I am so excited to announce the latest winners of AU’s annual Student Contest!
This year’s contest invited high school and college students to submit an essay or video responding to this two-part prompt: How and why do religious and/or nonreligious groups, on their own or together, advocate for the separation of church and state? How have they been successful, and what does their example mean for present and future advocacy for the separation of church and state?
Congratulations to our winners – click here to see what they had to say! The winning essays and videos share a diverse range of experiences and perspectives on how people of different religions and none have fought for true religious freedom throughout this country’s history.
The first-place college video winner, Alannah, shared a well-researched narrative about the present-day fight for religious freedom in public schools, relating to her own experience as a student. Watch Alannah’s video here.
As a Texas public school student, the first-place high school video winner, Nya, used clever animation and the example of laws requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in public schools to demonstrate how and why interfaith coalitions fight to protect the separation of church and state. Watch Nya’s video here.
The first-place college essay winner, Sophia, shared a powerful narrative of the experience of Pagans like her who have faced discrimination and fought back for themselves alongside diverse allies:
“Misconceptions about Pagans may linger like whispers in the wind, but the truth is more concrete and far more universal: almost everyone wants the freedom to practice or not practice their beliefs without fear or interference. The separation of church and state is about ensuring no single tradition stands on a podium above the rest.” Read Sophia’s essay here.
Personal experience and deep research also came together for the first-place high school essay winner, Cole, who wrote about how the Trump administration is undermining the separation of church and state, and the vital work of interfaith coalitions who have worked to protect religious freedom since the founding of the United States:
“As a Jewish teen attending a large public school, I have experienced countless instances of antisemitism: simple Holocaust and Nazi jokes, along with the occasional push or shove, and as such, I believe in separation of church and state to promote religious equality. As an American who enjoys history and values the freedoms given to us through our Constitution, I believe in separation of church and state out of principle and patriotism. As the brother of a trans man who is having to face the over 120 new pieces of anti-trans legislation on the books in our nation, I believe in the separation of church and state to prevent those I care about from being oppressed by lawmakers motivated by faith, not by the Constitution they are bound to.” Read Cole’s essay here.
While that’s just a snapshot of our first place prize winners, you can read all the prize-winning essays and watch the videos here.
High School Essay Contest Winners:
College Essay Contest Winners:
High School Video Contest Winners
College Video Contest Winners:
The 2025 Student Contest received over 400 submissions, and these 12 students’ thoughtful ideas, compelling stories, and creative writing and video-making rose above the rest. Each of our winners received a cash prize of $500-1,500 and the winning essays will be published in AU’s Church & State magazine in April. Interviews with the first-place prize winners will also be featured on this blog over the next few weeks.
The separation of church and state is often called anti-religion, but, in reality, it unites and protects people of all religions and none – and this year’s winners really showcased the diversity of the past and present of advocacy for the separation of church and state!
