2020 Topic
“Should the University of Wisconsin teach patriotism?”
1st place: $2,500
2nd place: $1,500
3rd place: $1,000
Essays should be approximately 1,000 words in length. Only essays from undergraduate students will be accepted. The winners will be invited to a dinner hosted by the Center faculty.
Deadline: March 15, 2020.
Essay Application
Previous Competitions
2019 Topic
“Should social media platforms be permitted to censor controversial speech?”
Winners: Anitha Quintin, Lucas Olsen, Matthew Kass
2018 Topic
“Should the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—which states that ‘All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside’—be repealed or modified to restrict more precisely the definition of who may claim citizenship?”
Winners: Dana Coggio, Ben Johnson, August Schultz
2017 Topic
“Should the U.S. Electoral College be abolished, reformed, or left to the states to determine?”
Winners: Ean Quick, Garrett McLaughlin, Joshua Gutzmann
2016 Topic
“Are the goals of fostering freedom of speech on campus and of fostering a welcoming environment for all students incompatible?”
Winners: Joshua Gutzmann, Rebekah Cullum, Zawadi Carroll