ANALYSIS

Conservative undergraduates have a chance to win a cash prize and national recognition thanks to two essay contests underway right now.

The Independent Institute is offering cash prizes of $3,500, $2,000, and $1,500 for the first, second, and third place winners of its annual contest.

Essay topics can run the gamut under a liberty-minded umbrella theme, including issues such as social justice, crony capitalism, higher education, populism, economics, federalism, entrepreneurism, and more.

 The winning essay will be published in The Independent Review and runners up will be published online.

“The Independent Review has published a wide-range of articles on topics at the intersection of economics, politics, philosophy, law, and public policy since 1996. Build on one or more of these articles to explore an important topic in political economy or critically examine a government policy,” its website states.

The deadline for submissions is May 15. More information is available on the institute’s website.

The second essay contest is sponsored by the Network of enlightened Women, or NeW. Female college students, as well as female juniors and seniors in high school, are open to apply.

The top prize is $1,000 for the college and high school winners, respectively, plus a chance to be published.

The essay prompt states in part: “In 2026, Americans are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. America’s Founding Fathers collaborated on documents that would shape not only a nation, but also the course of history. What specifically in America’s founding documents best stands the test of time? What line from the Declaration of Independence do you think is most important today? What does it mean for our rights to be “unalienable?” What do you think has been the most effective safeguard of liberty in the Constitution?”

The deadline to apply is March 31. More information is available on NeW’s website.

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