FFRF Brian Bolton Graduate/Mature Student Essay Contest for Grad Students and Students Age 25 to 30
For Graduate Students or any Student Age 25 to 30
First Place: Brian Bolton Award — $3,000
Second Place — $2,000
Third Place — $1,000
Fourth Place — $500
Fifth Place — $300
Honorable Mention(s) — $200
Why the USA is not a "Christian Nation"
Eligibility: Currently-enrolled graduate student of any age, or any currently-enrolled undergraduate age 25 to 30, attending a North American college or university at least through December 2013. (Undergraduates under age 25: please enter the FFRF Youth College Essay Competition.)
Topic: Why the USA Is Not a “Christian Nation.”
Research and debunk the perennial “Christian nation” myth, citing specific, chronic or topical “Christian nation” claims. You may wish to use examples of the harm created by the widespread perception that the U.S. government is based on a deity, the bible, the Ten Commandments or Jesus, or by instances of religion in government.
Length: 850-1,000 words. Include word count. Submit typed, double-spaced essay with standard margins.
Other Requirements: Choose your own title. Do not include a resume. Please staple and place your name and essay title on each page. Include a separate paragraph biography identifying your age, birthdate, hometown, college or university, year in school or degree being earned, previous degree(s) earned, major and interests. Include your name, mailing address, phone number(s), and e-mail address. Winners may be asked to send verification of student enrollment. Essay must be submitted both by mail and e-mail by deadline (see below). Must include word count. By entering contest, students agree to have winning essays printed in full or in part in Freethought Today, FFRF’s newspaper, and later posted online at FFRF’s website. Winners agree to provide a photograph suitable for reproduction with their essay. Winners will receive a school-year subscription to Freethought Today. All eligible non-winning students will be offered a subscription or a freethought book. Note: FFRF monitors for plagiarism.
Deadline: July 15, 2013. Winners will be announced by September.
Mailing specifications: Send both by email (see below) and mail. Mail postmarked no later than July 15, 2013, to:
Graduate/Mature Student Essay Competition
FFRF
PO Box 750
Madison WI 53701
Email: Also email your essay, by midnight, July 15, 2013, to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Use the word “essay” and your first and last name in the subject heading. Example: Essay: (Your full name). Please include a copy of everything indicated in requirements.
About Brian Bolton: A Lifetime FFRF Member, Professor Bolton is a retired psychologist, humanist minister and university professor emeritus at the Univeristy of Arkansas.
FFRF Michael Hakeem Memorial College Essay Contest
For College Students Under Age 25
First Place: Michael Hakeem Memorial Award — $3,000
Second Place — $2,000
Third Place — $1,000
Fourth Place — $500
Fifth Place — $300
Honorable Mention(s) — $200
“Why I Don’t Believe in God”
Eligibility: Currently-enrolled college student under age 25, currently attending a North American college or university at least through December 2013. (Undergraduates over age 25: please enter the FFRF Graduate/Mature Student Essay Competition. College-bound high school seniors enter FFRF High School Contest.)
Topic: Why I Don’t Believe in God.
Use a personal (first-person) approach about why you are a nonbeliever. Muster your best intellectual or philosophical arguments for rejecting religion, but frame it within your personal experiences.
Length: 750 to 900 words. Include word count. Submit typed, double-spaced essay with standard margins.
Other Requirements: Choose your own title. Do not include a resume. Please staple. Place your name and essay title on each page. Include a separate paragraph biography identifying your age and birthdate, hometown, college or university, year in school or degree being earned, major and interests. Include your name, mailing address, contact phone number(s), and email address. Winners may be asked to send verification of student enrollment. Essay must be submitted both by mail and e-mail by deadline (see below). Must include word count.
By entering contest, students agree to have winning essays printed in full or in part in Freethought Today, FFRF’s newspaper, and later posted online at FFRF’s website. Winners agree to provide a photograph suitable for reproduction with their essay. Winners will receive a school-year subscription to Freethought Today. All eligible non-winning students will be offered a subscription or a freethought book. Note: FFRF monitors for plagiarism.
Deadline: June 15, 2013. Winners will be announced by September.
Mailing specifications: Send both by email (see below) and mail. Mail postmarked no later than June 15, 2013, to:
College Essay Competition
FFRF
PO Box 750
Madison WI 53701
Email: Also email your essay no later than midnight, June 15, 2013, to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Use the word “essay” and your first and last name in the subject heading. Example: Essay: (Your full name). Please include a copy of everything indicated in requirements.
About Michael Hakeem: Prof. Hakeem, a sociologist, was an FFRF officer and active atheist known by generations of University of Wisconsin – Madison students for fine-tuning their reasoning abilities.
FFRF William J. Schulz High School Essay Contest
For College-Bound High School Seniors
First Place: William J. Schulz Award — $3,000
Second Place — $2,000
Third Place — $1,000
Fourth Place — $500
Fifth Place — $300
Honorable Mention(s) — $200
Challenges of Being a Young Freethinker
Eligibility: High school seniors graduating in spring 2013 in North America who are college-bound in fall 2013.
Topic: Challenges of Being a Young Freethinker.
A freethinker is “one who forms his or her opinion about religion based on reason, rather than faith, tradition or authority.” Write from a personal perspective about the challenges you’ve faced as a nonbelieving teenager, in your family, your high school or community. Maybe you took flak for being an atheist, stood up for freethought or spoke out against the encroachments of religion in the classroom, at school events, in government, or in your family. Write about how you’ve dealt with such challenges.
Length: 500 to 700 words. Include word count. Submit typed, double-spaced essay with standard margins.
Other Requirements: Choose your own title. Do not include a resume. Please staple. Place your name and essay title on each page. Include a separate paragraph biography identifying your age, birthdate, hometown, the college or university you will be attending in the fall, intended major and interests or high school achievements. Include your name, mailing address, phone number(s), and e-mail address. Winners may be asked to send verification of student enrollment. Essay must be submitted both by mail and e-mail by deadline (see below). Must include word count.
By entering contest, students agree to have winning essays printed in full or in part in Freethought Today, FFRF’s newspaper, and later posted online at FFRF’s website. Winners agree to provide a photograph suitable for reproduction with their essay. Winners will receive a school-year subscription to Freethought Today. All eligible non-winning students will be offered a subscription or a freethought book. Note: FFRF monitors for plagiarism.
Deadline: June 1, 2013. Winners will be announced by August.
Mailing specifications: Mail postmarked no later than June 1, 2013, to:
High School Essay Contest
FFRF
PO Box 750
Madison WI 53701
Email: Email your essay no later than June 1 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with subject heading “Essay [and Your Full Name],” e.g., Essay David Hume. Please follow all instructions. Guidelines are also posted at: ffrf.org/outreach/student-essay-contests/
This competition is newly endowed in memory of William J. Schulz, a member of FFRF who left a major bequest to FFRF. William was a farm boy in Edgar, Wis., who became a chemical engineer and built paper-producing mills around the world. He also had a degree in German, held several patents, brewed his own beer and was a recreational pilot. He died at 57 of a stroke.
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