The Freedom From Religion Foundation 2026 student essay competitions are now closed.
- Information on FFRF’s 2027 student essay competitions will be announced in March 2027.
- Information on FFRF’s 2027 essay competition for law students will be announced in November 2026.
Thank you for your interest in our student essay competitions!
See the 2026 results:
David Hudak memorial essay contest for freethinking, first-in-the-family college students
Info Winners
William J. Schulz memorial essay contest for freethinking college bound high school seniors
Info Winners
Kenneth L. Proulx memorial essay contest for freethinking ongoing college students
Info Winners
Cornelius Vander Broek memorial essay contest for freethinking graduate/”older” students (to age 30)
Info Winners
Diane and Stephen Uhl memorial essay competition for law students
All eligible entrants of any student essay competition receive a digital year-long student membership in FFRF.
FFRF appreciates its members who make the effort to contact local high schools, colleges and universities to help publicize its competitions.
FFRF has offered essay competitions to college students since 1979, high school students since 1994, grad students since 2010 and one dedicated to students of color since 2016. A fifth contest, open to law students, began in 2019.
“FFRF is happy to see another generation of freethinkers raising their voices in protest against the continuing threat of Christian nationalism,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “The next generation promises to have the greatest population of freethinkers yet, and FFRF is proud to lend its support to keep student advocacy alive and thriving.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters of nontheism. With nearly 42,000 members, FFRF advocates for freethinkers’ rights across the globe.
