We invited students across the UK to tackle one of our academics’ ‘big’ questions. The high standard of entries blew us all away with so many creative and clever responses! Our panel of tutors had a tough time choosing our prizewinners, but we are delighted to announce the winning entries…

Overall winner: Millie Hudson (Law)

Overall second prize: Bethinn Feely (English)

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Subject winners

Maths – Is maths really the language of the universe? Denim

Law – Should governments be allowed to violate civil liberties when imposing lockdowns in order to save lives? Harjas

Languages – Is translating creating? Katharine

English – Should the arts ever have a moral or political purpose? Zoe

Philosophy – What, if anything, is the fundamental difference between moral imperatives like “Don’t kill innocent people” and manners like “Don’t speak with your mouth full”? Alex

Politics – Should young people’s votes count for more than elderly people’s in elections? Stefania

Medical Sciences – Is the brain a supercomputer? Siding

Physics – Shouldn’t we all be using our resources to combat the climate crisis, instead of some of them to put people on Mars? Roisin

Earth Sciences – What can Earth’s past tell us about its future? Lauren

Engineering – Should machine learning techniques be used in safety critical engineering systems, such as self-driving vehicles? Liam