Kabir Singh Shergill of Yadavindra Public School, Patiala, has made history as the first student from India to win a prize in history in the junior category of the John Locke Institute’s Global Essay Prize. He won the third prize at the awards ceremony in London, last week, receiving the award from Martin Cox, Director General of the John Locke Institute. He joins a select group of only four past winners from India.This year’s competition attracted 1,00,227 candidates from 183 countries. As part of his award, Kabir also received a scholarship towards a summer programme at Oxford. Kabir joined finalists from around the world at the Institute’s three-day, invitation-only Academic Conference and Awards Weekend in London, where speakers included the Dean of Admissions of Brown University and professors from the University of Oxford.Kabir’s winning essay addressed the question, “Does Che deserve his iconic T-shirt?” He argued that the familiar image does not represent Che Guevara, but replaces the historical figure with a simplified cultural symbol. Drawing on his research at a museum in New Delhi, he compared this with portraits of Viceroys that present only one side of a historical narrative. He concluded that the image on the T-shirt has become a trophy for consumerism rather than a tribute to the revolutionary.“When they called my name in London, I could hardly believe it. The field was so strong, and I never expected to win. Spending three days with leading academics and students from around the world, talking about leadership and contemporary issues, is something I will remember for the rest of my life. I’m grateful to my teachers and my family for their support,” Kabir said.The Oxford-based John Locke Institute invites school students to defend original arguments across ten subjects, including philosophy, politics, economics, history and law. Its Chairman of Examiners, Professor Terence Kealey, describes it as “the world’s most prestigious essay competition”. Essays are judged anonymously by senior academics from universities including Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford.In the photograph (left to right): Kabir Singh Shergill, Martin Cox