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If you're a writer—fiction, non-fiction, or fanfiction—you can put those skills to work for you. There are tons of writing contests for high school students, which can award everything from medals to cash prizes to scholarships if you win .

Not only will a little extra money, whether cash or scholarships, help you when it comes time to pay for college, but the prestige of a respected reward is also a great thing to include on your college application.

Read on to learn more about what writing contests for high school students there are, how to apply, and what you could win !

Writing Contests With Multiple Categories

Some high school contests accept entries in a variety of formats, including the standard fiction and non-fiction, but also things like screenwriting or visual art. Check out these contests with multiple categories:

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

  • Award Amount: $1,000 to $12,500 scholarships
  • Deadline: Varies between December and January, depending on your region
  • Fee: $10 for single entry, $30 for portfolio

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards celebrate art by students in grades seven through twelve (age 13 or older) on a regional and national scale. These awards have a huge number of categories and styles, including cash prizes or scholarships for some distinguished award winners . Categories include science-fiction and fantasy writing, humor, critical essays, and dramatic scripts, among others.

Deadlines vary by region (but are mostly in December and January), so use Scholastic's Affiliate Partner search to find out when projects are due for your area.

Scholastic partners with other organizations to provide prizes to winners, so what you can win depends on what you enter and what competition level you reach. Gold medal portfolio winners can earn a $12,500 scholarship, and silver medal winners with distinction can earn a $2,000 scholarship , as well as many other options in different categories.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are open to private, public, or home-schooled students attending school in the US, Canada, or American schools in other countries. Students must be in grades seven through twelve to participate. Eligibility varies between regions, so consult Scholastic's Affiliate Partner search tool to figure out what applies to you .

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have a $10 entry fee for individual submissions and $30 for portfolio submissions, which may be waived for students in need . These fees may vary depending on location, so be sure to check your local guidelines .

Ocean Awareness Contest

  • Award Amount: Scholarships up to $1,500
  • Deadline: June 13, 2023 (submissions open in September)

The Ocean Awareness Contest asks students to consider the future of a coastal or marine species that is under threat from climate change. Submissions are accepted in a variety of art forms, but all must consider the way that climate change impacts ocean life .

Submissions for all categories, including art, creative writing, film, interactive and multimedia, music and dance, and poetry and spoken word are due in June, although the exact date varies slightly each year.

Winners may receive prizes of up to a $1,500 scholarship , depending on which division they fall into and what prize they win.

The contest is open to all international and US students between the ages of 11 and 18.

River of Words

  • Award: Publication in the River of Words anthology
  • Deadline: January 31, 2023

The River of Words contest asks students to consider watersheds—an area that drains into the same body of water—and how they connect with their local community. Students can explore this concept in art or poetry, with winners being published in the annual River of Words anthology .

Entries in all categories must be submitted by January 31, 2023. 

The River of Words contest is primarily for recognition and publication, as the website doesn't list any prize money . The contest includes specific awards for certain forms, such as poetry, some of which may have additional prizes .

The contest is open to International and US students from kindergarten to grade 12 (ages 5 through 19). Students who have graduated from high school but are not yet in college are also eligible.

Adroit Prizes

  • Award Amount: $200 cash award
  • Deadline: Typically April of each year

Sponsored by the Adroit Journal, the Adroit Prizes reward high school students and undergraduate students for producing exemplary fiction and poetry. Students may submit up to six poems or three works of prose (totaling 3,500 words) for consideration. Submissions typically open in spring .

Winners receive $200 and (along with runners-up) have their works published in the Adroit Journal . Finalists and runners-up receive a copy of their judge's latest published work.

The contest is open to secondary and undergraduate students, including international students and those who have graduated early . The Adroit Prizes has a non-refundable fee of $15, which can be waived.

YoungArts Competition

  • Award Amount: Up to $10,000 cash awards
  • Deadline: October 15, 2022; application for 2024 opens June 2023

Open to students in a variety of disciplines, including visual arts, writing, and music, the YoungArts competition asks students to submit a portfolio of work. Additional requirements may apply depending on what artistic discipline you're in .

Winners can receive up to $10,000 in cash as well as professional development help, mentorship, and other educational rewards.

Applicants must be 15- to 18-year-old US citizens or permanent residents (including green card holders) or in grades 10 through 12 at the time of submission . There is a $35 submission fee, which can be waived.

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Fiction Writing Contests for High School Students

Many contests with multiple categories accept fiction submissions, so also check out the above contests if you're looking for places to submit original prose.

EngineerGirl Writing Contest

  • Award Amount: $100 - $500 cash prize
  • Deadline: February 1, 2023

This year's EngineerGirl Writing Contest asks students (though the name of the organization is "EngineerGirl," students of any gender may participate) to submit a piece of writing that shows how female and/or non-white engineers have contributed to or can enhance engineering’s great achievements. Word counts vary depending on grade level.

At every grade level, first-place winners will receive $500, second-place winners will receive $250, and third-place winners will receive $100 . Winning entries and honorable mentions will also be published on the EngineerGirl website.

Students of any gender from third to 12th grade may submit to this contest. Home-schooled and international students are also eligible.

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Nonfiction Contests for High School Students

Like fiction, non-fiction is often also accepted in contests with multiple categories. However, there are quite a few contests accepting only non-fiction essays as well.

The American Foreign Services Association Essay Contest

  • Award Amount: $1,250 to $2,500
  • Deadline: April 3, 2023

The American Foreign Services Association sponsors a high school essay contest tasking students with selecting a country or region in which the United States Foreign Service has been involved at any point since 1924 and describe, in 1,500 words or less, how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in advancing American foreign policy goals in this country/region and propose ways in which it might continue to improve those goals in the coming years .

One winner will receive $2,500 as well as a Washington D.C. trip and a scholarship to attend Semester at Sea . One runner-up receives $1,250 and a scholarship to attend the International Diplomacy Program of the National Student Leadership Conference.

Entries must be from US students in grade nine through 12, including students in the District of Columbia, US territories, or US citizens attending school abroad, including home-schooled students.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest

  • Award Amount: $100 - $10,000
  • Deadline: January 13, 2023

The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage contest tasks students with writing an essay between 700 and 1,000 words on an act of political courage by a US elected official serving during or after 1917 , inspired by John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage . Each essay should cover the act itself as well as any obstacles or risks the subject faced in achieving their act of courage. Essays must not cover figures previously covered in the contest, and should also not cover John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, or Edward M. Kennedy.

One first-place winner will receive $10,000, one second-place winner will receive $3,000, five finalists will receive $1,000 each, and eight semi-finalists will win $100 each.

The contest is open to students in grades nine through 12 who are residents of the United States attending public, private, parochial, or home schools . Students under the age of 20 in correspondence high school programs or GED programs, as well as students in US territories, Washington D.C., and students studying abroad, are also eligible.

SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest

  • Award Amount: $300 - $1,000 scholarships
  • Deadline: February 19, 2023 (submissions open in November)

The SPJ/JEA high school essay contest , organized by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association, asks students to  analyze the importance of independent media to our lives (as of now, the official essay topic for spring 2023 is TBD) . Essays should be from 300 to 500 words.

A $1,000 scholarship is given to a first-place winner, $500 to second-place, and $300 to third-place.

The contest is open to public, private, and home-schooled students of the United States in grades 9-12 .

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Playwriting Contests for High School Students

For those who love the stage, playwriting contests are a great option. An original play can earn you great rewards thanks to any of these contests!

VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition

  • Award: Participation in professional development activities at the Kennedy Center
  • Deadline: January 4, 2023 (Application opens in October)

The VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition asks students with disabilities to submit a ten-minute script exploring their personal experiences, including the disability experience . Scripts may be realistic, fictional, or abstract, and may include plays, screenplays, or musical theater.

All entries are due in January. Scripts may be collaborative or written by individuals, but must include at least one person with a disability as part of the group .

One winner or group of winners will be selected as participants in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Winners will have access to professional assistance in developing their script as well as workshops and networking opportunities.

This contest is open to US and international students in ages 14 to 18 . Groups of up to five members may collaborate on an essay, but at least one of those students must have a disability.

Worldwide Plays Festival Competition

  • Award: Professional production in New York
  • Deadline: March (official 2023 deadline TBD)

In the Worldwide Plays Festival Competition , students from around the world can submit an eight-minute script for a play set in a part of a neighborhood —specifically, at a convenience store, outside a character's front door, or at a place where people convene. Each play must have roles for three actors, should not have a narrator who isn't also a character, and should not contain set changes.

Entries are due in February. Winners will have their play produced by professionals at an off-Broadway New York theater . Scholarships are also available for winners.

Any student, including US and international, in first through 12th grade may submit work for consideration.

  • Award Amount: $50 - $200 cash prize
  • Deadline: 2023 deadline TBD (application opens January 2023)

Students may submit a one-act, non-musical play of at least ten pages to YouthPLAYS for consideration . Plays should be appropriate for high school audiences and contain at least two characters, with one or more of those characters being youths in age-appropriate roles. Large casts with multiple female roles are encouraged.

One winner will receive $250, have their play published by YouthPLAYS, and receive a copy of Great Dialog , a program for writing dialog. One runner up will receive $100 and a copy of Great Dialog.

Students must be under the age of 19, and plays must be the work of a single author.

The Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest

  • Deadline: Spring of each year

Students in grade 11 may submit a ten-minute play for consideration for the Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest . Plays should be 10 pages long, equivalent to 10 minutes.

One first-prize winner will receive $500, one second-prize winner will receive $250, and one third-prize will receive $100.

All entries must be from students in the 11th grade .

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Poetry Writing Contests for High School Students

For those who prefer a little free verse or the constraints of a haiku, there are plenty of poetry-specific contests, too.

Creative Communications Poetry Contest

  • Award Amount: $25
  • Deadline: December

Students in ninth grade or below may submit any poem of 21 lines or less (not counting spaces between stanzas) for consideration in the Creative Communications Poetry Contest .

Students may win $25, a free book, and school supplies for their teacher .

Public, private, or home-schooled US students (including those in detention centers) in kindergarten through ninth grade may enter.

Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize

  • Award Amount: $500-$1500
  • Deadline: November 

Students in 11th grade may submit up to three poems for consideration in the Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize . Submissions are due in November .

One first-prize winner will receive $1500, one second-prize winner will receive $750, and a third-prize winner will receive $500. Poems may be published on arts.princeton.edu. All entrants must be in the 11th grade.

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

  • Award Amount: $500 - $5,000 renewable scholarship, $350 cash prize
  • Deadline: October 31, 2022

Women poets who are sophomores or juniors in high school may submit two poems for consideration for the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest .

One first-place winner will receive a $350 cash prize, publication in and ten copies of Cargoes , Hollins' student magazine, as well as a renewable scholarship of up to $5,000 for Hollins and free tuition and housing for the Hollinsummer creative writing program. One second-place winner will receive publication in and two copies of Cargoes, a renewable scholarship to Hollins of up to $1,000, and a $500 scholarship to attend Hollinsummer.

Applicants must be female students in their sophomore or junior year of high school .

