Why we started this
We volunteered at a soup kitchen, and it showed us how close hunger is to home. We wanted students everywhere to stop and think about what's fair, and to put those thoughts into words. So we made Pharos: an essay competition that also raises real money for the people doing the work.
One goal at a time
In 2015, every UN member state agreed to 17 goals to reach by 2030 (source: the UN's Sustainable Development Goals page). We focus on the ones about fairness: poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, inequality, and justice.
Goals we focus on
- 1No PovertyFuture edition
- 2Zero HungerNow
- 4Quality EducationFuture edition
- 5Gender EqualityFuture edition
- 10Reduced InequalitiesFuture edition
- 16Peace, Justice and Strong InstitutionsFuture edition
Why Pharos?
A lighthouse beside a library.
The Pharos was the lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. It guided strangers safely into harbour, next to the greatest library of its time. We like what that pairing says: knowledge is most useful when it lights the way for someone else. Every essay we receive is a small part of that light.
How judging works
A rubric up front
Every essay is scored against the same published criteria. See how essays are judged.
Judged by humans
People read and mark every essay.
AI never scores essays
No essay is scored by software.
Our partner
A fundraiser for The Assembly Soup Kitchen (T.A.S.K)
This edition raises money for The Assembly Soup Kitchen (T.A.S.K). Entry fees are paid to them directly by bank transfer.