Winners announced for pandemic essay competition

24th August 2020

3PB Barristers can finally announce the winner of our Pandemic Essay Competition on the subject of ““What I learned in Lockdown”. The quality of the 132 entries was remarkably high.  Reading the determined hope contained in these essays has given all of us at a glimpse of the resilience and capabilities of this generation of students.  The winner of the Essay Competition was Tomas Canning for “Knitting Together”, who receives a week’s mini pupillage with 3PB. Joint runners-up were Sharmina Akhtar for “The city under the dome” and Patrick McBride for “What I learned in Lockdown”, who both will get a one-to-one Zoom session with the Head of Pupillage and a junior barrister to discuss their future paths in law.

Cheryl Jones, 3PB’s Head of Pupillage, commented : “In the face of the worst public health crisis in a century, when everything we have ever known seems to have hit the buffers, we had wonderfully creative and touching entries:  from impeccably written instructions on the best way to do Zoom conferences to a rap; a poem in flowing iambic pentameter; an ode to coffee; a truly touching tale of reconciliation; learning to dance; appreciation of small things in life; friendship; loss and, above all, a springing determination to take the best that is possible from a dreadful situation.  This has been inspiring and we thank each and every entrant for the time and effort they have put into their entries. Don’t give up and do not let this dreadful year beat you down.”

Full details on the highly commended entries, the selection process and copies of all the finalists' essays will be published on 3PB’s Pupillage Blog on our website and also advertised on 3PB’s LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.