What's Next?

If you're looking for more money opportunities for college , there are plenty of scholarships out there— including some pretty weird ones .

For those who've been buffing up their test scores , there are tons of scholarships , some in the thousands of dollars.

If you're tired of writing essays and applying for scholarships, consider some of these colleges that offer complete financial aid packages .

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Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

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These 11 Essay Contests with Generous Prizes Will Change Your Life

Table of Contents

Essay contests are unusual because to win them you have to use your words. If you are a student who aspires to become a journalist, novelist, or poet, then these essay contests are a stepping stone for you to make that dream a reality.

Essay Contests

Essay contests often ask participants to answer a question in the most original and obvious way. However, each contest will have its own rules and regulations to fulfill. You may have to write an essay on a specific topic and meet word count limits. To enter an essay contest, you must have the ability to write something fresh.

There are several essay contests that are valid for students of all levels of education regardless of nationality. As long as you meet the specified requirements, you may register for one or more of the following essay contests.

1. FIRE Free Speech Essay Contest

FIRE is an organization that aims to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience—the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity.

In this contest, you will be asked to write an essay or persuasive letter in 700 to 900 words on the theme of current events, historical examples, your personal experiences, and other resources posted on the FIRE website. Registration for this contest closes on December 31 st , 2020 at 11:59 a.m. EST.

Who should apply?

Open to juniors and seniors in U.S. high schools, including home-schooled students, as well as U.S. citizens attending high school overseas.

What are the prizes of this contest?

One $10,000 first-place prize, one $ 5,000 second-place prize, three $1,000 third-place prizes, and four $500 prizes will be awarded.

2. Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests

Have you ever read one of Ayn Rand’s thought-provoking novels? Now’s the time! Enter an Ayn Rand Institute essay contest and you’ll have a chance to win thousands of dollars in scholarship prize money.

ARI has held worldwide essay contests for students on Ayn Rand’s fiction for more than thirty years, awarding over $2 million in total prize money! To enter this contest, choose one of the three works of Ayn Rand fiction below and decide what theme you will cover in your essay by answering one of the questions posed on the essay contests web page.

  • The Fountainhead
  • Atlas Shrugged

You must sign up as a member of the ARI website to find out the deadlines for the contest.

These essay contests are available for students who are interested in Ayn Rand’s work ranging from grade eight students to postgraduate students. Please note that, however, the eligibility for each contest is different.

Total prizes to be awarded to the winners are $30,000.

3. AFSA National High School Essay Contest

The United States Foreign Service—often referred to as America’s first line of defense—works to prevent conflict from breaking out abroad and threats from coming to our shores. Peacebuilders work on the ground to create the conditions for peace and resolve conflicts where they are most needed.

Successful essays will identify, in no more than 1,250 words, a situation where diplomats worked on a peacebuilding initiative with partners from the country/region in question, nongovernmental organizations, and other parts of the U.S. government, and then go on to analyze what characteristics and approaches made the enterprise a success.

The deadline for essay submission is April 5 th , 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Students whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible to participate if they are in grades nine through twelve in any of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, or if they are U.S. citizens/lawful permanent residents attending high school overseas.

$2,500 will be awarded to the writer of the winning essay, in addition to an all-expense-paid trip to the nation’s capital from anywhere in the U.S. for the winner and his or her parents, and an all-expense-paid educational voyage courtesy of Semester at Sea. Runner-up receives $1,250 and full tuition to attend a summer session of the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.

4. JASNA Essay Contests

Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) conducts an annual student essay contest to foster the study and appreciation of Jane Austen’s works in new generations of readers.

The 2021 Essay Contest topic is tied to the theme of our upcoming Annual General Meeting: “Jane Austen in the Arts.” It encompasses a wide variety of arts, including fine arts, performance arts, decorative arts, and crafts.

The deadline for the essay submissions is June 1 st , 2021.

Students and home-schooled students enrolled at the high school level during the contest year, students enrolled in at least six credit hours of course work at a junior college, college, or university during the contest year, and students enrolled during the contest year in at least three credit hours of graduate course work at a college or university leading to an advanced degree are encouraged to apply.

Membership in JASNA is not required to enter the contest.

JASNA awards scholarships to winners in each of the three divisions:

  • First Place: $1,000 scholarship and free registration and two nights’ lodging for JASNA’s upcoming Annual General Meeting,
  • Second Place: $500 scholarship,
  • Third Place: $250 scholarship.

Winners and their mentors each receive a one-year JASNA membership. Besides, each winner receives a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels.

5. The Immerse Education Essay Competition

The Immerse Education Essay Competition provides the opportunity for students aged 13-18 to submit essay responses to a pre-set question relating to their chosen subject. The essay questions are pre-defined according to your age group and preferred subject. You are encouraged to tailor your essay response to reflect your interest in your chosen subject.

The application for the competition will be closed on January 5 th , 2021.

The essay contests are available to students of all nationalities who will be aged 13-18 during the summer of 2021.

First-place winners will be awarded a 100% scholarship to study their chosen subject with Immerse. There will be 10 first place winners across the Immerse Education Competitions. Runners up will be awarded partial scholarships of up to 70% to study their chosen subject with Immerse.

6. Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest

Showcase your ideas on public policy and the role of markets by entering this essay competition. Construct an essay exploring the importance of Joseph Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction in understanding entrepreneurialism and economic progress in today’s world. You may choose to analyze a particular industry or business (during any time-period) as a case study to bolster your essay.

The essay submission for the contest will be closed on June 1 st , 2021.

This essay contest is open to high school, undergraduate, and postgraduate students.

$9,000 in cash prizes will be awarded $3,000 of this designated just for high school students. Winning essays may be published in Fraser Institute journals and authors will have the opportunity to experience the peer-review process.

7. Optimist International Essay Contests

This essay contest is sponsored by Optimist International to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. The approach can encompass a young person’s personal experience, the experience of their country, or a more historical perspective.

In addition to developing skills for written expression, participants also have the opportunity to win a college scholarship. The topic for the academic year of 2020-2021 is “Reaching your Dreams by Choosing Optimism”. All essay contests are held by early February.

Youth under the age of 19 as of October 1 st , 2020 (and is not enrolled as a degree seeking student of a post-secondary institution) in the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean are eligible for entry. There is no minimum age.

Winners have the opportunity to receive scholarships of up to $2,500.

8. 2021 We the Students Essay Contest

We the Students Essay Contest expects the participants to explore the relationship between equality and justice in an essay with 500 to 800 words. Applicants are encouraged to bring emotion, creativity, specific examples, and well-researched facts into what they write. The deadline for entry is April 15 th , 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Armed Forces schools abroad, and students in United States territories are eligible to participate in the contest. In addition to going to school in a contested state, you must be in grades 8-12 and between the ages of 14-19.

A total of $7,500 will be awarded to the first winner. The second winner and honorable mentions will receive $1,500 and $500, respectively.

9. Student Essay Contest Sponsored by AWM and Math for America

To increase awareness of women’s ongoing contributions to the mathematical sciences, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) and Math for America co-sponsor an essay contest for biographies of contemporary women mathematicians and statisticians in academic, industrial, and government careers.

The essays will be based primarily on an interview with a woman currently working in a mathematical sciences career. Essay submissions are open from December 1 st to February 1 st .

Participation is open to middle school, high school, and undergraduate students.

The winners (including honorable mentions) receive a monetary prize, a membership in the AWM, a certificate, and their name and affiliation published in the Newsletter for the AWM. Also, all of the essays are published online and the essay of the Grand Prize winner is published in the AWM Newsletter.

10. Civics Education Essay Contest

Every year, in honor of Law Day, NCSC hosts a Civics Education Essay Contest. The goal of the contest is to get students engaged and ponder the importance of civics at home and in the classroom. The contest question is based on the American Bar Association’s annual theme. ABA’s 2021 Law Day theme is “Advancing the Rule of Law Now.”  Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 26 th , 2021.

Students from grades three through twelfth are invited to enter these essay contests.

For the 9th-12th grade winners:

  • One (1) First Place: $1,000
  • One (1) Second Place: $500
  • One (1) Third Place: $250

For the 6th-8th grade winners:

  • One (1) First Place: $400
  • One (1) Second Place: $200
  • One (1) Third Place: $100

For the 3rd-5th grade winners:

  • One (1) First Place: $300
  • One (1) Second Place: $150

11. St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition

Compete in this Global Essay Competition and be one of the top 100 contributors to qualify for all-expenses covered participation as a Leader of Tomorrow in the world’s premier opportunity for cross-generational debates: The St. Gallen Symposium. Submissions are due by  February 1 st , 2021, 11:59 p.m. last time zone (UTC-12).

However, if you are not a fan of essay contests, then this no-essay scholarship might interest you: Bold No Essay Community Scholarship: Easy Scholarship to Enter in 2020 .

To be eligible, you must be enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate program (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university and born in 1991 or later.

Win prize money of CHF 20,000 split amongst the three winners.

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student essay contest 2021

student essay contest 2021

  • About Ayn Rand
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Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

Students      >      Essay Contests      >     Atlas Shrugged

✓    Open to all high school, college, and graduate students worldwide.

Entry Deadline

Book Length

Interested in participating?

Fill out the contact form below, and we’ll email you with more information about the 2024 contest—including instructions on how to enter.

Thank you for signing up!

We’ll email you more information about this year’s contest—including instructions on how to enter. In the meantime, please let us know at [email protected] if you have any questions. We’re happy to help.

What is Atlas Shrugged?

The astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did.

Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read. It is a mystery story, not about the murder of a man’s body, but about the murder—and rebirth—of man’s spirit.

Improve your ability to write and think effectively. This contest will require you to reflect on philosophic themes, form your own opinion, and argue a thesis with evidence and clarity.

Test yourself against talented students from around the world and the high grading standards of our faculty. On average, only the top 5–10% of essays are awarded prizes each year.

Win cash prizes among five placement categories. This is an excellent way to earn money for college and higher education. We place no restrictions on how the money is spent by recipients.

Choose Your Essay Topic

Select one of the following three prompts about Atlas Shrugged and write an essay in response to it.

Essays must be written in English only and be between 800 and 1,600 words in length.

Questions? Write to us at [email protected] .

We are still working to finalize the essay topics for the 2024 contest. 

Please check back later this month for more information, or join our email list to receive updates as soon as the topics are made available.

Master Our Grading Standards

Essays are judged on whether the student is able to justify and argue for his or her view, not on whether the Institute agrees with the view the student expresses. 

Our graders look for writing that is clear, articulate, and logically organized.  Essays should stay on topic, address all parts of the selected prompt, and interrelate the ideas and events in the novel. 

Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged .

Organization

Understanding, discover the power of atlas shrugged.

Atlas Shrugged  is a mystery novel like no other. You enter a world where scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, and inventors are inexplicably vanishing—where the world is crumbling.

And what you discover, by the end, is an uplifting vision of life, an inspiring cast of heroes, and a challenging new way to think about life’s most important issues.

