National winners were announced by Dr. Richard Solomon, president of USIP, at the conclusion of a week-long program for the individual state winners in Washington, DC.
For 25 years, the National Peace Essay Contest has challenged students to evaluate critically the international issues related to the work of the Institute. Pulling from the work of USIP's Science, Technology, and Peacebuilding Center of Innovation, the 2012 contest discussed the role of new media and conflict management. Each year, more than 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.
In addition to receiving scholarships, the state level winners are invited to USIP headquarters in Washington, D.C., to further explore the topic of their essay. Last week, the Institute hosted 46 state level winners as they visited the State Department, the Egyptian Embassy, the Smithsonian, and met with a variety of foreign policy and national security professionals. The students also participated in a three-day simulation on using new media in the fictional People’s Republic of Egistan.
At the conclusion of the Washington program, the national winners were announced by Institute President Richard Solomon. Emily Fox-Penner of the Maret School in Washington, D.C. was named the national first place winner; Minnesota student Renee Holzknecht of Elk River High School was recognized as the second place winner; and Gabe Salmon of Arizona took home third place.
Next year, students will be asked to explore the intersection of gender, war and peacebuilding. USIP’s Center for Gender and Peacebuilding collaborates with national and international organizations, governments, military and civil society to enhance the role of women in peacebuilding and develop a better understanding about the impact of gender on conflict management.