Shimla’s Pritha Doegar moves from Bronze to Commonwealth Gold

Shimla’s Pritha Doegar moves from Bronze to Commonwealth Gold

Shimla, Oct 22,

For Auckland House School student Pritha Doegar, writing has become more than an exercise in literary expression. It is a way of examining how people think, what connects them and how seemingly personal experiences can bridge differences between cultures.

The Class XII Humanities student has won the Gold Award at The Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition 2026, a year after securing Bronze in the same competition. The progression marks a second consecutive year of recognition on an international platform and offers a glimpse into the evolution of her interests as a young writer.

Also read Auckland House School Student wins Bronze in Commonwealth Essay competition

Her award-winning piece, “Souls Translated,” responds to this year’s theme, “Common Ground: Better Together”. It explores how hobbies and personal interests can bring people closer despite differences in their backgrounds, cultures and geographical locations.

The subject marks an interesting shift from her 2025 entry, which reflected on the relationship between literature, imagination and human experience. This year, the focus moves towards the connections people create through their interests, suggesting that understanding does not always begin with shared identities or circumstances; sometimes, it begins with something as simple as a common passion.

The 2026 competition received a record 53,840 entries from across the Commonwealth’s 56 member countries, placing her achievement in a highly competitive international field.

Pritha’s progress also comes amid wider recognition of her academic interests. In July this year, she was shortlisted for the John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize in the Politics category, alongside Auckland House School student Jiya Rampal Saini, who was shortlisted in Economics. The competition received more than 100,000 submissions from 183 countries.

The two recognitions represent different aspects of intellectual expression: one celebrates creative writing around human connections, while the other recognises engagement with analytical questions in politics.

An avid reader, Pritha has a keen interest in creative writing, history, political science and international affairs. These interests provide a wider context for her engagement with themes involving society, culture and the relationships between people.

Her latest award also brings the focus back to the role of schools in giving students opportunities to engage with ideas beyond their prescribed curriculum. International writing competitions allow young participants to interpret broad themes through their own experiences, observations and imagination.

Organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883, The Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition is recognised as the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools. It encourages young people to reflect on issues relevant to the Commonwealth and express their perspectives through writing.

For Pritha, the move from Bronze to Gold is the most visible measure of progress. The more revealing aspect, however, may be the continuity of her engagement with ideas — from exploring what books mean to individuals to examining what brings individuals together.

For Shimla’s literary and academic landscape, her achievement provides another example of a young student finding an international audience through the written word.

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