Learn more and request a free digital copy of the book today.

student essay contest 2021

Learn from Past Winners

Curious to know what makes for a winning essay in the Atlas Shrugged   contest? Check out some of the essays written by our most recent grand-prize winners. 

To varying degrees, they all display an excellent grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged .

Click here to see the full list of 2022 contest winners.

Jacob Fisher

Graduate Student

Stanford University

Stanford, California

United States

student essay contest 2021

Mariah Williams

Regis University

Denver, Colorado

student essay contest 2021

Nathaniel Shippee

University of Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

student essay contest 2021

Samuel Weaver

St. John’s College

Annapolis, Maryland

student essay contest 2021

Patrick Mayles

Graduate student

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

student essay contest 2021

Christina Jeong

College Student

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

student essay contest 2021

Improve Your Writing Skills

Other than endorsing perfect punctuation and grammar in English, the Ayn Rand Institute offers no advice or feedback for essays submitted to its contests. However, we do recommend the following resources as ways to improve the content of your essays.

The Atlas Project

Writing: a mini-course.

student essay contest 2021

Sign Up for Contest Updates!

Want to stay up-to-date on any new developments to the contest? Sign up to our email list below.

We’ll send you periodic reminders about the contest deadline, as well as helpful resources to ensure you get the most out of your experience reading and writing about Ayn Rand’s  Atlas Shrugged .

Great! Let's get you a copy of the book.

Atlas Shrugged is a mystery novel like no other. You enter a world where scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, and inventors are inexplicably vanishing—where the world is crumbling.

What you discover, by the end, is an uplifting vision of life, an inspiring cast of heroes, and a challenging new way to think about life’s most important issues.

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student essay contest 2021

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Student Essay Contest 2021

Student Essay Contest 2021

Celebrating emerging thought leadership and excellence in communication around the world's most complex food system challenges

An essay contest for undergraduate and graduate students — with BIG prizes!

  • First place: $1500
  • Second place: $1000
  • Third place: $500
  • Runners-up: Exciting non-cash prizes
  • Winning and runner-up essays to be announced and published on Protein Report

Any university student or recent graduate from anywhere in the world can participate.

Submissions must be received by September 24, 2021 . Results will be announced in October 2021.

To participate, carefully read the sections below.

To encourage, support, and reward emerging thought leadership and excellence in communication.

Protein industry challenges are numerous, multifaceted, and interconnected. From deforestation and biodiversity loss to pandemic risk and antimicrobial resistance — to name just a few — the threats presented by inaction are nothing short of existential. But who is responsible for initiating and implementing solutions? It seems unfair and impractical to place all the burden on consumers. And yet, consumer preferences, beliefs, opinions, and behaviors are key to the success of any public- or private-sector interventions. Against the complexity and uncertainty of this situation, one thing remains clear: Time to find a solution is running out.

The rapidly evolving science of cellular agriculture offers the possibility to solve many of the world's protein-related dilemmas within a timeframe not otherwise on the table. But realizing its promise will require overcoming barriers at the technical, policy, economic, and sociocultural levels. As a potentially transformative new technology, cellular agriculture also brings its own set of risks regarding how it is ultimately utilized and distributed.

In this context, what issue does your general field of study or your particular research interest address, and how does it contribute toward a solution?

Rules & Requirements

Eligibility : In order to participate, you must be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student or have completed your degree within the past three months at the time of submission.

Multiple authors : Submissions with multiple authors may be accepted, however, all authors must meet the contest’s eligibility requirements, and only one representative may be responsible for submitting the essay and receiving prizes if selected as a winner.

Exclusivity : The essay must not have already been published or submitted for publication elsewhere at the time of submission.

Essay length : No minimum. Maximum 4000 words.

Selection Process

Protein Report editors will shortlist up to 10 finalist essays to present to the judges. In order to be considered for shortlisting, submissions must follow guidance from the Language and Sources sections of Protein Report's Code of Practice , as well as the code's general principles and overall spirit. Initial review and shortlisting will also focus on quality of writing, reasoning, and originality.

Finalist essays will be shared with the panel of judges , who will evaluate and rank each according to the following criteria:

  • Thought, vision, and conceptual scope : Does the essay elevate the reader's thinking or understanding?
  • Writing quality : Flow, style, focus, and clarity — is it a good read?
  • Analytical and/or creative depth : How effectively and accurately does the essay cover its subject matter?
  • Good practice : Is it balanced in approach, language, tone, and target audience?

Read about how final scores will be calculated .

Instructions

Submit your essay by September 24, 2021 using the following link:

ESSAY SUBMISSION FORM

Note : For security purposes, you will need to be logged in to a Google account in order to access the form and upload your document.

Important : Essay documents must begin directly with the essay title. Your essay's title must NOT include your name or the name of your university. The essay document must NOT include a cover page and must NOT include any headers or footers containing your name or the name of your university. Submissions failing to follow these instructions will not be accepted.

Sources and citations : There is no requirement to use a specific style guide, however, all sources must be referenced using parenthetical citations and included in a list of works or bibliography at the end of the essay document. Citations in footnote form will not be accepted.

Terms & Conditions

By submitting an entry you agree to the following:

  • To surrender full ownership and copyright of the essay to Protein Report — it may not be published elsewhere, in whole or in part, without Protein Report’s explicit permission, including modified versions of the work.
  • To guarantee the essay was written entirely by yourself (or listed team members if a multiple-author submission), and no part of the essay has been plagiarized, copied, or paraphrased from any other author without giving explicit credit to the original.
  • Protein Report may edit essays it chooses to publish for style, content, and to conform to Protein Report’s editorial standards.
  • Protein Report reserves the right to cancel the contest or change its rules, terms, conditions, or prizes at any time for any reason at its sole discretion.

Jeremiah Johnston

Jeremiah Johnston Research Program Director, New Harvest

Bianca Lê

Bianca Lê Director, Cellular Agriculture Australia

Kara Leong

Kara Leong Development Director, University of California, Davis

Teni Ekundare

Teni Ekundare Head of Investor Outreach, FAIRR Initiative

Lenore Newman

Lenore Newman Director, Food and Agriculture Institute, University of the Fraser Valley

Alex Shirazi

Alex Shirazi Host, Cultured Meat and Future Food Show

Kate Krueger

Kate Krueger Founder and CEO, Helikon Consulting

Matthew Clancy

Matthew Clancy Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Economics, Iowa State University

Galina Hale

Galina Hale Professor of Economics, UC Santa Cruz

Nicky Quinn

Nicky Quinn Global Marketing Director, Aleph Farms

Andrew Noyes

Andrew Noyes Head of Global Communications, Eat Just, Inc.

Read about our approach to fair judging and conflicts of interest .

How many winners will be selected?

There will be a total of three winning essays:

  • Gold: one winner
  • Silver: one winner
  • Bronze: one winner
  • Runners-up: TBD based on submission
  • Honorable mentions: TBD based upon submissions

I'm enrolled in a community college/associate's degree program. Can I participate?

Only students enrolled full time in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral-level programs, and those who have graduated in the past three months at the time of submission, may participate.

Will I be notified about the result?

Winning essays will be announced publicly. Due to the large number of expected submissions, only winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions selected for publication on Protein Report will be contacted.

If my essay is not selected or the contest is canceled, will ownership and copyright be returned to me?

Yes. If the contest is canceled or if Protein Report chooses not to publish a submission, full ownership and copyright will be returned to the author.

Can my essay include images?

Yes. However, they must be owned by you or free from any copyright that would restrict their publication on Protein Report.

I'm not a native speaker of English. Can I still participate?

Anyone is welcome to submit their essay, however, only those written in a native level of English will be accepted.

About fairness and conflicts of interest

Judges have been selected for their demonstrated commitment to advancing key approaches and activities relevant to the contest's goals. This includes work in scientific research, student professional development, multidisciplinary strategies, communication and public relations, and the encouragement of deeper thinking around protein industry issues and solutions, among other credentials. In order to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest, actual or perceived, in the judging process, each judge has agreed to the following statement and set of rules:

Judge Statement:

I am committed to the contest goals and to upholding, in principle and in practice, a strictly merit-based judging process. I understand my actions as a judge not only reflect upon my integrity, but also that of Protein Report, the Student Essay Contest, and the hard work of participating students who expect their essays to be judged fairly. I agree to evaluate each essay impartially, based solely upon its merit, and with no consideration for the submitting student's university, country, region, age, gender, or any other non-merit-based factors that may be identifiable in the submission. I understand that any indication of strategic, biased, or discriminatory voting in favor of, or against, any submission or group of submissions will disqualify all of my evaluations and result in my removal from the judge panel. I agree to voluntarily recuse myself from evaluating any essays for which I may have a conflict of interest, regardless of whether the specific conflict is explicitly mentioned in this statement or in the judge rules.

Judge Rules:

  • Judges will not evaluate submissions by students from their alma mater, current university of employment, or any school from which the judge has received expressed or implied offers of employment or cooperation, paid or unpaid.
  • Judges will not evaluate submissions from students they personally know or have communicated with in the past six months.
  • Judges will evaluate and rate each essay entirely independently and will not discuss or disclose their evaluations with any other party, including other judges, prior to the contest's completion.
  • Judges will not evaluate submissions by students from which any known pending or accepted applications or offers of study at the undergraduate, graduate, or post-doctoral level are in process that might result in a conflict of interest.

In order to support an impartial judging process, Protein Report will keep all individual judge submission evaluations strictly confidential.

How will final results be calculated?

Each essay will be numerically rated across several parameters by each judge, excluding those submissions with which the judge may have a conflict of interest. The ratings of all judges will be aggregated to determine the essays with the highest-total scores. Due to judge recusals or disqualifications, some submissions may have fewer evaluations than others, resulting in lower total scores. In such cases, the missing evaluation scores will be calculated as the mean of the essay's judge-submitted scores.

In the case of a tie, all judges will be asked to participate in a tie-breaking vote. If a tie-breaking vote by an even number of judges results in a tie, Protein Report will make the final tie-breaking vote.

Only winning, runner-up, and honorable-mention essays will be announced. Final scores will not be reported publicly or individually to participants.

Must submissions be strictly food-related, or could they also be about materials/textiles, given many textiles we use are closely entwined with the food industry?

These topics aren't necessarily excluded from the contest, but any such submissions would need to be sure they are sufficiently addressing the question in the prompt, which is primarily about food system challenges.

Can my essay include scientific/technical details? Who should be the target audience?

Submissions about scientific and technical subject matter should strive to make those topics and details accessible to general audiences. Note the contest's judges come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. A good rule of thumb to follow when drafting your essay might be to make sure no judge feels lost or excluded from your target audience while reading it.

Is there a specific time and time zone for the September 24 submission deadline?

The submission form will close at the end of September 24 according to the Anywhere on Earth calendar designation, which is UTC - 12.

I understand my essay must not include a cover page, and must not include any headers or footers containing my name or university. But can my essay include those details in its content?

Yes. Essays may include those details if they are part of the content's narrative.

