AU’s annual contest encourages students to reflect on why religious freedom and church-state separation are important to them and their communities—and what they can do to ensure religious freedom is a shield that protects the rights of everyone to practice religion according to their own beliefs, or not practice at all, as long as they don’t harm others.
Scholarship Details
- Open to student-created essays or videos exploring the importance of religious freedom and church-state separation
- Essay length must be 750–1,000 words
- Video submissions must be 2–4 minutes long
- First-place essays published in *Church and State* magazine
- Winning videos featured at the Summit for Religious Freedom and shared on AU’s website and social media
Eligibility Criteria
- Open to student participants (specific grade/age ranges may be detailed on AU’s website)
- Submissions must be original work by the student
- Participants may submit one essay or one video
Application Process
- Choose either the essay or video format
- For essays, write a clear, original piece between 750–1,000 words with citations as needed
- For videos, record a 2–4 minute piece using any camera; videos can be simple or creatively produced
- Upload videos to YouTube (set as Unlisted), Vimeo, Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive
- Submit your entry through AU’s contest portal (check their website for the submission link and deadline)
The contest is open to high school students and undergraduate students attending any 2- or 4-year college or university including trade & technical schools. Students must live in the United States including the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Employees and board members of Americans United, and members of their immediate families, are not eligible to participate.
