people have alexithymia, a condition where the sufferer struggles to identify and describe their feelings. What causes this?
Host: Leora is an academic scholar and Oxford PhD researcher in Psychology. She graduated top of her year each year in undergraduate psychology at the University of Oxford, receiving multiple awards and scholarships along the way and earning a Congratulatory First Class Honours degree.
Suitability: Minds Underground™’s online psychology masterclasses are aimed at students looking to study degrees in: Psychology, Philosophy, Behavioural Sciences and Neuroscience.
Duration: Suggested 1-2hrs dependent on the level of detail desired.