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 – Winners will be announced soon.
- William J. Schulz memorial essay contest for freethinking college bound high school seniors – Winners will be announced soon.
- Kenneth L. Proulx memorial essay contest for freethinking ongoing college students – Winners will be announced soon.
- Cornelius Vander Broek memorial essay contest for freethinking graduate/”older” students (to age 30) – Winners will be announced soon.
- Diane and Stephen Uhl memorial essay competition for law students – See the winners
2026 David Hudak Memorial Essay Contest for Freethinking, First-in-the-Family College Students
Winners will be announced soon.
2026 William J. Schulz Memorial Essay Contest for Freethinking College-Bound High School Seniors
TOPIC: My favorite freethought/humanist hero/ine.“The world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments — of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue — are complete skeptics in religion.” — John Stuart Mill
PROMPT: Studies show that nonbelievers are still at the bottom of the social ladder when it comes to social acceptance. Many Americans don’t realize how many activists or achievers they admire are not religious. To help educate them, write a personal essay about your favorite freethinker or humanist and what they did or are doing to improve or enrich our lives. It might be a nonreligious scientist, an artist or writer, a reformer — or an everyday person in your life who has made the world better and inspired you. Please briefly explain their influence or accomplishments and briefly document their nonreligious views. Tell us what they have meant to you as a humanist and nonbeliever. For quotes or citations, please document using links or footnotes.
Winners will be announced soon.
2026 Kenneth L. Proulx Memorial Essay Contest for Freethinking Ongoing College Students
TOPIC: Why Trump is wrong that ‘you just can’t have a great country if you don’t have religion.’PROMPT: Write a first-person essay that makes the case about why President Trump is wrong to claim that “you just can’t have a great country if you don’t have religion.” Choose one or more such quotes by Trump (citing them in your essay) and show why his claims are fallacious. You may wish to marshall evidence or history that contradicts Trump’s claims, or address how his words threaten state/church separation and religious freedom. Save room to include something about your own reaction as a nonbeliever to such pronouncements by the president. Include links or footnotes for quotes or major citations.
Winners will be announced soon.
2026 Cornelius Vander Broek Memorial Essay Contest for Freethinking Graduate/”Older” Students (to age 30)
TOPIC: “Why the 250-year-old United States of America is not a Christian nation.”
PROMPT: Research and write an essay documenting why the U.S. government is not based on God or Christianity. Refute the claim by President Trump and others that the 250-year-old Declaration of Independence proves that our government is based on God. Include and refute a few other timely examples of legislators, public officials or other individuals promoting the Christian nation myth. Save space to include your own thoughts on why you find “Christian nation” propaganda and disinformation dangerous to our democracy and also how you feel about this as a nonbeliever. Include links or footnotes for quotes or major citations.
Winners will be announced soon.
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.