Updated contest prizes and structure

Based upon the submissions received, it was decided to restructure the contest from having separate undergraduate and graduate student divisions with one cash prize in each, to having a single division with three cash prizes.

Have a question that's not answered here? Email us at [email protected].

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Center for the National Interest

CFTNI Announces its 2021 Student Essay Contest

The Center for the National Interest is proud to announce its 2021 Student Essay contest! Please see below for details and for information about how to participate:

Prompt : 

United States foreign policy is in a transitional period.  The principle that has animated our approach to the world since the end of the Cold War – the notion that U.S. security and prosperity are inextricably linked to liberalizing the governance of other nations – has failed.  In explaining his rationale for our withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Biden described it as “ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries.”    

But if remaking other countries, whether by force or some other means, will no longer be the  raison d’etre  of America’s foreign policy, what concept  should  guide our new approach to the world?  How can a narrower definition of U.S. national interests be successful in a multipolar world that is more deeply interconnected and interdependent?  How can a Realist approach be reconciled with the moral and political values that Americans have long held dear? How can a new approach to the world satisfy the practical needs and desires of America’s middle class? What role should military force play in our efforts to deal with peer or near peer nuclear powers, such as China and Russia? 

Eligibility Requirements for the Essay:  

Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students who are currently attending institutions in the US are welcome to participate.  

Requirements for submissions.  

Submissions must respond to the prompt and adhere to the following formatting requirements: 

  • 12pt Times New Roman Font 
  • 1inch margins 
  • Double Spaced 
  • No more than 1500 words.  
  • Sources should be hyperlinked, rather than footnoted when possible.  

Submissions that are longer than 1500 words will not be accepted.  

Submissions are due by  11:59 pm Eastern Time on December 20, 2021.  Strong essays will present a clear and well-articulated perspective that is supported by thorough argumentation, knowledge of the subject matter, good writing, and the content will be original.  

Essays may be submitted using this form  here,  which is also linked below.   

The Prizes:  

The writer of the  first prize winning essay  will receive $250 and their essay will be featured on  The National Interest’s  digital edition of the magazine and be promoted on social media.  

The writer of the  second prize winning essay  will receive $100 and their essay will be featured on  The National Interest’s  digital edition of the magazine and be promoted on social media. 

Additional Details:  

  • SPONSOR:  The sponsor of the 2021 S tudent Essay Competition  is the Center for the National Interest.  
  • ELIGIBILITY : Contest entrants must be legal residents of the United States and be aged eighteen years or older. Employees, immediate family members, and household members (whether or not related) to one another are not eligible to enter. Anyone serving as a judge for the contest is ineligible. The contest is void outside of the United States. The contest is subject to all Law.  
  • HOW TO ENTER:  To be eligible for the contest you must: 
  • Before the end of the contest period, submit an essay of no more than 1,500 words in length addressing the prompt above.  

To be eligible to enter, you must be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary institution or program listed in the U.S. Department of Education’s most recent  database . No person may submit more than one entry. Attempting to submit multiple entries will result in your  disqualification from the contest.  

  • All applicants must include proof of enrollment with their essay submission, which can be verified by obtaining an official university transcript or a signed letter on university letterhead stating that you are enrolled for the 2021-2022 academic year. 
  • PROHIBITED CONTENT:  By entering the contest you agree not to create or submit an essay that: 
  • Infringes upon any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or other proprietary or property rights of any party;  
  • May be deemed as electioneering communications, intervention in a political or electoral campaign or lobbying; 
  • Unlawfully threatens, harasses, or abuses another person or uses obscene, vulgar, harmful, tortious, defamatory, libelous, false, racially hateful, ethnically hateful, religiously hateful, or otherwise hateful language in any other way objectionable;  
  • Violates any law.  

The sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any contest entries that violate the above conditions, or for any other reason at any time without prior notice.  

  • JUDGING AND SELECTION OF PRIZE WINNERS:  All contest entries will be based on the following criteria: 
  • The essay clearly articulates an opinion 
  • Demonstrates knowledge of the subject matter 
  • Offers compelling arguments supporting the opinion 
  • Clear and coherent use of all faculties of the English Language  
  • Demonstrates creativity and originality  
  • PRIZES:  On  January 21, 2022 , the first and second prize winners will be announced. The First Prize Winner shall receive the following prize: 
  • $250 and their essay will be featured on  The National Interest’s  digital edition of the magazine and be promoted on social media. 

The Second Prize Winner shall receive the following prize: 

  • $100 and their essay will be featured on  The National Interest’s  digital edition of the magazine and be promoted on social media. 
  • OWNERSHIP OF YOUR CONTEST ENTRY:  By submitting your contest entry you hereby relinquish, grant, transfer, assign, and deliver to the sponsor all right, title, and interest of every kind and nature whatsoever that you have in the essay you write as part of your contest entry, including the copyright and all other intellectual property rights thereto. As a condition of receiving your prize, you may be required to execute additional documentation such as copyright assignments to sponsor of your contest essay. 
  • DISPUTES:   By participating, entrants, release sponsor and its affiliates, subsidiaries, members, directors, officer, employees, and agents from any and all liability with respect to all aspects of the contest including all losses, damage, or bodily injury resulting from participation in this contest, and the possession, acceptance, or misuse of prizes.   
  • INTERNET:  If for any reason this contest is not capable of running as planned due to an infection by a computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the sponsor that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this contest, the sponsor reserves the right at its sole and absolute discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the contest. The sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, or theft, destruction, or unauthorized access to or alteration of entries. The sponsor is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or telephone lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or entry to be received by the sponsor due to technical problems, human error or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to your or any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from participating in this contest or downloading any materials in this contest. 
  • USE OF INFORMATION:  The information that you provide in connection with the contest may be used by the sponsor to inform you about related opportunities and developments involving charitable or educational topics that the sponsor thinks may be of interest to you. 
  • GENERAL:  By entering this contest or accepting the Prize you agree to: the sponsor’s policies, these contest rules, and recognize that the decisions of the sponsor are final and binding in all respects; giving consent for the use of your name, voice, picture, and likeness for charitable, educational, advertising, and promotional purposes related to the Sponsor or its contests in any medium throughout the world in perpetuity without additional compensation unless prohibited by law. The sponsor reserves the right to correct typographical, clerical, or printing errors in any contest material. The sponsor reserves the right to prohibit any person from participating in the contest at its sole and absolute discretion. The sponsor reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the contest at its sole and absolute discretion.  

If you have any additional questions about the contest, please send an email to  [email protected]

Submission Form Link:  

https://forms.gle/KchDykMzVUXknNf46

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Student Essay Contest: 2021 Results

GRAND PRIZE:

  • Grand Prize and Grades 6-8 First Place : “Mathematical Homeruns”
  • by: Joy Wilde (Washington Connections Academy)
  • Interviewee: Emily Curtis (Seattle Mariners)

UNDERGRADUATE:

  • First Place : Keeping It Cool: A Biography of Lori Siegel
  • by: Yangyang Li (Dartmouth College)
  • Interviewee: Lori Siegel (Climate Interactive)
  • Honorable Mention: “Mathematical Wholeness: Sarah’s Journey”
  • by: Lucy Conover (Pitzer College)
  • Interviewee: Sarah Strong (High Tech High)
  • Honorable Mention: “The Poetry of Mathematics”
  • by: Ingrid Ren (Brown University)
  • Interviewee: JoAnne Growney (Bloomsburg University)
  • Honorable Mention: “Asuman Aksoy: Reserving the Right to Think”
  • by: Angie Wang (Claremont McKenna College)
  • Interviewee: Asuman Güven Aksoy (Claremont McKenna College)

GRADES 9-12:

  • 1st Place : “Stepping Outside the Mold to Improv-e Mathematics”
  • by: Angela Cai (Stuyvesant High School)
  • Interviewee: Ellen Eischen (University of Oregon)
  • Honorable Mention : “CDR Meghan Steinhaus: Military Excellence and Mathematical Creativity”
  • by: Arielle Frommer (Marine Science Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut)
  • Interviewee: Meghan Steinhaus (United States Coast Guard Academy)
  • Honorable Mention : “The Proof is in the Purpose”
  • by: Asmi Pareek (Sidwell Friends School)
  • Interviewee: Yolanda Rolle (Sidwell Friends School)

GRADES 6-8:

  • First Place: same as Grand Prize winner
  • Honorable Mention : “The Puzzle” In Life
  • by: Ben Hourdequin (Frances C. Richmond Middle School)
  • Honorable Mention : “Lighting the Way from Within”
  • by: Jada Martin (Westside Neighborhood School)
  • Interviewee: Cydney Bodenhamer (Westside Neighborhood School)
  • Honorable Mention : “From Mangoes to Math”
  • by: Meera Srini (Columbus Academy)
  • Interviewee: Padmini Veerapen (Tennessee Tech University)

AWM and MfA thank the participating schools in the 2021 contest.

Some essays have been modified for posting on the AWM website

From the Editor         Past Issues        About Maryknoll        Edición en Español

2021 Student Essay Winners

Our theme of “Good News” for the 2021 Maryknoll Student Essay Contest was based on a simple observation: the world seems full of “bad news” stories showing the worst of humanity. But there are many people making the world a better place. Students were asked to write an essay sharing a “good news” story from their own lives and explain how it reflects the Good News message of Jesus.

We received essays from all over the country, from young writers competing in two divisions (grades 6–8 and grades 9–12). Following are the winning essays.

Isabel Lombardi, a 7th grader at St. Michael the Archangel School in Canton, Ohio, receives the first-place Bishop Francis X. Ford Award for Division I of the Maryknoll Student Essay Contest with her principal, Claire Gatti, Deacon Paul Bork, Bishop David Bonnar of Youngstown and Father Benson Okpara, pastor. (Norman Kunz/U.S.)

Division I (Grades 6-8)

First place winner: isabel lombardi, totes of kindness.

Ev eryone has a toothbrush, right? Actually, that is not true. There are people in our own communities who do not have all the things we need to live. I realized this when talking to the vice principal of a school in my own community. She told me the story of a little girl who was not able to brush her teeth at home because her house only had one toothbrush, which was for her mom. This made me stop and think, and then make a difference.

My goal is to have everyone feel equal, no matter their size, age or skin color. I was only in fifth grade when I decided to take the first step in making a difference. I heard more stories of families and children who did not have the necessary means to live a healthy, safe life at home. There was a family with four children who all had to share the same clothes. One day, the oldest wore a shirt to school and spilled spaghetti sauce on it. The next day, her sister was wearing the same shirt, still with a spaghetti stain. The family could not afford to wash their clothes every day and had to save water and money on detergent.

These stories made my heart ache for something more for these families. I realize I am very blessed, and it is sad to know that some do not even have enough food to keep their bellies full or soap to be clean. Jesus lived His life selflessly, making sure everyone felt loved and putting everyone before Himself. More “good news” will spread as more people follow in the steps of Christ. I decided to walk like Jesus and make a difference. Every person has a heart, and God gave us the choice to open it to others. I chose to open mine to these students at Allen Elementary.

