Ethics Related Opportunities

Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest 2012

The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity was established by Elie Wiesel and his wife, Marion after receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1986. Rooted in the memory of the Holocaust, the Foundation's mission is to combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogue and youth-focused programs that promote acceptance, understanding and equality.

Click here to see more on the Foundation.

The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest, now in its 23rd year, challenges college students to analyze the urgent ethical issues confronting them in today's complex world. Students are encouraged to write thought-provoking personal essays that raise questions, single out issues and are rational arguments for ethical action.

Suggested Topic: Articulate with clarity an ethical issue that you have encountered and analyze what it has taught you about ethics and yourself.

Contest open to full-time Juniors and Seniors

First Prize - $5,000

Second Prize - $2,500

Third Prize - $1,500

Two Honorable Mentions - $500

Click here for more information on the contest and submission details.

"There is so much to be done, there is so much that can be done. One person - A Raoul Wallenberg, an Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King, Jr. - one person of integrity, can make a difference, a difference of life and death."

-- Elie Wiesel

Acceptance Speech, Nobel Prize for Peace - Oslo, Norway - December 10, 1986

"Whatever the answer to essential questions of society and individual humans may be, education is surely its major component. But what would education be without its ethical dimension? Many of us believe them to be inseparable. That is why this prize in Ethics Essay Contest was established in 1989 by our foundation. Thousands of students from hundreds of colleges and universities across the nation have participated. Through their writing, they explored their concerns and beliefs, their fears and their hopes."

--Elie Wiesel

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs International Essay Competition

In recent years, "sustainability" has become a buzz-word for scholars, businesspeople, and policymakers alike. It has come to embody a wide variety of approaches that aim to bring society in harmony with the environment. For some, it is heralded as the ultimate way to improve today's way of life and to guarantee human existence well into the future.

As a consequence, "sustainability" has become an integral part of our vocabulary. We now have Sustainable Development; Sustainable Business; Sustainable Agriculture; Sustainable Living; Sustainable Environment; and even Sustainable Communities.

This essay competition challenges authors to move beyond the buzz and explore what sustainability means to you. How do you understand sustainability? What is the meaning of sustainability in your own life, in your local community, and in the greater world? Do you see conflicts of interest between these spheres? How can we balance rights and responsibilities, and decide on what's fair?

Essay Title: What does sustainability mean to you?

Requirements: