Winning Essays
2013 national winning essays
First Place: Molly Nemer of Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights, MN
Second Place: Anna Mitchell of Plymouth, MI (Homeschool)
Third Place: Bo Yeon Jang of the International School Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2012 national winning essay, “Awakening Witness and Empowering Engagement: Leveraging New Media for Human Connections,” by Emily Fox-Penner of the Maret School in Washington, D.C., addressed the essay topic of new media and peacebuilding by examining its role in Egypt in 2011 and Kenya in 2007 (link is the same as it is now from last year)
2011 national winning essay, "Mimes for Good Governance: The Importance of Culture and Morality in the Fight Against Corruption," by Kathryn Botto from the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, Texas discusses the role of society and culture in dealing with curruption, using Colombia and Kyrgyzstan as case studies.
2010 national winning essay, "Fighting for Local publications in a Globalized World: Unity, Strategy, and Government Support", by Margaret E. Hardy from Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, California, discusses necessary conditions for nonviolent movement to successfully control local publications.
2009 national winning essay, "Responding to Crimes against Humanity: Prevention, Deployment, and Localization", by Sophia Sanchez from Ladue Horton Watkins High School in Saint Louis, Missouri, discusses the role of international actors in protecting civilians from crimes against humanity.
2008 national winning essay, "Resolving Water Conflicts Through the Establishment of Water Authorities," by Callie Smith from Girls Preparatory School in Chatanooga, Tennessee, discusses how natural publications can be managed to build peace, using case studies from Central Asia and Yemen.
2007 national winning essay, "Reintegrating Children, Building Peace: Interaction, Education, and Youth Participation," by Wendy Cai from Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona, discusses the reintegration of child soldiers into society, using Sierra Leone and Uganda as case studies.
2006 national winning essay, "Defusing Nuclear Tensions Through Internationally Supported Bilateral Collaborations," by Kona Shen from The Northwest School in Seattle, Washington, compares the decision of Argentina and Brazil to forego nuclear arms development with the nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan.
2005 national winning essay, "Finding Peace: Japan and Cambodia," by Jessica Perrigan from the Duchesne Academy in Omaha, Nebraska, explores how education is the key to democracy.
2004 national winning essay, "Establishing Peaceful and Stable Postwar Societies Through Effective Rebuilding Strategy," by Vivek Viswanathan from Herricks High School in New Hyde Park, New York explores the lessons of the Marshall Plan and international efforts in Somalia in an examination of the challenges of post-conflict reconstruction.
2003 national winning essay, "Kuwait and Kosovo: The Harm Principle and Humanitarian War," by Kevin Kiley from Granite Bay High School in Granite Bay, California, examines the 1990 Gulf War and NATO's intervention in Kosovo to see how they measure up against the criteria of just war.
2002 national winning essay, "Safeguarding Human Rights and Preventing Conflict through U.S. Peacekeeping," by David Epstein from Pikesville High School in Baltimore, Maryland, cites several examples of appropriate use of American power aimed at putting a stop to crimes against humanity and ending conflict.
2001 national winning essay, "Somalia and Sudan: Sovereignty and Humanitarianism," by Stefanie Nelson from Bountiful High School in Bountiful, Utah, examines the dynamics of the competing philosophies of sovereignty and humanitarianism in third-party intervention found in civil conflicts in the Sudan and Somalia.
2000 national winning essay, "Promoting Global and Regional Security in the Post-Cold War World," by Elspeth Simpson from Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, looks at the U.S. policies that led to intervention in Colombia and North Korea and considers the effectiveness of actions based on humanitarian assistance and national and global security.
1999 national winning essay, "Preventive Diplomacy in the Iraq-Kuwait Dispute and in the Venezuela Border Dispute," by Jean Marie Hicks of St. Thomas More High School in Rapid City, South Dakota, explores the cases of preventive diplomacy seen in disputes between Iraq and Kuwait and in border disputes involving Venezuela.
1998 national winning essay, "How Should Nations be Reconciled," by Tim Shenk from Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg, Virginia, uses South Africa and Bosnia as examples to examine the manner in which war crimes should be accounted for to ensure stable and lasting peace.
1997 national winning essay, "A Just and Lasting Peace," by Joseph Bernabucci from St. Alban's School in Washington, D.C., examines the steps that can be taken to support successful implementation of a peace agreements and addresses causes of the conflicts by exploring what can be done to discourage renewed violence.
1996 national winning essay, "America and the New World Order," by Richard Lee from Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina, defines U.S. national security interests and gives his criteria for U.S. intervention by examining past cases of intervention.