I started by writing a grant proposal for $2,500 to The Junior League. I was awarded the grant and then worked with my family, friends and school to collect supplies. My project was called “Totes of Kindness.” The project started with acquiring a few basic supplies for a few families, but because of all the support, we helped over 50 families. Each received a large plastic tote full of food, toiletries, books, socks, cleaning supplies, grocery store gift cards and more. I chose to purchase totes for each family because they provided them with an airtight container to pack belongings for a move. Many families would have to move from place to place frequently and would often use garbage bags for their belongings.

After all supplies were collected, volunteers worked together to assemble the totes. It was amazing to see how many people stepped up to help. We made sure every tote had all the supplies and packed them into a truck to be delivered to Allen Elementary. Arriving at the school, we met the vice principal and guidance counselor.  

As we opened the back door of the truck that contained the totes, I glanced at the guidance counselor and watched as tears slid down her face. She hugged me and said how much it meant to her that someone as young as myself had the heart and determination to help so many families. Families that would not have otherwise had dinner that evening or detergent for their laundry. My heart filled with joy at the appreciation I received and knowing these totes made such a big impact. In that moment I felt a warm feeling, light shining inside my heart. I realized that was the love of Jesus.

There are so many stories in the news about harm, destruction, devastation and just the worst of humanity. But once in a while you will hear a glimpse of good. This story did start with sadness but ended with joy, positivity and a spark to change our community for the better. There are people out there living as Jesus did, working hard to make the world a better place. We must believe there is hope. Every person has a heart, and God gave us the choice to open it to others. As a Christian, I try my best to open my heart and love as Jesus did, hopefully inspiring others as He inspired me.

Maryknoll Father Rodrigo Ulloa-Chavarry presents the first-place Bishop Patrick J. Byrne Award for Division II of the Maryknoll Student Essay Contest to Jonathan Taffet, a 12th grader at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory School in Houston, Texas. (Courtesy Rodrigo Ulloa-Chavarry)

Division II (Grades 9-12)

First place winner: jonathan taffet, mowing with love.

A  r andom number eagerly buzzed on my phone. I almost never pick up when faced with an unknown caller. This time was different. Just a few weeks prior, I decided to expand my lawn mowing business to occupy my expanded free time in the summer. With low expectations, I had posted an advertisement on our neighborhood website. To my surprise, I received several calls, and I mowed several new lawns, but none were jobs I wanted to keep. This time was different.  

I picked up the phone and a man introduced himself as Hector. He asked whether I drove a large pickup truck and if I used a large commercial mower. I answered no to both, caught off guard by these strange, unexpected questions. Confused, I cordially told the man I would meet him in an hour to check out his yard. I proceeded with caution as I arrived in an unfamiliar neighborhood, at a house with tall grass, jungly flowerbeds, a collage of Texas license plates spelling out “Hector Jr.‘s Place” tacked to the trunk of a massive pin oak. I had a bad feeling about this yard. This time would be different, I worried.  

Hector welcomed me into his backyard, which was no less unruly than the front. He was an endearing older man, despite his sweat-soaked shirt, his overworked back and his badly bruised face. He pointed out some of his handiwork: the bench swing, the patio, the fire pit, and told me how he loved working outdoors, but his recent fall prompted his wife to keep him indoors.  

Hector explained to me how he liked the grass cut at the highest setting on my mower, how the backyard needed to be cut every two weeks, whereas the front needed to be cut every three weeks, and asked for a price. I suggested what I felt to be fair. He proposed twice that price. Caught off guard again, I graciously accepted, shook his hand, and headed home. This job would be different. I continued mowing his yard every so often, chatting briefly with Hector each time I mowed.

O ne Friday, I was pressed for time, and briskly mowed. Just as I was blowing the last leaves away, Hector motioned for me to come over. He wanted to show me something. I needed to go and I tried crafting respectful departing words, but something told me to stay. He gingerly pulled out of his wallet a picture of a young man, one who radiated strength out of both his biceps and his smile. He gestured toward the placard with the picture. “This is my son, Hector Jr.,” Hector Sr. said.  

With a proud, yet melancholic tone he explained how his son joined the army, how he was deployed in Afghanistan, and how he said he was fine when he came back. He honored his son’s character, describing to me how Hector Jr. always stood up for what was right, and was never afraid to challenge something or someone who was doing wrong.  

Hector paused, looked at me, looked back at the picture in his wallet and between tears told me how Hector Jr. was not fine; he had taken his own life. My heart sank. I thanked Hector, thanked him for telling me, thanked him for raising such a remarkable man and thanked him for his son’s service. I gave him a hug and promised him to make the yard, especially Hector Jr.‘s place, look as good as possible. With a smile, Hector thanked me.

That time truly was different. I now shared some sorrow with Hector Sr., hoping that by mowing, by mowing well, by mowing with love, I could in some way ease Hector‘s loss, ease Hector‘s pain. By listening to his story, and by being determined to honor the memory of his son, I put a smile on Hector‘s face. Just as Jesus offers comfort to the mourning, in a small, seemingly insignificant moment, I too was able to offer consolation to Hector. I pray that by helping Hector to carry the weight of his grief, I make his yoke even just a little easier, and his burden just a little lighter.

SECOND PLACE WINNERS

Riley szuba, st. junipero serra catholic school rancho margarita, ca, julie platt, mitchell high school,  , mitchell, sd.

Riley’s “Poor in Heart” gives a deeply personal testimony about the loss of a parent — and the overwhelming support Riley received from teachers, relatives, friends and even strangers. Riley writes, “Through their love, I was able to recognize the love of God.” The experience taught Riley empathy and compassion: “When I was broken and hurting, I was given a glimpse of the beautify of salvation. Now, I want to pass on this good news to others who may be hurting, too.”

“A baby girl, nestled in a basket, arrived on the steps of a hospital in Hunan, China,” Julie begins. She then reveals, “I was that baby girl!” The “bad news” she relays is the real pressure at that time in China to abort babies. The “good news” is that Julie was adopted from an orphanage by loving parents — the answer to their prayers. “Sharing the Good News: Pass It On” concludes with Jesus’ message: “all people are worthy of love, and love is his gift to us.”

THIRD PLACE WINNERS

Ava quirindongo, good shepherd catholic school, orlando, fl, clare oberg.

In “My Everyday Hero,” Ava writes about a role model in her life for sharing good news: her stepmother, Tessa, who is active in a human trafficking task force. Ava reports, “She works comforting the wounded and helping them get through their trauma.” Through Tessa’s work, Ava has learned about the issue of human trafficking — but also that “God works in amazing and mysterious ways. He can turn trauma and suffering into a way to become stronger.”

Clare takes us from a conversation at her family’s dinner table to the Stephen Center, a shelter for homeless and addicted people. In “Peace and Joy in a Broken World,” she introduces us to Robert, a young man with tattoos and a long beard who is also volunteering. As Clare observes his warm care of others — and learns his story of recovery — she reflects on the “good news” of service: “spending one evening serving meals instead of watching a movie can impact other people.”

Essays of all 2021 winners have been published on   MaryknollSociety.org/winners and discoveryourneighbor.org . For future news of the Maryknoll Student Essay Contest, stay tuned to MaryknollSociety.org/essay .

To learn about the Maryknoll sisters who,  with other volunteers, read the essay entries, see  The Power of Youth .

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Book edited by Associate Deputy Provost Ravi Ammigan featuring stories from UD's international students.

CGPS is pleased to announce the winners of the 10th annual International Student Essay Contest.

Meet the winners and read their essays, everyone has a story. we're excited to read yours, along with many partner offices on campus, we have a rich tradition of welcoming international students from all parts of the world. the mission to foster international understanding and cross-cultural awareness on campus and in the community is as important as ever., the purpose of this annual contest is to give interested applicants an opportunity to tell their stories and share the experiences and perspectives of being an international student with the larger university community. cgps is pleased to collaborate this year with the  division of student life  and the  graduate college ., everyone has a story. join us for the next essay contest and tell us yours for a chance to win $500, learn about the contest >, meet the past essay contest winners & read their essays >.

What do you miss most from home? Was it hard for you to adjust to your new student life in the U.S.? What did you not understand when you first arrived at UD? 

Essay Topic

Studying at a U.S. university can be a challenging yet rewarding experience for many international students. Whether you spent the fall semester online or in-person, in the U.S. or abroad, please share your personal stories and experiences about how you dealt with new ways of learning, cultural norms and values, challenges and opportunities during your time as an international student at UD and in the US. Topic ideas include:

What prepared you for this experience, who/what helped you along the way? How did you navigate local customs, traditions and communication protocols? What did you wish others understood better about you and your culture?

Undergraduate Students

Grand prize: $500, second prize: $250, graduate students .

Funds for winning essays will be placed into student accounts.

Eligibility

You must be an enrolled international student in the fall, maintaining F or J visa status at the University of Delaware.

Application Deadline

The 2023 contest is now closed. Visit again next fall to submit your story!

Document Requirements

Maximum of 1000 words; Typed in 12-pt size, Times Roman font; Double spaced; 1-inch margins on all sides; Includes page numbers.

Permission Notice

By submitting your entry, you agree that your essay might be published by CGPS on the web or in a publication.

Entries will be judged on content as well as literary style.  Please make every attempt to submit an entry free from spelling and grammatical errors, and rich in experiential content. 

Contact Us With Questions

Essay contest winners.

International Student Essay Contest Winner

Graduate Students

International Student Essay Contest Winner

Atiqah Zulhiani Malaysia

Ahmed aljahwari oman.

Honorable Mention

Nikki Ismayilova Azerbaijan

Ioannis vasileios chremos greece, davidson nwaonu nigeria, sotheara veng cambodia, maika inoue japan, jisa ko japan, serah azami afghanistan, faiza saeedi afghanistan, annika stein germany, adaeze amanfo nigeria, chao liu china, sulav kafle nepal, angie valeria robles romero colombia, emma perichon, jady young perez, sarah coomson, abhinav prabhakar, norah almousa, essa nahari, carolina gomez (colombia) "my first american football game", josefina fernandez-davila (peru) untitled, fabian martin rempfer (germany)  "bread in deutschland", ashwini sansare (india) "people and places", aisha moafa (saudi arabia) "my new name is 'practice'", somi kim (south korea) "how did you go about understanding local customs, traditions and communication protocols", john wambui (kenya) "a gentle spectacle", mehmet altingoz (turkey) "long road to america", edgar salazar (colombia) "highways no way", chamath chandrasekera (sri lanka) "the sandwich cononumdrum", xueyao liang (china) "from lost to found in translation", ugochukwu nsofor (nigeria) "american wonder", zamora kervin (honduras) "from the dirt roads of honduras to the red brick walks of ud", chouhan ashish (india) "the broad horizon", olsson hanna (sweden) "the missing suitcases – a metaphor of my life at ud", olga parshina (russia) untitled, byron acosta (colombia) "newark: a cozy home to keep us together"  , yuqing wang (china) "out of hot water: culture shock in the united states"  , subramani sockalingam (india) untitled, rodrigo moreno (chile) untitled, karim rebiai (belgium) "a new culture - help me, i'm drowning", cgps on social  |   @udglobal, #udintlcoffeehour  | #udabroad | #udworldscholar  | #dediplomat, signature programs.

