Five students found inspiration from Sir Winston Churchill to win top honours and get the chance to travel to the UK to study this summer.

'Summitry and the Special Relationship of the United States and the United Kingdom' was the theme of the International Churchill Conference held in Bermuda in November in which students from five schools participated.

The theme was carried over into the Churchill Society Essay Competition and 14 students entered their essays.

The five top essayists ? one from each participating school ? were recently awarded the chance of a lifetime to travel to England this summer to attend a 27-day summer programme awarded by the XL Foundation.

At an awards presentation on Friday, the five winners gathered with Premier Alex Scott to be honoured for their achievements.

"Although Sir Winston Churchill never pursued a university education, he is an excellent example of what can be achieved when there is an acceptance of responsibility for one's education, a commitment to lifetime learning, and a translation of ideas into real and sustained process of action," Mr. Scott said.

The five students, representing both public and private high schools, were excited for the chance to travel and study in England over the summer.

"It will be great to get a taste of the college life," said CedarBridge Academy student Adrian Fiddes.

In his essay, Adrian specifically focused on the special relationship that Churchill had with two US presidents.

Attiya Talbot admitted that she never liked history before she delved into the life and times of Churchill but eventually she found a new appreciation for the former Prime Minister's "art of negotiation".

"As a powerful and strong politician, Sir Winston Churchill acknowledged and mastered the art of negotiation. The extreme importance of negotiation played an immense part in the confrontation and fighting during World War II. Each persuasion, agreement, or compromise Churchill made proved risky but decisive," the Berkeley Institute student wrote in her essay.

Attiya said she is interested in travelling to the UK this summer so that she can put "a face behind the words" that she studied so in-depth while researching her essay on Churchill.

"I didn't know much about Churchill before but I learned," she said after receiving her scholarship.

The students will spend their time studying and exploring in London and Oxford.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to visit Oxford because I want to go for school there," said Juanae Crockwell. "It will be nice to go back to London too because I haven't been there since I was young."

Summitry was another topic for the students and Juanae explored the importance of summits for Churchill and the impact today.

"It is remarkable thought to know that even Bermuda was touched by this man. His life has shown to be an example of political principals," she wrote in her essay.

The experience of travelling and studying in a new country are what Saltus Grammar School student Anna Clark and Bermuda High School student Rowland Robinson are looking forward to.

Anna discussed how the relationship between US and the UK is special while Rowland compared the differences in the special relationship with the US and the UK compared to the Soviet Union

"This will be a good experience for me to study abroad. I've never been given the chance to have this experience," Anna said.