The Columbia Political Review’s

High School Essay Contest

It is CPR’s mission to cultivate the next generation of politically engaged writers. To that end, we began our annual high school essay contest in 2017, aiming to amplify the voices of talented high school students from all across the country. In the wake of a global pandemic, war, and deep uncertainty, we hope that the Columbia Political Review can serve as a platform for bold and creative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

Submissions for the 2025 High School Essay Contest are closed. The winners will be announced on August 25th, 2025.

The 2025 prompt was the following:

“Serge Schmemann, a member of The New York Times’ editorial board, wrote in an op-ed that there is “an impression that liberal democracy is everywhere in retreat in the face of authoritarians feeding on discontent over economic woes, rapid social change, mass migration, disinformation and general malaise.” Choose one country and make an argument regarding the factors that contribute to the current status of its democratic institutions or the country’s political outlook as it relates to democratic freedoms.”

Submission Instructions

Submissions should be between 700 and 1,200 words. Submissions will be judged for their clarity, concision, strength of argument, and use of evidence. Citations should be included as in-text hyperlinks (please consult our published articles for examples). Please submit your essay via the Google Form (also pasted below).

The deadline for contest submissions has been extended, so all entries are now due on July 14th, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET. You may only submit once. Early submissions are highly encouraged; late submissions will not be accepted.

Submission Google Form: https://forms.gle/pBzqmBGHvxr5d9Gv6