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Student essay contest archive.

student essay contest 2021

What, if anything, should the federal government do to alleviate persistent economic disparities faced by African Americans?

  • Essay Contest Finalists First Place Essay
  • Topic Background

What, if anything, should government do to address the adverse consequences of free trade for some firms and individuals?

  • Essay Contest Finalists First Place Essay — Second Place Essay — Third Place Essay

Use economics to describe and defend an effective immigration policy.

Should the federal government increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour?

Can the U.S. economy still grow the way it once did?

  • Topic Background 

What change in the American K-12 education system would result in the most cost-effective improvement in student outcomes ?

What are the most important influences on economic inequality in the United States?

The Federal Reserve: The Next 100 Years

How should North Dakota handle its oil boom?

  • Essay Contest Finalists   First Place Essay — Second Place Essay — Third Place Essay

What is the value of higher education?

What role, if any, should government play in job creation?

  • Essay Contest Finalists   Advanced Economics First Place Essay —  Second Place Essay Standard Economics First Place Essay — Second Place Essay

What economic factors may be contributing to the problem of obesity, and how can economics be applied to address the problem?

What role, if any, should the government play in energy markets?

  • Bibliography  [PDF]

Hamilton vs. Jefferson: Whose economic vision was better?

  • Essay Contest Finalists Advanced Economics First Place Essay (Overall Winner) —  Second Place Essay Standard Economics First Place Essay —  Second Place Essay
  • Bibliography

Is immigration good or bad for the U.S. economy?

What economic lessons can be drawn from an illegal drug deal?

  • Essay Contest Finalists Advanced Economics First Place Essay (Overall Winner) —  Second Place Essay Standard Economics First Place Essay — Second Place Essay
  • Topic Background  

Why are some countries rich and some countries poor?

  • Essay Contest Finalists Advanced Economics First Place Essay (Overall Winner) — Second Place Essay Standard Economics First Place Essay — Second Place Essay

What role, if any, should the government play in addressing income inequality?

  • Essay Contest Finalists Advanced Economics First Place Essay — Second Place Essay Standard Economics First Place Essay (Overall Winner) — Second Place Essay

Select a major problem concerning the ecological environment. Using economic analysis, show how this problem could be addressed.

Is there a housing shortage? What role should the government play in the housing market?

  • Essay Contest Finalists First Place Essay — Second Place Essay

The Great Depression: Could it happen again?

  • Bibliography  

What does this 1973  picture, of a gas station without gas to see, imply about how markets work? How can the lessons portrayed in the picture guide policymakers today?

What economic lessons can be drawn from this  painting of a bustling sixteenth century Dutch market?

Why do some countries grow faster than others? What, if anything, can a central bank do to enhance economic growth?

Should states be permitted to use targeted incentives to recruit businesses?

  • Essay Contest Finalists First Place Essay —  Second Place Essay (Tie) — Second Place Essay (Tie)

What exchange rate system should central banks adopt?

  • Essay Contest Finalists   First Place Essay — Second Place Essay

What role should the Federal Reserve Play in the payments system?

Is the Community Reinvestment Act a necessary and effective tool for eliminating discrimination in lending?

  • First Place Essay

Central Banks in Emerging Economies

Is reform of the banking system necessary and, if so, what types of reform would be most effective?

How successful has the floating exchange rate system been compared to the fixed exchange rate system? And, what modifications would you recommend, if any?

Is the Federal Reserve Too Independent?

Organization for Social Media Safety Logo

2021 Social Media Safety Student Video Essay Contest

The Organization for Social Media Safety’s 2021 Social Media Safety Video Essay Contest is now open.

What Is This Contest About?

We have found over the years that the students we work with across the country are one of the best sources of information on the social media-related dangers we all face and how to stay safe from them. That is why want to learn from you! Help us teach the world about social media safety while competing for a $2500 cash prize.

To enter the contest, submit a video essay that in some way adds to our collective understanding of social media safety, including how social media-related dangers are impacting today’s youth. Your video can be in the form of a:

  • A demonstration
  • Or anything else you can think up …

What is Social Media Safety?

Social media safety means avoiding or most safely responding to the numerous social media-related dangers that are impacting teens and tweens every day. Dangers like:

  • Cyberbullying
  • Hate Speech
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Human Trafficking
  • Social Media Addiction
  • Eating Disorders and Body Dysmorphia
  • Substance Abuse

How Will We Judge?

Judging will be based on the following criteria:

  • Interest : Does your video hold the viewer’s attention? Is it creative and compelling?
  • Impact: Does your video increase social media safety? Will your video raise awareness among the public? Will your video change behavior?
  • Contribution: Has your video added to the public’s knowledge about social media safety?

Highlights of the Rules

  • Entries must be submitted by December 31, 2021, via the online form below.
  • Entrants must be U.S. residents and between the ages of 13 and 22 as of December 1, 2021.
  • Video essay submissions do not have a time limit but keep in mind that shorter videos are often more engaging.
  • We recommend that video essay submissions be shot in landscape mode (horizontally).
  • Only one contest entry (1 originally produced video) is permitted per person.
  • Entry must be new and original work. (Any submission that is found to use third-party material, including music, without proper licensing will not be accepted.)
  • Nudity, profanity, explicit violence, drug use, or other inappropriate or unsafe content is not permitted.
  • Applicants are solely responsible for their film production – this includes obtaining appropriate releases for all persons who appear on-camera, including minors and their parents/guardians.
  • Please ensure that you are comfortable having your submission shared widely with the public. The Organization for Social Media Safety may use submissions in future public awareness campaigns or events.

You must review the complete, official Terms and Conditions of the contest before making your submission.

Official 2021 Video Essay Contest Entry Form

Instructions: (1) Upload your video essay by clicking the button below. (2) Complete the entire entry form and click the submit button. Failure to follow both steps will result in your entry not being considered for the contest.

Upload Your Video Essay File *

Thank you for your interest, but the 2021 Social Media Safety Video Essay Contest is now closed. Please check back soon for next year’s contest.

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Home  >  What's New  >  Fountainhead Essay Contest for High School Students

Fountainhead Essay Contest for High School Students

Deadline April 25 (must be received by this date), formerly April 27. Highly recommended free contest for high school students (11th and 12th grade) awards $5,000 top prize, other large prizes, for essays on Ayn Rand's novel 'The Fountainhead'. Essays should be based on one of the three questions on the website, and be 800-1,600 words long. Submit your essay online. Contest is looking for entries that are sympathetic to Rand's rationalist, libertarian philosophy. See sponsor's website for other student contests.

Source: https://aynrand.org/students/essay-contests/#tab-5-2020

Published: February 15, 2024

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The objective of the K-12 Student Essay/Poetry and Poster contest is to capture Dr. King’s legacy in word and art. ASU will host its 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Breakfast on January 18, 2024. A highlight of the celebration is the recognition and awards ceremony for Arizona K-12 students who are winners of the statewide essay and poster contest.

First place essay winners read their work at the celebration - and for the poster winners – their art is transformed into bookmarks that all guests receive at the celebration.

Click below to enter.

2024 essay/poetry entry form 2024 poster entry form

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Inspirational resources.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Day, Death, Quotes

National Geographic Kids - Hero For All: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | Smithsonian Institution

Text of the "I have a dream" speech

Stanford Univerity's Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute

Day of Service

“The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Clayborne Carson

“A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Martin Luther King, Jr. and James M. Washington

“Becoming King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Making of a National Leader.” by Troy Jackson PhD and Clayborne Carson

Speeches by Dr. King

MLK, Jr. Remembered

“We Shall Overcome” audio with images

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Biography for Children, American History for Kids – FreeSchool

Opinion: We know how voters feel about Trump and Biden. But how do the experts rank their presidencies?

Wax figures of nine American presidents.

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Presidents Day occurs at a crucial moment this year, with the presidency on the cusp of crisis as we inexorably shuffle toward a rematch between the incumbent and his predecessor. It’s the sort of contest we haven’t seen since the 19th century, and judging by public opinion of President Biden and former President Trump, most Americans would have preferred to keep it that way.

But the third installment of our Presidential Greatness Project , a poll of presidential experts released this weekend, shows that scholars don’t share American voters’ roughly equal distaste for both candidates.

Biden, in fact, makes his debut in our rankings at No. 14, putting him in the top third of American presidents. Trump, meanwhile, maintains the position he held six years ago: dead last, trailing such historically calamitous chief executives as James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson. In that and other respects, Trump’s radical departure from political, institutional and legal norms has affected knowledgeable assessments not just of him but also of Biden and several other presidents.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump greets supporters as he arrives at a campaign stop in Londonderry, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Opinion: Panicking over polls showing Donald Trump ahead of President Biden? Please stop

Like Biden, Obama and Reagan had rough reelection polls. Too many journalists treat polls as predictive, but political professionals use them to inform campaigns.

Jan. 24, 2024

The overall survey results reveal stability as well as change in the way scholars assess our nation’s most important and controversial political office. Great presidents have traditionally been viewed as those who presided over moments of national transformation, led the country through major crises and expanded the institution of the presidency. Military victories, economic growth, assassinations and scandals also affect expert assessments of presidential performance.

The presidents at the top of our rankings, and others like ours, reflect this. Hallowed leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and George Washington consistently lead the list.

Our latest rankings also show that the experts’ assessments are driven not only by traditional notions of greatness but also by the evolving values of our time.

Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Las Vegas.

Op-Ed: Worst. President. Ever.

President Trump’s final grade will be in the hands of scholars. It doesn’t look good.

Jan. 13, 2021

One example is the continuing decline in esteem for two important presidents, Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson. Their reputations have consistently suffered in recent years as modern politics lead scholars to assess their early 19th and 20th century presidencies ever more harshly, especially their unacceptable treatment of marginalized people.

More acutely, this survey has seen a pronounced partisan dynamic emerge, arguably in response to the Trump presidency and the Trumpification of presidential politics.

Proponents of the Biden presidency have strong arguments in their arsenal, but his high placement within the top 15 suggests a powerful anti-Trump factor at work. So far, Biden’s record does not include the military victories or institutional expansion that have typically driven higher rankings, and a family scandal such as the one involving his son Hunter normally diminishes a president’s ranking.

Biden’s most important achievements may be that he rescued the presidency from Trump, resumed a more traditional style of presidential leadership and is gearing up to keep the office out of his predecessor’s hands this fall.

Trump’s position at the bottom of our rankings, meanwhile, puts him behind not only Buchanan and Johnson but also such lowlights as Franklin Pierce, Warren Harding and William Henry Harrison, who died a mere 31 days after taking office.

Trump’s impact goes well beyond his own ranking and Biden’s. Every contemporary Democratic president has moved up in the ranks — Barack Obama (No. 7), Bill Clinton (No. 12) and even Jimmy Carter (No. 22).

