Media Release RBA/ESA Economics Competition 2015

The Reserve Bank of Australia has launched this year's RBA/ESA Economics Competition, in conjunction with the Economic Society of Australia (ESA) and the UNSW Economics Society.

The competition invites students to write an essay on a topical economic issue affecting Australia.

This year, the topic of the essay competition is commodity prices and the Australian economy. Prices for Australia's main commodity exports have fallen sharply since their peaks in around 2011, leading some commentators to declare an ‘end of the mining boom’. At the same time, Australia's mining industry is undergoing transition from the investment phase to the production phase. Students are asked to discuss the implications of these changes for the mining, non-mining and trade-exposed sectors of the Australian economy, and the role that economic policy can play in smoothing the transition process.

Prizes for first and second place are $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. A $500 prize will be awarded to the best essay from a first-year student.

The competition is open to students who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate program at an accredited university in Australia. Entries must be submitted by Wednesday, 12 August 2015.

For more details about the competition, students should refer to the information pack on the Economic Society of Australia and the UNSW Economics Society websites.