There is still time to enter the Oxford German Network’s essay competition for sixth formers, ‘A German Classic’, offering prizes of £500, £300, and £100!
Whilst our registration deadline to receive free copies of our set text Schiller’s Die Räuber has passed, we still welcome entrants who will receive all of the online resources we provide for the 2024 prize.
Die Räuber is a play that revolves around the big questions of sentiment and reason, freedom and law. The plot centres on the brothers Karl and Franz Moor and their dispute over their father’s affection and inheritance. Karl is slandered by his younger brother Franz, whereupon their father disowns Karl. Karl becomes the leader of a feared band of robbers but remains both haunted by his bad conscience and true to his noble intentions. Meanwhile the greedy and calculating Franz sets out to claim his father’s inheritance for himself and win over Karl’s fiancée Amalia.
Schiller wrote Die Räuber when he was around twenty years old and it made him immediately famous when it was first performed in 1782. Ever since its premiere, this rebellious play has triggered strong reactions from audiences and prompted social debates that have lost none of their relevance. Explore them for yourself by studying Die Räuber in the original – one of the iconic works of world literature!
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Entrants must fulfil the following requirements as of 11 September 2024:
- be beginning their final year of full-time study at a secondary school in the UK (upper-sixth form, Year 13 or S6 in Scotland);
- be between the ages of 16 and 18;
- hold a GCSE, IGCSE or equivalent qualification in German offered in the UK, or have at least an equivalent knowledge of German, as confirmed by their teacher;
- be resident in the United Kingdom.
Entrants are not, however, expected to have prior experience of studying German literature.
You can find further information along with study materials and essay questions here on the Oxford German Network’s website.
Is it possible still to access the study materials at this point in time, and if so, where can they be found? Looking at the OGN website, I can only seem the questions published.
Thank you!
Dear Ella,
Thanks very much for getting in touch and for your interest in the competition. I’m very sorry for this delayed reply.
The best thing to do is to email Santhia who is the Prize Coordinator – she will be able to answer your question. Her email address is germanclassic@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.
I hope that helps!
Best wishes,
Nicola