USIP President Dr. Solomon, center, congratulates National Peace Essay Contest winners. Wendy Cai, right, of Tempe, Arizona won the first prize $10,000 college scholarship for best essay at the awards banquet held on June 21. Cathy Sun, left, of Williamsville, New York, took second prize and a $5,000 scholarship.

(Washington, D.C.) – Wendy Cai of Tempe, Arizona has won the top national prize of a $10,000 college scholarship from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) for writing the best essay out of 50 state winners on the topic of youth and violent conflict. Cathy Sun of Williamsville, New York took second prize and a $5,000 scholarship, and Anita Hofschneider of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands won third prize and a $2,500 scholarship in USIP’s National Peace Essay Contest, which is open to high school students from the 50 U.S. states and U.S. territories. The prizes were awarded on June 21 at a Washington, D.C. ceremony held at the Embassy of Sweden.

The topic of Cai’s essay was "Reintegrating Children, Building Peace: Interaction, Education and Participation." Sun’s topic was "Building a Future: The Holistic Approach to the Reintegration of Child Soldiers." Hofschneider’s topic was "Victims of Lost Hope: Child Soldiers of the Philippines and Colombia."

Cai and Sun are in Washington this week along with 40 other students who wrote the winning essays for their states. Hofschneider was invited but could not attend.

Each of the 50 state winners won a $1,000 scholarship along with the invitation to the weeklong, expenses-paid trip to Washington to participate in a series of events, including a conflict resolution simulation, a trip to the U.S. Congress and meetings with foreign policy experts in the U.S. government, international institutions and other organizations.

Dr. Richard Solomon, president of USIP, said, "Wendy and all of the students who won our essay contest have brought intellectual and personal energy and enthusiasm to USIP, Capitol Hill and the State Department this week. I hope that winning this essay contest is only their first step in a long and successful career of peacebuilding."

Daily slideshows documenting the students’ week in Washington, D.C. are viewable on the awards week page. Visitors can also find information online about next year’s essay topic, "Natural Resources and Conflict." Applications are due on February 1, 2008.