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Essay Contest
The annual Religious Liberty Essay Scholarship Contest engages high school students in church-state issues by directing them to express a point of view on a religious liberty topic.
Essays are judged on the depth of their content, mastery of the topic and the skill with which they are written. The annual contest is sponsored by the Religious Liberty Council of BJC.
Current Topic
Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Religious Liberty Essay Scholarship Contest!
Grand prize: Natalia Barber of Chesapeake, Virginia
Second prize: Sebastian Anastasi of Grove City, Pennsylvania
Third prize: Sydney George of Portland, Oregon
How to Apply
Details and downloadable forms with information on how to apply for the 2020 contest will be announced later this year.
Previous Contest Winners
“I like political science…. I also really like writing, so this essay contest is just perfect, tying everything that I like together…. I think it’s really wonderful that the Baptist tradition has a long history of supporting religious liberty and church-state separation…”
Lauralyn Lin / 2018 Grand Prize
“A religious test whose result determines eligibility for immigrants and refugees places irrational fear over compassion, the very same irrational fear I faced that day when I wore the hijab out with my sisters.”
Yusra Ahmed / 2017 Grand Prize
“One specific topic that is currently in the headlines is the right of government officials to opt out of certain job duties when those job duties conflict with their religious beliefs.”
Alyssa Bragg / 2016 Grand Prize
“Balance is key to keeping our country a free society: between private practices and public interaction, between private business and individual rights.”
Zoe Almeida / 2015 Grand Prize
