2026 high school essay winners honorable mentions

Vanessa Apostolakos

Frida Kahlo enriched lives both through her creativity and her commitment to human-centered values and she remains a lasting symbol of strength, individualism and self-expression. I appreciate that she was raw and shared her pain in her artwork. She unknowingly paved the way for other women artists to be themselves and to boldly live authentically. She has inspired me to be bolder in my own artwork.

Vanessa, 18, attends the University Of Southern Indiana with plans to major in nursing.

Jazlyn Brown

Carl Sagan was a fierce critic of organized religion and a supporter of secular, evidence-based philosophy. He challenged people to doubt ideas, to seek proof and to be willing to modify their beliefs when new evidence is presented, instead of faith. His skepticism was not formed of bitterness or cynicism, but of a genuine respect for truth and intellectual honesty. Sagan believed that morality, awe and meaning are discoverable without religion.

Jazlyn, 18, attends Clark Atlanta University with plans to major in communications/sports media.

Anna Mae Corrigan

To me, some of the key values of humanism and atheism are in individual dignity, freedom to express and liberty. Ai Weiwei demonstrated his dedication to these values his entire life. Despite living in an oppressive state, he persisted in his artistic activism. His art was shocking and put him under government investigation at times. But, he continued and still continues to advocate for these values of human freedom and liberty through his art and writing. That is why Ai Weiwei is an impactful secular artist to me, in his radically humanist activism within Communist China.

Anna Mae, 18, attends Oregon State University with plans to major in French.

Ela Ekinci

A prominent Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg has brought international attention to the issue of climate change through her school strikes, her speeches and the way she incorporates evidence and science into her arguments. Thunberg’s approach to using science as the basis for her arguments demonstrates her belief in taking personal responsibility and accountability for the future of humanity and our planet rather than in relying upon the ideas of authority figures and following traditions. To some extent, Thunberg embodies what it means to think freely — you can question existing systems by examining the available facts, instead of simply accepting things as they are.

Ela, 18, attends Virginia Tech with plans to major in computer science.

Donna Lee

Margaret Sanger is one of my greatest inspirations because, as an atheist, she was able to campaign for the demands of Second Wave Feminism with an unwavering moral compass. She served as an activist who unequivocally lobbied for the rights of women in the sexual sphere during a time in which such matters were suppressed in both social settings and legislation. Though she is not well-known in the present, Sanger’s contributions to society have had long-lasting effects on the rights of women far into the present day.

Donna, 18, attends USC with plans to major in biological sciences.

Maya Maizland

Carl Sagan publicly disputed the belief that religious belief forms the basis of all moral values. He declared himself as an agnostic who stated that any extraordinary statement needs extraordinary proof to be accepted. In his book “The Demon-Haunted World,” he showed that societies which fall victim to superstitious beliefs and pseudoscientific ideas will lose their capacity to make sound judgments. He believed that people develop compassion and empathy and sense of responsibility through understanding their common human nature instead of being motivated by the fear of divine punishment.

Maya, 18, plans to major in political science.

Ranna Shpoon

Carl Sagan did not dismiss religion out of fury or defiance. He was simply pursuing evidence wherever it might point. The reason why Sagan, a humanist and a nonbeliever, matters deeply to me is that he demonstrated that living a life without religion does not mean one’s life is empty. Even then, there is room for wonder, ethical life and meaning. In a sense, it can even be richer, for its foundation is truthfulness. He inspired me that the decision to reason rather than follow tradition was not a repudiation of my identity. Rather, it was the very first indication of my real self.

Ranna, 18, attends University of Central Florida with plans to major in biomedical sciences.

Samuel Slepack

Robert Oppenheimer knew the moral cost of proving that the nucleus of the atom was an energy source of almost unimaginable density (and potential). He opposed the hydrogen bomb and paid for it with his career when the government revoked his security clearance in 1954. He lost that fight. He did not change his position. He helped crack open one of the most consequential scientific domains in human history, bore the moral weight of how it started without hiding behind faith or ideology, and kept thinking clearly about it anyway. The nuclear age is complicated and unfinished. He understood that from the beginning, and he faced it without a safety net.

Samuel, 18, attends UNLV with plans to major in computer science.

Aayah Vickers

I first met Austin O’Connell during lunch my freshman year of high school. Offhandedly, we’d been discussing types of government we’d read about. Our conversation quickly evolved into discussing the best way to govern a country, which we soon discovered we had very different opinions on. We went back and forth, presenting our arguments to one another. During this time, those around us in the room were tense and tried diffusing what they thought was an argument. However, Austin and I were enjoying ourselves, discussing and considering each other’s stance on the matter. As lunch ended, and people began filling out of the classroom, we finally came to the conclusion, not that either of us were right or wrong, but that we held our independent views because of how we viewed human nature.

Aayah, 18, attends Virginia Polytechnic and State University with plans to major in environmental engineering.

Ruby Wagner

Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of Bikini Kill, is truly my inspiration. She has fought so many battles, especially with her Lyme disease diagnosis, overcoming it, and still fighting against misogyny. Alongside that, her track “Rebel Girl” would remind me to be confident, stand up for what is right and be the best that I can. So, while she may not have been some extraordinary rocket scientist who discovered a crazy phenomenon, she has played a big role in my life to become the person I am today, constantly reminding me that I am Rebel Girl. I find myself speaking up on issues that are rough to talk about because they are uncomfortable, but they need to be discussed. Kathleen has shown me we all need a little Rebel Girl in our lives!

Ruby, 18, attends Bowling Green University with plans to major in medical science lab.