For the first time ever, Campion School’s annual Sheth-Gomes Essay Invitational (SGEI) is going national. The contest, hosted by the Class of 1981, is expanding its reach beyond Maharashtra to include schools from Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and other cities across India.
Every year on the day of the contest, students gather at Campion’s historic Fort campus, where they are given a topical theme. Participants are allowed one hour for research, after which phones are set aside, and pens take over. Over the next 90 minutes, essays are written and submitted anonymously, and a panel of judges selects five finalists before announcing the winner.
“The students are free to walk around campus and pick a spot that inspires them, a bit like Shantiniketan,” said Atul Kasbekar, Convenor of SGEI 2025 and School Captain from the Class of ’81. “They can sit under a tree, or even in an air-conditioned classroom. The SGEI isn’t your typical high-school competition, it encourages candid thought, individuality, and free expression.”
Shashi Tharoor presenting an award at a previous Sheth-Gomes Essay Invitational. Pics/ Special Arrangement
Held every year in the last week of November, the SGEI attracts a star-studded jury and awards the winning essayist Rs 1 lakh. Around 30-32 schools across all boards are shortlisted on a first-come, first-served basis, with each school nominating one student aged 15-16 as their representative.
Past editions have seen essays on themes like ecology and artificial intelligence. This year’s contest, scheduled for Saturday, November 29, will feature filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani as the chief guest. The jury includes Ashish Bhasin, former chairperson, Dentsu Asia-Pacific; author Shabnam Minwalla; and director Nikkhil Advani, with a stand-up act by comedian Varun Thakur rounding off the event.
“The batch of ’81 was lucky to have great professors. Among these, Joe Sheth and Stanley Gomes stood out the most. Besides academics, they taught us how to be well-rounded and good human beings, and many of us attribute our success to what we learnt at Campion back then. We hope that the essay contest takes a life of its own and becomes a legacy of the Class of ’81, wherein schools mark their calendars to attend the SGEI.
Atul Kasbekar. PIC/X@atulkasbekar
However, like all creations, this requires a learning curve too, and we are proceeding step by step and are really enthused by the growing response year after year,” said Bhasin. The essay contest is held in the memory of Professor Joe Sheth, the revered English teacher and Stanley Gomes, a physics professor.
“These teachers were icons,” said journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. “Mr Sheth encouraged us to turn in book reviews, an assignment that inculcated the habit of reading within me. In today’s world, where reading and writing have taken a backseat for many students, our contest hopes to revive the art,” Sardesai added.