Yes, these presidents had great accomplishments such as expanding healthcare access and working to end conflict in the Middle East, and they have two Nobel Prizes among them. But given their shortcomings and failures, their rise seems to be less about reassessments of their administrations than it is a bonus for being neither Trump nor a member of his party.

Indeed, every modern Republican president has dropped in the survey, including the transformational Ronald Reagan (No. 16) and George H.W. Bush (No. 19), who led the nation’s last decisive military victory.

Academics do lean left, but that hasn’t changed since our previous surveys. What these results suggest is not just an added emphasis on a president’s political affiliation, but also the emergence of a president’s fealty to political and institutional norms as a criterion for what makes a president “great” to the scholars who study them.

As for the Americans casting a ballot for the next president, they are in the historically rare position of knowing how both candidates have performed in the job. Whether they will consider each president’s commitment to the norms of presidential leadership, and come to rate them as differently as our experts, remains to be seen.

Justin Vaughn is an associate professor of political science at Coastal Carolina University. Brandon Rottinghaus is a professor of political science at the University of Houston.

More to Read

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on a $95 billion Ukraine Israel aid package being debated in Congress, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Letters to the Editor: Biden’s defense of democracy and competence are much more important than his age

Feb. 18, 2024

President Joe Biden speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Letters to the Editor: A president’s wisdom doesn’t come from brilliance and youth

Feb. 11, 2024

El presidente Joe Biden durante un evento de campaña, el domingo 4 de febrero de 2024, en Las Vegas. (AP Foto/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Opinion: Age matters. Which is why Biden’s age is his superpower

Feb. 9, 2024

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Los Angeles, CA., March 1, 2020 - The owner of the fostered Corgi drops by to visit his dog on Sunday, March 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Ted and Sandy Rogers of Hollywood stepped in to foster the Corgi after their own beloved Corgi died. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

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Creating Photo Essays About Community: A Guide to Our Where We Are Contest

Step-by-step directions for depicting what’s memorable and meaningful about groups and the places where they gather.

A group of young people lying on a weathered wooden stage, with their heads resting on one another's stomachs and their arms embracing one another. Some of the people are texting or holding their phones up to take selfies.

By Katherine Schulten

It’s hard not to be inspired by the immersive 2023 photo-essay series Where We Are .

As you scroll through and are introduced to young female wrestlers in India , rappers in Spain , band kids in Ohio and Black debutantes in Detroit , you can’t help but think about the communities you have been a part of — or have noticed in your own neighborhood or school.

That’s why we hope you’ll participate in our new contest , which invites teenagers to use these photo essays as mentor texts to document the local, offline communities that most interest them.

How do you go about that? The steps are outlined below.

Have fun, and if you are submitting to our contest, make sure you do so by March 20.

How to Create Your Photo Essay

Step 1: read the where we are series closely., step 2: decide what local community will be the subject of your photo essay., step 3: take photos that show both the big picture and the small details., step 4: interview members of the community about why it is special., step 5: give your photo essay context via a short written introduction., step 6: write captions for your photos that give new information or add depth or color., step 7: edit all the pieces together and submit..

Immerse yourself in several of these photo essays, using our related activity sheet to help you start to notice and name some of the things that make this series special.

When you’re done, we’ll help you use those same strategies to document the community you have chosen.

Here are free links to the entire series:

1. The Magic of Your First Car 2. At This Mexican Restaurant, Everyone is Family 3. Where the Band Kids Are 4. In This Nigerian Market, Young Women Find a Place of Their Own 5. At Camp Naru, Nobody Is ‘an Outlier’ 6. For Black Debutantes in Detroit, Cotillion Is More Than a Ball 7. At This Wrestling Academy, Indian Girls Are ‘Set Free’ 8. In Seville, Spain, These Young Rappers Come Together to Turn ‘Tears Into Rhymes’ 9. For a Queer Community in Los Angeles, This Public Park Is a Lifeline 10. In Guatemala, a Collective of Young Artists Finds Family Through Film 11. On a Caribbean Island, Young People Find Freedom in ‘Bike Life’ 12. At This Texas Campus Ministry, ‘Inclusive Love’ Is the Mission 13. For Young Arab Americans in Michigan, the Hookah Lounge Feels like Home

A local band and its fans? The kids who hang out at a nearby basketball court? The people who tend a community garden? Your grandpa’s weekly breakfast with old friends at a local diner?

Our related Student Opinion forum will help you brainstorm ideas and then encourage you to detail what’s special about the people and place you choose. Remember that our rules allow you to work with up to three other people on this project, so consider sharing ideas with others to find a project that excites all of you.

Though we will allow you to choose a community you are a part of, we encourage you not to. Approaching a group as an outsider can help you notice and document aspects of that community with relative objectivity, capturing details that insiders may be too close to see.

Once you’ve chosen a group to photograph, begin by introducing yourself to ensure the participants are open to your project. Make sure they understand that, if you are a finalist, the pictures you take may be published on the New York Times website. You should also be sure to get contact information from each member of the group for any follow-up questions.

Next, spend a day or so just observing, noticing how and where the members of this community spend time, what they do together and how they relate to one another. Start to plan your piece, keeping in mind that, via six to eight photos, photo captions and a short introduction, you’ll need to impart the following:

What is this community?

Who is in it?

Where and when does it meet?

How did the community come to be? How does it operate?

Why does it matter to its participants? What is it about the connections people make in this space that makes it special? Why should it matter to viewers?

If there’s one thing to notice about the Where We Are series, it is that the photos and the writing both “zoom out” to provide a big picture and “zoom in” to focus on the meaningful details. If you have followed our related activity sheet , you’ve already noted how individual pieces do that.

You might have also observed that in each photo essay there are images that show the physical space; images that spotlight the people who gather there; and close-up images that focus on meaningful objects or details, like food, clothing, tattoos, jewelry, hair or hands.

Here are some steps you can take to do this too.

1. Ground your piece in a specific physical space.

Keep in mind that our contest allows you to submit only eight photos, so the more specific you can be about the place you choose, the easier it will be to tell a story. For example, rather than trying to document everything about the boys’ soccer team at your school, you might focus on their Wednesday practices at a local field.

Take photos that establish that space, perhaps at different times of day, from a variety of angles, with and without people. Here, for instance, is Sarapes, a Mexican restaurant in a quiet Connecticut suburb that is a “headquarters” for a group of 20-somethings.

As you look at this image and the ones below, ask yourself:

What can you tell about this space from the photograph?

What can you guess about the people who gather here, and what might this place might mean to them? What do you see that makes you say that?

Here is a meeting area at the Texas Wesley Foundation , a Methodist campus ministry group at University of Texas at Austin.

And here is the caption that comes with it:

“We call ourselves a Methodist group, but we are enthusiastic to accept people of other faiths, people who might not have any faith, or who are questioning their faith,” said Brandon. “We really like to meet people where they’re at.”

How do the caption and image echo and build on each other?

Next is one of many shots of Camp Naru , a summer camp for Korean American youth, where fostering a “strong, secure sense of identity and community is one of the main goals.” How can you see that in this image?

Finally, here is a big-picture look at the Southern California landscape that is the setting for “ The Magic of Your First Car .” What adjectives come to mind? Before you read the full piece, what can you already imagine about the teenagers who “get away from the prying eyes of parents” by driving? What additional images might you expect to see in the full essay?

2. Focus on the people who gather there.

Community is all about people, so consider the ways you can document both the ways they come together and the ways they might experience the group individually.

For instance, here is an arresting close-up image from “ For a Queer Community in Los Angeles, This Public Park Is a Lifeline .” What is interesting about it to you? How does the photo speak to the title of the piece?

Here is an image from “ Where the Band Kids Are .” What adjectives would you use to describe this community based on what you see here?

Here is another group shot. What adjectives would you use to describe this community? What would you expect individual portraits of its members to show?

Now, look at the related photo essay to see how close your answers were.

Here are some of the people that call Sarapes , the Mexican restaurant, their refuge. Action shots like this one often tell a viewer more than posed photos. What does this one say to you?

Finally, here is an image from “ On a Caribbean Island, Young People Find Freedom in ‘Bike Life.’ ” Though we don’t see any faces, the composition of the photo tells us a great deal. What do you think is going on here? What do you see that makes you say that? After you make your guesses, click into the photo essay and see how accurate your ideas were.

3. Zoom in on telling details about the people and the place.

You looked at a “zoomed out” image above from “ The Magic of Your First Car .” Here is a close-up. What does it tell you? What compositional elements give you that information? Why do you think the photographer chose this focus?

If you’ve already looked at several of the photo essays, you may have noticed that many, like this one, contain close-ups of hands. Why do you think that is?

Next, can you guess which photo essay the image below is from?

Before we reveal the answer, here is another close-up from the same photo essay, this one taken at night. Are you getting warmer?

Answer: “ At Camp Naru, Nobody Is ‘an Outlier.’ ” If you got it right, what clues in the photos helped? How do the images echo the idea expressed in the title?

Below is a photo that focuses on one member of a queer community in Los Angeles . What do you notice? What do you admire about the composition, the lighting, the angle or anything else? Why?

Now let’s look at a big-picture image and a close-up to see how they work together. Here is a shot from “ For Black Debutantes in Detroit, Cotillion Is More Than a Ball .”

Finally, here is a close-up. What do the two tell you together? What would be missing if you only took one type of shot?

4. Don’t forget to experiment and have fun.

If you’ve mastered the ideas above, now it’s time to play. As you worked through the images, you asked yourself, “How does composition convey meaning?” even if you didn’t realize that was what you were doing.

Our detailed photo guide , developed for an earlier contest, encourages you to think about how to experiment with basic composition techniques like rule of thirds, angle, depth of field, leading lines, framing and distance. It also helps you think about lighting, color and cropping, as well as making the best use of the tools available on most smartphones.

Read through it before and after you have documented your community and then look through the images you have taken. Do you have enough variety? Can you identify techniques like rule of thirds and leading lines in the images from the Where We Are series? If you haven’t used them in your own work, could you experiment?

Below are a few more images from Where We Are essays for inspiration. What do you notice? What compositional choices did the photographer make? How would different choices change the meaning?

Last question: Two of the four images above are from the same photo essay. Which are they, which piece do they come from, and how did you know? What unites the two images?

According to the rules of our contest, you only need one quote from a member of the community you have chosen, but, of course, you are allowed to use many more. We encourage you to weave them into both your captions and your introduction, just as the authors of the Where We Are series did.

Never conducted an interview before? We have advice. Scroll down to Steps 3 and 4 in this guide we created for our Profile Contest to find many practical tips from Times journalists for preparing for and conducting an interview.

But to start, you just need a few good questions. For example, you might ask:

What’s special about this community for you?

What do you like to do here?

What are some of your favorite memories or stories about this group?

What would an outsider to this community not understand or notice?

Is there history about this place or these people that I should understand?

If you were photographing this community, what important places, objects or moments would you try to capture? Why?

Finally, many journalists end interviews with this question: “Is there anything I didn’t ask that you wish I did?” Sometimes the most interesting information is elicited that way!

