The Salient's Inaugural High School Essay Contest

Students interested in the Western tradition are encouraged to apply.

The Salient is launching our annual high school essay contest, because we believe students should be rewarded for writing and thinking about ideas in accordance with the Western literary and intellectual tradition. The essays submitted will be judged by the Salient’s editorial team and Professor Emeritus Harvey Mansfield, who has championed conservative thought at Harvard for generations.

The winning essayist will receive a prize of $500, second place will receive $300, and third place will receive $200. The winning essay may be published by the Salient.

If you have children or grandchildren in high school, or have friends that do, please encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity!

Entrants may choose to respond to either of the following prompts:

The modern world is obsessed with identity. We ought to reject the push to define all relationships according to race, gender, or class. Equally absurd is the idea that we can create our own identities. The families we are born into and the places we call home indelibly shape us. The man who does not know where he comes from has nothing to share with others. Worse, he cannot fully understand himself. 

Tell us about a local or familial tradition that is important to you and the lessons it offers for America.

The Salient is proud to serve as a forum for the defense of the American tradition. But the United States did not spring from nothing; American identity was defined by the ideas and efforts of many wise men and women. As we defend our values today, we must look to the examples set by those who did so in their times. 

Who was (or is) the greatest American, and why?

Essays are due on April 15 at 9PM EDT. More information on the essay contest can be found on our website. Essays should be submitted using this form.