"For Love of Neighbor" is a new documentary film offering a hopeful vision for Christian engagement in politics. Click here to learn more.

Values & Capitalism 2015 Writing Awards

[NOTE: THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THIS AWARD HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO JULY 21, 2015.]

On Christian college campuses nationwide, progressive “social justice” arguments have convinced many professors and students that only through government aid, wealth redistribution, increased taxation, and social democracy can we care for the poor worldwide and create opportunity for all.

Yet, the research tells a different story. According to a study by Yale University and the Brookings Institution, extreme poverty around the globe has dropped from 52 percent in 1981 to 15 percent in 2011, chiefly because of “the rise of globalization, the spread of capitalism, and the improving quality of economic governance.” This underscores the fact that free enterprise is the best way to give the most people the best life. This is not just an economic issue. It’s a moral issue.

Put your pen to paper in defense of free enterprise by applying for one of our Values & Capitalism (V&C) writing awards today.

Essay Awards

The V&C project will offer first-, second-, and third-place academic scholarships to undergraduate students who submit the best essays offering moral defenses of the free enterprise system. Entries must be 1,200 words or less, in essay form, and represent the contestant’s own writing and research.  Entries will be judged on (1) originality of argument, (2) soundness of reasoning and research, and (3) overall writing style.

First place will receive a $5,000 scholarship toward college tuition, second place will receive a $2,500 scholarship toward college tuition, and third place will receive a $1,000 scholarship toward college tuition. All three winners will receive a complete set of V&C mini-books, a signed copy of Arthur Brooks’s “The Road to Freedom,” and an invitation to come to Washington, DC, for AEI’s Annual Dinner. The essays will be a featured in an online AEI publication.

Journalism Awards

The V&C project will offer $2,000 academic scholarships to undergraduate students for the best examples of op-ed journalism in (1) a campus newspaper or (2) a professional publication. Entries should demonstrate a strong grasp of a current issue in public policy or economics and should cite relevant data and research. Examples of good op-eds include:

James Boudreaux, Mark Perry: The Myth of a Stagnant Middle Class (Wall Street Journal)
James Pethokoukis: Crony Capitalism Needs a Kick in the Keister (National Review)
Robert Samuelson: Repairing the Middle Class in 2015 (Washington Post)
Carrie Sheffield: Dear Feminists: In the Name of Fighting Poverty, Can We Call a Truce About Marriage? (Forbes)

In addition to the scholarship, both winners will also receive a complete set of V&C minibooks, a signed copy of Arthur Brooks’s The Road to Freedom, and an invitation to come to Washington, DC, for AEI’s Annual Dinner. The articles will be a featured in an online AEI publication

Entries must have been published in a campus newspaper or professional publication at the time of submission and must be accompanied by a link to the article on the publication’s website. If a link is not available, the applicants must submit a high-quality scanned image of the article in a print publication and the publication’s editor must send a note to Meredith Schultz at [email protected] verifying authorship.

Entry Information

Entries must be received by 6:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, July 21, 2015. Final decisions will be announced on Friday, July  31, 2015. Scholarships will only be disbursed to a college or university on behalf of a student and may not be collected as a cash prize. If a student has no remaining undergraduate financial commitments, he or she may designate the scholarship to a charity or non-profit, subject to AEI’s approval.

To apply for a V&C essay award, visit our essay award submission page.
To apply for a V&C journalism award, visit our journalism award submission page.