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Please contact the Contest Coordinator at contests@hslda.org with any questions. We love your feedback!

The Essay Contest is currently closed.
Our next contest will begin in September.

CATEGORY 1 (ages 7-10)

If you could be an animal, which one would you be and why?

First Place Winner


“Daredevils of the Treetops”
Mara Bech

Second Place Winner


“Horse Power”
Emmeline Peltzer

Third Place Winner


“Dolphins of the Caribbean”
Hannah McCoy

Honorable Mention


“My Life as a Dolphin”
Sylvan Cocco-Romano

Honorable Mention


“The Mighty Bald Eagle”
Jillian Burwell

Finalists

  • King of Beasts by Stuart Denham
  • My Favorite Paws, Jaws and Claws by Jerome Dittman
  • If I Were a Cat by Jose Felten
  • All about Monkeys by Eric Green
  • The Hummingbird Migration by Hadley Green
  • The Greatest Beast by Malia Irvine
  • The Puppy Love Dog by Heidi Jones
  • My Peafowl Experience by Elizabeth Moulton
  • The Camouflage Master by Hugh Ryder
  • The Gems of Cloud Forest by Emma Smith
  • Wolves and Their Ways by Julia-Rose Spears
  • The Mighty Eagle by Elijah Spies
  • Worms by Elisabeth Washington

CATEGORY 2 (ages 11-14)

If you could travel outside of your country, where would you go and why?

First Place Winner


“My Home Away from Home”
Ellie Schneider

Second Place Winner


“My Memorable Journey to Austria”
Sofia Castillo

Third Place Winner


“Hedgehogs and Hobbit Holes”
Elizabeth Merrill

Honorable Mention


“The Dream Country”
Lilianna Allen

Honorable Mention


“Indefinable Things”
Anne Louise Phillips

Finalists

  • The Journey of a Lifetime by Abigail Bosworth
  • Wonder in the Wild by Hailey Braddock
  • Unconquerable by Landri Coble
  • Kingdom of Stones by Patrick Denham
  • Cobblestone Paths by Emma Fowler
  • The Neuschwanstein Castle by Summer Hammond
  • An Exotic Land by Sam Kellam
  • A Day in the Lowlands by Phoebe Knapp
  • My Dream Destination by Kiersen Landes
  • Peaks of Majesty by Amanda Lindberg
  • A Dangerous Wish by Leah Matthews
  • Taiwanna Go There by Annabel Peltzer
  • Maybe One Day… by Emma Storey
  • Land of the Rising Sun by Esther Zhang

CATEGORY 3 (ages 15-19)

Considering the role gratitude and generosity play in personal happiness, how should you and your peers approach life after high school?

First Place Winner


“Success”
Caroline Fendrick

Second Place Winner


“A Fresh Take on Generosity”
Jessie Siek

Third Place Winner


“The Beauty of Responsibility”
Luke Woodcock

Honorable Mention


“Receiving through Giving”
Josiah Landes

Honorable Mention


“Generosity: Start a Revolution”
Kathryn Adams

Finalists

  • The Little Things by Katellen Allen
  • Happiness is a Sacrifice by Madeline Carroll
  • People Smart by Elise Engen
  • The Whys and Wherefores of Gratitude by Aaron Frish
  • Pursuing the Pursuit of Happiness by Timothy House
  • The Connection between Wealth, Generosity, Thankfulness, and Happiness by Stasia Hudak
  • The Role of Independence in Personal Happiness and Satisfaction by Alexander Kim
  • True Happiness by Moriah Martin
  • The Importance of Generosity by Ethan Read
  • Happiness that Counts by Laura Rothermel
  • The Question of Graduation Day by Danielle Stanton
  • The Key to a Productive Adulthood by Maddie Steele