Contest to Reward Outstanding Essays on Virtue, Freedom, and Civil Society
The Sir John M. Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest, an annual competition open to college students and untenured college teachers under 36 years old from around the world, is asking this year’s contestants to examine the relationship between freedom, virtue, and civil society. Cash prizes will be awarded for outstanding essays on the following topic:
“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” —Benjamin Franklin
Which virtues contribute the most toward achieving freedom, and how can the institutions of civil society encourage the exercise of those virtues?
Junior Faculty Division
First Prize: $10,000
Second Prize: $5,000
Third Prize: $1,500
Student Division
First Prize: $2,500
Second Prize: $1,500
Third Prize: $1,000
In addition to the cash prizes, winners will receive assistance in getting their articles published and two-year subscriptions to The Independent Review. The deadline is May 1, 2009.
You can read more about the 2009 Sir John M. Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest, including guidelines, a bibliography, and winning essays from previous years, here.
