‘All of us are bound together by a profound appreciation of the written word and of our Commonwealth. This wonderful, extraordinary, richly diverse association of independent and equal nations, and friends, is, truly, “ours”, belonging to each one of us, and the connections between us run deep.’ Today talented young writers from across the Commonwealth gathered at Buckingham Palace to celebrate their work at a reception hosted by The Queen Consort. The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools. This year, the theme was 'Our Commonwealth', reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II's service in what was her Platinum Jubilee year. A record-breaking 26,322 young people entered, and just four were chosen. Congratulations to Sawooly, Madeleine, Amaal and Maulika – the winners and runners-up of this year’s Commonwealth Essay Prize.