The Elie Wiesel Foundation Recognizes Next Generation of Changemakers - Announces 2025 Winners of Prize in Ethics Essay Contest

Four college students from universities across the country will be awarded scholarships totaling
$19,000 for their exceptional essays on topical ethical issues in a historic year for submissions.

NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2025 /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 four college student winners for their remarkable essays analyzing relevant ethical issues facing our world.  It was a particularly demanding year as the Foundation received a record number of entries.

The Prize in Ethics Essay Contest, created 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. The essays often stem from students' personal experience or introspection. Winners are granted scholarships in varying amounts, totaling $19,000 and join an illustrious group of past recipients who have gone on to be ethically minded, principled changemakers in a wide range of fields. 

"My parents not only believed in the power of moral education—they lived it," said Elisha Wiesel, the son of the Wiesels and the Foundation's Chairman. "Their classrooms extended beyond school walls and into everyday conversations, always encouraging curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking.  That legacy continues through this Contest, which they passionately helmed for many years and where we're proud to not only amplify students' voices but also celebrate their thoughtful, courageous work."

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

First Place Winner:
Jack David Carson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
His essay, "We Know Only Men: Reading Emmanuel Levinas on The Rez," examines the aftermath of historical catastrophes like the Holocaust and the Trail of Tears through the ethical lens of Emmanuel Levinas and the Cherokee principle of ga-du-gi—community cooperation. Drawing on personal family history and Levinas's philosophy, he suggests that ethical action often precedes understanding, and that communal care arises not from abstract reasoning but from recognizing the face and needs of others. The essay bridges Jewish and Cherokee experiences, arguing for a universal ethic rooted in shared responsibility and lived compassion.

He writes, "The Cherokees and the villagers of Le Chambon were untutored in the canons of philosophy, but what they both did know… is that ethical action required no justification other than the face of a person in need."

Second Place Winner:
Kashish Kumar, Columbia University

Her essay, "A Symphony in Silence," juxtaposes the environmental injustices experienced by marginalized communities in Taiwan and the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, emphasizing the ethical tension between silence and advocacy. She highlights the suppressed voices of those harmed by industrial pollution and agrochemicals and reflects on the burden of bearing witness within systems designed to suppress dissent. Through musical metaphors and lived experiences, the essay underscores that justice requires both listening and sustained, courageous action.

Third Place Winner:
Anonymous, Duke University

This essay is published anonymously out of respect for the privacy and safety of the author's family. It contains a deeply personal reflection on the author's mother's experience—an experience shared in trust and told here with honesty and care. In light of the current political climate, and out of concern for the potential repercussions of publicly linking this story to the individuals involved, the author has chosen to withhold their name to authentically share their ethical analysis.

Their submission, "Sacred or Sovereign: The Battle Over Life's Beginning," wrestles with the moral complexity of abortion through the lens of Catholic upbringing, a mother's confession, and evolving personal reflection. It traces the author's journey from inherited dogma to nuanced questioning, informed by science, theology, law, and empathy for those in difficult circumstances. The essay resists easy binaries and affirms the sacredness and difficulty of choice in matters of life and agency.

Honorable Mentions:
Sierra Bostwick, Northern Arizona University
Her essay "Haunting" is told as a memoir and recounts the author's childhood in Xinjiang, China, and the loss of Uyghur friends under China's ongoing repression. Torn between the desire to speak out against genocide and the fear of losing any chance of reconnection, she reflects on trauma, displacement, and the ethical cost of silence.

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 Elie Wiesel's former student and Contest Readers Committee member, Dr. Avraham 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 The 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.

The Foundation will open submissions for the 2026 Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest in fall 2025. The contest will be open to all undergraduate students enrolled full-time for the fall 2025 semester at accredited four-year colleges and universities.  Interested students may apply when the contest opens online through the Foundation's website.

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:
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 the Wiesels' 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.

Media Contact: Olivia Crvaric [email protected]

SOURCE The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity