Student Essay Contest

Americans United for Separation of Church and State

The contest is open to high school juniors and seniors in the United States including the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. AU’s annual essay contest encourages high school students to reflect on why religious freedom and the separation of religion and government are important to them and their communities—and what they can do to ensure religious freedom is used as a shield that protects, not a sword to harm others. The essay length should be between 750 and 1,000 words. Essays should be well-written, well-researched and should be the student’s original writing, supported by specific examples and/or properly cited sources where appropriate. Essays can reference current events, U.S. history, primary sources, personal experiences and information from AU.org.