Then look over what you wrote down and choose the best quotes. Maybe they give information that your photo essay needs, maybe they are colorful and show personality or maybe they do all of those things.

To see how this works, we’ll look at one of the essays, “ At This Texas Campus Ministry, ‘Inclusive Love’ Is the Mission .”

Here is how the first quote was used, in the introduction:

Sydney had grown up Methodist and thought she knew what to expect from a Christian student organization. But she was surprised by just how welcoming the Wesley was. The students and adult leaders seemed genuinely invested in drawing her out of her shell and getting to know her, with no agenda. “It’s really not about getting people into this religion,” she said. “It’s just about being a community who supports others and loves others. And that was huge to me.”

How does it both paraphrase Sydney’s words and directly quote her? What does that quote tell the reader up front about this community? Why is that information important, and why might a participant’s own words be a compelling way to express this?

Later we meet Ethan. What does his experience — again, both paraphrased and directly quoted — add to your understanding of the inclusivity of this community? What colorful description does he offer for what happens in this group? How does this description add information to what is depicted in the photos?

Ethan’s parents are Buddhist and were surprised when their son started spending so much time with a Methodist organization. For his part, Ethan describes himself as agnostic and says he hasn’t felt any pressure from the Wesley to change that, but he appreciates the camaraderie the group offers. “There was this one worship where, when there was a swell in the music, someone burst into tears, and then they hugged one of their friends. I am not sure what was going on there, but it was definitely a very profound experience,” he said.

Listen for the same things as you interview. How can one person’s description of an experience add necessary information, depth, history or background to what you have depicted in images? Did you get any quotes that are too good not to use? How could you highlight them? Do they belong in your introduction or as a photo caption?

The essays in the Where We Are series are longer than the introductions you will write if you are participating in this contest. Many of those essays are about 600 words, double what we have allowed student participants. (You have up to 300 words, but you can use fewer if you can still convey what you need to.)

But you can use the first few paragraphs of each essay — what appears before the first photos — as mentor texts for your own introductions, and we’ll show you how, below.

First though, let’s remember your broader goals. As we wrote at the top of this post, together, your introduction, photo essay and captions should answer these questions:

Why does it matter to its participants? Why should it matter to viewers?

Take a look at “ In This Nigerian Market, Young Women Find a Place of Their Own ” as an example. Here is the introduction, the first 200 or so words before the photo essay begins to scroll:

At the bustling Yaba Market in Lagos, Nigeria, there is something for everyone. Chatter rises from the traders, whose stalls sprawl over miles of cracked gray concrete and packed earth. They might be selling baskets of fresh fruit, wheelbarrows stuffed with phone cases, piles of sequined fabrics or racks of second-hand clothes. If you’re lucky, you might find a vintage jacket you’ve been searching for, or a pair of long-lasting Levi’s jeans. But you’re never going to be as lucky as Dencity : the coolest of the cool kids of Lagos. These skaters, often clad in a uniform of baggy pants and crop tops, head to the market to go thrifting each week. They’re armed with fashion knowledge only the young, fun and determined can possess and seek out the best streetwear they can find. Founded by 26-year-old Blessing Ewona in 2020 in response to the dearth of spaces for young queer people and female skaters in Nigeria, Dencity skate, dream and thrift together. From their trips to the market to regular skate meet-ups at the dilapidated National Stadium or Tarkwa Bay beach, they have traced their own map of the city.

How many of the questions we listed above do these paragraphs answer? How do they work with the top image, which we’ve embedded above this section? What descriptions stand out? What context and background does it provide?

Now let’s break your task down.

1. Make your writing as vivid and varied as your images.

Much of the writing in these essays is just as interesting as the photos, as the example above shows. Here is another, the opening of “ At This Wrestling Academy, Indian Girls Are ‘Set Free’ ”:

As the winter sun ascends over a mustard farm, pale orange bleeding into sharp yellow, a line of 36 girls all dressed alike — T-shirts, track pants, crew cuts — emerges into an open field, rubbing sleep from their eyes. Under a tin shed, they sit on their haunches, bent over stone mortars. For the next 20 minutes, they crush raw almonds into a fine paste, straining out a bottle of nut milk. They will need it to regain their strength.

And here is how “ On a Caribbean Island, Young People Find Freedom in ‘Bike Life’ ” begins:

On a warm evening in October 2021, Enzo Crispin mounted his cobalt motorcycle and set off into the night. Hundreds of others joined his caravan, the rumbles of their engines filling the air of Fort-de-France, the capital of the French Caribbean island territory of Martinique. The riders popped up on one wheel, stood up on their bikes, brushed their hands along the ground — all while zooming along at top speed. Completely exhilarating. Potentially illegal, at least on public streets. This is “cabrage,” which roughly translates from French as a rodeo on wheels.

How do these introductions both “zoom out” and “zoom in”? How do they play on your senses, helping you see, hear, taste, touch and smell this place and what happens in it? How could you do those things in your introduction?

2. Offer background to help viewers understand what they are seeing and what it means.

Here is the introduction to “ For Young Arab Americans in Michigan, the Hookah Lounge Feels Like Home ”:

Coming of age is marked by a series of firsts. Your first kiss. Your first job. Your first drink. Many who grew up in Dearborn, Mich., would add to the list: your first hookah. Located just outside downtown Detroit, Dearborn is home to one of the United States’ largest Arab American communities: Nearly 50 percent of residents identify as having Arab ancestry, according to the U.S. census . Middle Eastern shops, where you may find portable hookah cups , dot the streets. There is also the Arab American National Museum (which sells hookah-themed socks) and the Islamic Center of America , one of the nation’s oldest and largest mosques. And then there is the long list of hookah lounges, where locals spend hours leisurely smoking flavored tobacco through water pipes while catching up, watching soccer games or enjoying a live Arabic music performance. “A spot like a hookah lounge, it’s sacred,” particularly for immigrants and refugees far from home, said Marrim (pronounced Mariam) Akashi Sani, 25, who is Iraqi-Iranian. “And it’s something you have to create for yourself when you’re displaced, and you might not ever be able to go back home because you don’t really know what home is anymore.”

How do the opening two lines grab your attention? How does the demographic information in the third paragraph explain the focus on hookah lounges? How does the quote at the end offer important information that complements the demographic data and gives it meaning?

Next is the introduction to “ For Black Debutantes in Detroit, Cotillion Is More Than a Ball ”:

In a heady swirl of bright white silk and lace, the young ladies of the Cotillion Society of Detroit Educational Foundation are presented as debutantes. The Society’s annual ball is the culmination of eight months of etiquette lessons, leadership workshops, community service projects and cultural events. As the girls take to the dance floor, they become part of a legacy of Black debutantes in the city and beyond. Debutante balls, which traditionally helped girls from high society find suitable husbands, emerged from Europe in the 18th century. Black Americans have adopted a unique version of them since at least 1895 . Responding to the politics of the Jim Crow era, these balls, which emphasized women’s education, echoed the work of the racial upliftment movement and women’s clubs, said Taylor Bythewood-Porter, the curator of a recent exhibition on Black cotillions at the California African American Museum. Organizers saw the balls as a way to “dismiss the idea of Black people not being smart enough, or good enough, or worthy enough.” For today’s debutantes, many of whom grew up in predominantly white neighborhoods of Detroit, gaining an informal network of Black adult mentors was “life-changing,” said Sage Johnson, 17. “Signing up for debutantes, I thought it was just one big ball. But there were a lot more layers to it.”

How do the second and third paragraphs add key context and history to this photo essay? How does the quote at the end bring these cotillions into the 21st century, and help you anticipate what is to come?

Ask yourself, What background will my viewers need to understand what they are seeing, and appreciate its nuances? Do I need to add that information myself, or can some of the quotes from participants do that work for me?

In most traditional newspaper articles, you will find a caption under each photo explaining more detail about the image and its relationship to the story. As you scroll through Where We Are, however, you’ve probably noticed that, thanks to the elegant way these pieces are produced, the captions float up on or around the photos.

In these essays, the captions continue the story. Your captions will do that too. But in the Where We Are pieces, photo captions are interspersed with more of the written essay. Because you are doing a “mini” version of this project, however, after your initial introduction, the only writing we will read will come from your captions. Make sure they continue to tell your story in a way that makes sense to the reader and helps build meaning.

For instance, here is an image from “ In Guatemala, A Collective of Young Artists Finds Family Through Film .”

The caption?

The team has quickly become a family, meeting up for dinners and to celebrate each other’s birthdays. They are, said Sebastián, a community first and a production house second.

Notice how those words work with the image. Can you see “family” and “community” and “team” conveyed in the way this image is composed, the looks on the faces, the colors and light? How?

Here is another example, from “ In Seville, Spain, These Young Rappers Come Together to Turn ‘Tears Into Rhymes’ .” Before you read the caption, what do you imagine is happening in this picture?

Here is the caption, which both offers some background about the group and includes a wonderful quote:

Luis Rodríguez Collado, at right, the youngest of the group, grew up in Spain, the child of Mexican immigrants. “We aren’t just emoting with language, but with song and dance, with sounds and rhythm,” said Luis, a.k.a. Luis 3K. “At 19, I sincerely don’t know anything more liberating than this.”

As you construct your captions, ask yourself:

What information do I need to add to these images to make the meaning and nuances clear?

Can using quotes from participants work? What might they add?

How do these captions continue the story I started in my introduction? Do they build on one another and make sense both separately and together? Do they avoid repetition, with each other or with the introduction? Do they strengthen the key ideas of my piece? How?

At this point you may have dozens of images, and pages of notes. How do you put it all together?

Way back when you were first analyzing the Where We Are series, we called your attention to the fact that the images, essay and captions don’t repeat information exactly the same way . Each element adds something new.

We also talked about how, from the very first image, the one the authors chose for the top, a theme is hinted at, and then echoed in the introduction and continued in the captions. Whatever key ideas about this community you want to get across — maybe that it is a refuge or home, that it offers freedom or that it challenges participants creatively or athletically — look through your images and writing and find all the ways you think you have done that. Do you need more emphasis on this theme? A variety of ways of showing it?

Speaking of variety , that’s another lens to look through when considering your piece as a whole. In terms of both the photos and the writing, have you “zoomed out” enough to establish a place and a context? Have you “zoomed in” to show detail? Are your images taken from different angles and points of view? Do they show both the group and individuals? Are they dynamic and interesting and surprising?

Then, show your work to others, and, perhaps, ask them to analyze it using the last four questions on our related activity sheet . That will prompt them to tell you what is working, but make sure to also ask them if there is anything confusing about your piece, or if they think there is information missing.

Then, go back and fill in anything your piece needs, and play with the sequence of your images until they tell the story you want to tell.

Good luck. We can’t wait to see the results!

Katherine Schulten has been a Learning Network editor since 2006. Before that, she spent 19 years in New York City public schools as an English teacher, school-newspaper adviser and literacy coach. More about Katherine Schulten

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    Step 3: Take photos that show both the big picture and the small details. If there's one thing to notice about the Where We Are series, it is that the photos and the writing both "zoom out ...