Students are encouraged to exercise their creative side through several competitions each year, including the Poetry Competition, an Essay Prize and Film Competition. All Johnians are welcome to enter, and the standard is always very high. Winning entries and other creative works from students are published in Exsolutus, the College journal.
Poetry Competition
The College Poetry Competition is held annually. Students are invited to submit a poem or poems for consideration, with the winner being awarded the College Poetry Prize. Poems are long-listed, then short-listed by an expert judging panel comprised of poetry and literature academics, and published poets. The winner is then chosen from the short-list after further consideration by the judges. Long-listed poems (including the winning entry) are published in Exsolutus.
The Reverend Ronald Marks Essay Prize
Each year a topic is selected by the Warden and students are invited to submit a 1000 -1500 word response essay. Topics are chosen for their currency, and their breadth of interpretation. An expert judging panel of eminent academics judge the essays, nominate a short list, and then a winner is chosen. Finalists and the winning entry are published in Exsolutus.
Exsolutus: The St John’s College Journal
Exolutus Iterum Vinctus.
Exsolutus: The St John’s College Journal was launched and published for the first time in 2021. The journal contains the best student work of the year. Reports on significant speeches made at College events, and academic prizes such as the poetry and essay competition winners are also included.
The journals’ title, Exsolutus, was taken from the College motto, Exolutus Iterum Vinctus. Exolutus means unbound, unleashed and freed. Exolutus was deemed an appropriate title for a publication comprised of students’ writing as they begin their journey into the world of ideas.
Read Exsolutus here.