National Peace Essay Contest for High School Students

Educating the Next Generation of Leaders

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Participate in the 2011-2012 National Peace Essay Contest

The deadline is February 1, 2012 at 11:59pm EST. Students will answer the question, "How can new media best be leveraged to help build peace and prevent conflict?"

Download the Guidebook (Contains the full question and requirements)
Download the Study Guide (For students and instructors)
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2010-2011 National Winners Announced!

Kathryn Botto of Texas, Lily Zhang of Pennsylvania, and Meredith Pochily of New York have earned $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 scholarships as the national first, second, and third place finishers, respectively. | Read the press release

2010-2011 State Winners Announced!

Each first place winner has won $1000 in college scholarship and has been invited to attend the Awards Program in Washington, DC in June. | Read the winner bios. | Read what the media is saying about the winners.

The Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding is the education and training arm of the United States Institute of Peace and runs the National Peace Essay Contest based on the belief that questions about peace, justice, freedom, and security are vital to civic education. Each year over 1,100 students submit entries to the essay contest while thousands more participate in related writing and other classroom exercises in high schools around the country.

First-place state winners receive scholarships and are invited to Washington for a five-day awards program. The Institute pays for expenses related to the program, including travel, lodging, meals and entertainment. This unique five-day program promotes an understanding of the nature and process of international peacemaking by focusing on a region and/or theme related to the current essay contest.

How Do You Build Peace?

The international system has witnessed dramatic changes in the recent past. Developments around the globe and at home challenge us to rethink the role of the United States in the international community. What is our nation's place in this increasingly complex global picture? How do we best promote respect for human rights and the growth of freedom and justice? What can we do to nurture and preserve international security and world peace?

Our country depends on knowledgeable and thoughtful students like you—the next generation of leaders—to build peace with freedom and justice among nations and peoples. In the belief that questions about peace, justice, freedom, and security are vital to civic education, we established the National Peace Essay Contest to expand educational opportunities for America's youth.

The National Peace Essay Contest:

Promotes serious discussion among high school students, teachers, and national leaders about international peace and conflict resolution today and in the future;
Complements existing curricula and other scholastic activities;
Strengthens students' research, writing, and reasoning skills; and
Meets National Contents Standards.