The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity Announces 2023 Winners of Prize in Ethics Essay Contest

Five college students from universities across the country will be awarded scholarships totaling $20,000 for their exceptional essays on topical ethical issues. 

NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, an organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and his wife, Marion, announced this year's winners of the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest.  The Foundation's yearly scholarship initiative selected five college student winners for their remarkable essays analyzing relevant ethical issues facing our world.

The Prize in Ethics Essay Contest, established in 1989 by Professor Elie Wiesel and his wife, Marion Wiesel, is an annual competition that challenges college students to contemplate an ethical theme or situation. Many essays often stem from a student's personal experience or introspection. Winners will be granted scholarships in varying amounts, totaling $20,000.

"Challenging young people to articulate their thoughts via open-ended questions is the antidote we need to today's ideology-driven soundbites," said Elisha Wiesel, the son of Elie Wiesel and the Foundation's Chairman. "My father's passion for moral education echoes through this Contest and we're proud to amplify these students' voices through their exemplary work."

Chosen by a selection committee among hundreds of applicants, this year's winners include:

First Place Winner: 
Danielle Ranucci, Princeton University
Her essay, "Suffering in Their Place," studies the intensity between indifference, caring, empathy, and genuine regard for those who are mistreated and persecuted, and the effectiveness of compassion in the battle against oppression.  She reflects on her birth family in Kazakhstan, the socio-economic climate of the country, and the circumstances that come from being adopted. 

She writes, "My conversation with my adoptive-parents added another dimension to my ethical questioning: why should they be obligated to imagine the strangers who suffer around the world as some kind of family they never knew?

The obvious answer was that we should always identify with each other's suffering because we were all human. But that seemed too simple to me. There must have been a more nuanced explanation."

Second Place Winner: 
Cutter Canada, Trinity University
His essay, "Doing the Most Good: A Story About Hope.", recounts his journey to veganism while considering his grandmother's words of wisdom, ancestral culture, and their relationship with food. 

Third Place Winner: 
Drew Cain, Trinity University
His submission, "The Secret Lives of Private School Students: The Ethics of Secrecy, Truth-Telling, and Whistleblowing within Social Media,"  grapples with the themes of honesty, deceit, and silence set against personal events he experienced in his junior year of high school.

Honorable Mentions: 
Nikkisha Joseph, of LaGuardia College
Her essay "A Conveniently Used Word," reflects on when "doing the right thing" isn't always the easiest choice to make. 

Faith Seawell-Campbell, of Coppin State University
Her piece "Hidden in Plain Sight Human Trafficking: A Threat to Humanity and Vulnerable Populations Worldwide," focuses on this form of modern-day slavery and exploitation of humankind. 

The Foundation was very honored to welcome back this year MSNBC host Rachel Maddow as a guest juror to review the final round of essay submissions.  Ms. Maddow is a former Prize in Ethics winner herself from her undergraduate days at Stanford University, receiving honors for her essay, "Indentifiable Lives: AIDS and the Response to Dehumanization." 

In addition to their scholarships, winners are also awarded a trip to New York City for a seminar to discuss their essays among other ethical topics.  This year's seminar will be led by Professor Wiesel's former student and Contest Readers Committee member, Rabbi Avraham (Alan) Rosen. The day will end with a celebration of their achievement at the renowned Lotos Club.

Jury member, EWF Board Member, and long-time supporter of the Prize, Dov Seidman, founder of The HOW Institute for Society and LRN, will host the students for an annual luncheon. 

"I'm proud to partner with Marion and Elisha Wiesel and the entire Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity in awarding the Prize in Ethics. This remarkable group of student winners, who are already making a difference in the world by writing essays that prod the conscience and consider issues through an ethical lens, embody the hope that a new generation of moral leaders will rise to meet the challenges before us," said Seidman.

Additionally, the Foundation has opened its submissions for the 2024 Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest, accepting applications through December 29, 2023. New for this cycle, the contest will be open to all undergraduate students enrolled full-time for the Fall 2023 semester at accredited four-year colleges and universities.  Interested students may apply at the following link: 2024 Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest

About The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest 
The Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics Essay Contest encourages students to write thought-provoking personal essays that raise questions, single out issues, and offer rational arguments for ethical action. The contest is open to all undergraduate full-time students who are registered at accredited four-year colleges or universities in the United States. All submissions to the essay contest are judged anonymously. Winning essays present intensely personal stories, originality, imagination, and clear articulation and convey genuine grappling with an ethical dilemma. For suggested essay topics and more information, visit: https://eliewieselfoundation.org/prize-in-ethics/ 

About The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: 
Elie Wiesel and his wife, Marion, established The Elie Wiesel Foundation soon after he was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize for Peace. Now spearheaded by Marion and Elie's son Elisha Wiesel, the Foundation seeks to carry on Elie Wiesel's legacy and spark ethical consciousness of human rights by investing in programs that promote moral leadership and real-world outcomes for victims of injustice. To learn more, visit: www.eliewieselfoundation.org  

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SOURCE The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity