The Dorothy Schneider United Nations Essay Contest
This year's entry deadline was March 29th, 2023 11:50 p.m. CST
The United Nations Essay Contest was endowed by Dorothy Schneider, St. Louisan, Red Cross worker, college English instructor, and author of the U.N. resolution to create United Nations Day. The contest consists of two categories: one for undergraduate students and one for graduate students. Only students at the University of Missouri-St. Louis are eligible to enter.
Entrants shall submit a two to three page written response to the prompt for their category.
First prize: $3000 scholarship
Second prize: $2000 scholarship
Note: due to the number of quality entries, the judges opted to award a third place winner for both the undergraduate and graduate categories.
Undergraduate essay prompt:
The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago, acknowledging human rights as a foundational piece of international law, and guaranteeing a life of dignity to all.
Consider the following quotes:
“A right delayed is a right denied”
- Martin Luther King, Jr
"The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened"
- John F Kennedy
Describe the future of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. How does the Universal Declaration remain relevant in the 21st century?
Click the links below to view the winning undergraduate entries:
First place: Thomas Sarsfield (PDF)
Second place: Jada Williams (PDF)
Third place: Rachael Carpenter (PDF)
Graduate essay prompt:
The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago, acknowledging human rights as a foundational piece of international law, and guaranteeing a life of dignity to all.
Has the Universal Declaration made an impact in the United States? How is the push for rights around the world connected to the push for better access to rights in your community (however you define community)?
Click the links below to view the winning graduate entries:
First place: Tashmia Sabera (PDF)
Second place: Layne Paubel (PDF)
Third place: Palak Sondhi (PDF)
Judging:
Essays were judged on the following:
- Content
- How well did you respond to your prompt?
- Were your ideas explained clearly?
- Was your essay engaging?
- Well-written, has a nice flow.
- Style
- Free of significant spelling, grammatical, punctuation, and syntax errors.
- Sources, when used, are cited properly.
- Concise.
Congratulations to this year's winners! Contest organizers will be in touch soon.
