2026 WILLIAM J. SCHULZ MEMORIAL ESSAY CONTEST FOR FREETHINKING COLLEGE-BOUND HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
Introduction
2026 WILLIAM J. SCHULZ MEMORIAL ESSAY CONTEST FOR FREETHINKING COLLEGE-BOUND HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
This essay competition is sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a 501(c)3 educational nonprofit established nationally in 1978. This contest is one of five national essay competitions sponsored by the organization annually.
FFRF serves as the nation's largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics, non-religious individuals) and works as a state / church watchdog to uphold the constitutional principle of state/church separation.
All eligible entrants are offered a full one-year complimentary student membership, which includes a digital version of 10 issues of Freethought Today, (FFRF's newspaper, which publishes winning student essays), and a complimentary book or premium.
Students may only enter one FFRF contest annually and may not enter a contest if they have previously won an award in that particular contest.
Description
AWARDS:
First Place Award: $3,500
Second Place Award: $3,000
Third Place Award: $2,500
Fourth Place Award: $2,000
Fifth Place Award: $1,500
Sixth Place Award: $1,000
Seventh Place Award: $750
Eighth Place Award: $500
Ninth Place Award: $400
Tenth Place Award: $300
Optional Honorable Mention(s): $200
THIS YEAR'S TOPIC: My favorite freethought/humanist hero/ine.
"The world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments — of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue — are complete skeptics in religion.” — John Stuart Mill
PROMPT:Studies show that nonbelievers are still at the bottom of the social ladder when it comes to social acceptance. Many Americans don’t realize how many activists or achievers they admire are not religious. To help educate them, write a personal essay about your favorite freethinker or humanist and what they did or are doing to improve or enrich our lives. It might be a nonreligious scientist, an artist or writer, a reformer — or an everyday person in your life who has made the world better and inspired you. Please briefly explain their influence or accomplishments and briefly document their nonreligious views. Tell us what they have meant to you as a humanist and nonbeliever. For quotes or citations, please document using links or footnotes.
WORD COUNT: 350-500 words.
Fill out application and submit your essay no later than 11:59 pm CDT, June 1, 2026.
Winners will be notified no later than August 2025.
SUBMISSION RULES: Please fill out online submission form. Please choose your own title, do not use the topic of the essay as the title. Include links to quotes, studies or major facts relied upon, or footnote. Our judges will score your paper more favorably if you follow these instructions.
AI POLICY, WARNING:You will be asked to warrant that AI is not used in writing the text of your essay beyond grammar or spell check. While you may wish to use AI in any research, be advised that using AI exclusively for research or relying exclusively on AI to generate your ideas will likely detract from the merits of your essay and result in a lower score. We’d rather see typos or minor grammatical errors than template language. Such reliance is usually obvious: because it results in our receiving a series of repetitive, similar essays all making the same general arguments.
The famed 19th century freethinker Robert G. Ingersoll said it best: “I do not borrow ideas. I have a factory of my own.” We are not looking for regurgitation of facts or opinions using group data. This is a personal essay. We are asking you to think deeply about the topic and are seeking your own thoughts, expressed in your own words and derived from your own unique experiences. You’re a lot smarter and more creative than a bot! FFRF monitors for plagiarism and AI.
AGREEMENT: By entering the competition, you agree to permit your name and winning essay to be printed in full or in part in Freethought Today, FFRF's newspaper; ANNOUNCED IN A NEWS RELEASE, and POSTED ONLINE AT FFRF's WEBSITE. You also agree, if you win an award, to promptly provide FFRF with a high-resolution photograph of yourself suitable for reproduction with your winning essay.
REQUIREMENTS: Winners may be asked to send verification of student enrollment. Students will be disqualified if they do not follow instructions, including word limit and deadline. FFRF monitors for plagiarism. You may not re-enter this contest if FFRF has previously awarded you for an essay in the college grad contest. If you have previously entered but did not win, you may submit another essay in this contest.
BANISH MANGLISH: FFRF encourages you to please use inclusive language, rather than language that presumes everyone is male. For example, try "humanity" or "humankind," rather than "mankind."
Qualifications
If you have any questions or concerns, please email FFRF at ltreu@ffrf.orgor call (608)256-8900.
ELIGIBILITY: Open to all high school seniors who graduate in spring 2026, who will be attending a North American college or university in fall 2026. If you took a "gap year" you will be asked to verify at the end of the application
Other FFRF Scholarship Opportunities:
2026 Cornelius Vander Broek Memorial Essay for Freethinking Graduate/Older Students (to age 30)
2026 Kenneth L Proulx Memorial Essay for Freethinking Ongoing College Students
2026 David Hudak Memorial Essay Contest for Freethinking First-in-Family to Attend College
“FFRF is happy to see another generation of freethinkers raising their voices in protest against the continuing threat of Christian nationalism,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “The next generation promises to have the greatest population of nonreligious persons yet, and FFRF is proud to reward their support, to keep student advocacy alive and thriving".
This essay competition is sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a 501(c)3 educational nonprofit established nationally in 1978. This contest is one of five national essay competitions sponsored by the organization annually. FFRF is the nation's largest association of freethinkers with more than 40,000 members (atheists, agnostics, non-religious individuals) and works as a state/church watchdog to uphold the constitutional principle of state/church separation.