GOOD WITHOUT A GOD

End of the Line Humanists announces its first Darwin Day Student Essay Contest, for high school (9-12th grade) students living in or attending school in Oak Park, River Forest, or Forest Park, IL.

This contest is designed to foster science literacy among young people in our community. Participants will have the opportunity to earn cash prizes and recognition. Winners will be published on the End of the Line Humanists' website and will be invited to speak at our annual Darwin Day celebration in February of 2022. This competition is made possible by a grant from our parent organization, American Humanist Association.

We will kick off our essay contest at our 2021 Darwin Day event this year, which is on February 11th at 7:00 p.m.  Dr. Abby Hafer, zoologist and author of Darwin’s Apostles—The Men Who fought to Have Evolution Accepted, Their Times and How the Battle Continues, will be our guest speaker. Those interested in learning more about our organization are welcome to join us (optional). Click here for Darwin Day event details. 

Essay Contest Details

Subject

Essay topic: How Charles Darwin's theories are relevant in the 21st century.

Contest Rules

• Participants must be currently enrolled students of a high school (grades 9-12) in Oak Park, River Forest, or Forest Park, OR currently enrolled in the equivalent of grades 9-12 at a homeschool and currently residing in Oak Park, River Forest, or Forest Park.
• Submissions must be an original work created by the participant. No essay or work that has been previously published or submitted to a contest will be accepted.
• Essays must be 1000 – 1700 words in length. Essays outside of this length will not be considered.
• Essays must be typed in 11- or 12-point font and be double spaced.
• Essays will be judged on relevance to the topic, accuracy of scientific argument, clarity, composition, and grammar.
• All sources must be cited in a bibliography, which does not count towards the word count of the essay.
• Essays must be written in English.
• Participants grant us the right to share winning submissions on our website.
• All decisions made by the judges regarding the winners are final.
• By submitting, participants agree to all rules.
• Rules are subject to change.
• No affiliation with humanism is required for participation.

Submission Guidelines

• Submission is free.
• Entries must be submitted through email at submissions@elhumanists.org.
• Submissions are open from February 12, 2021 – October 31st, 2021. Submissions will be accepted until midnight of the closing date. Entries received outside of this time frame will not be considered.
• Submissions must be accompanied with a cover letter which includes the author’s name, address, phone number, email address and school name.
• The essay submission must be attached to the email as a Word document. Do not submit essays in either PDF or RTF formats.
• Essays will be judged blind. Judges will not know the author’s name or identifying information. Do not include any identifying information on the essay document itself. 
• Only one entry per participant is allowed.
• Questions about the contest may be directed to our Darwin Day Essay Committee at submissions@elhumanists.org.

Prizes

1st prize: $1000 USD

2nd prize: $250 USD

3rd prize: $100 USD

• Honorable mentions will be noted on the ELH website.
• Winners will be announced on January 30th, 2022.
• Winners and runners up will be notified by email by January 29th, 2022.
• Prize money will be awarded on February 12th, 2022 (Darwin Day).
• The first-place winner will be invited to present their essay at the 2022 ELH Darwin Day celebration.
• Winning essays will be published on the ELH website throughout the year.

Contest Judges

Robert Paul Malchow, Ph.D.

Director, UIC Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience

Master Teacher, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Associate Professor, Biological Sciences & Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

University of Illinois at Chicago

Summer Scientist and Whitman Investigator, Marine Biological Laboratory

Dr. Robert Paul Malchow studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the function of the nervous system as a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and has also conducted research at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole Massachusetts for the past thirty summers. His current research employs electrophysiological and imaging tools to understand neuronal information processing and the role that support cells called “glial cells” play in this process.

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Thomas A. Stewart, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Scholar

Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy

The University of Chicago

Dr. Tom Stewart is an evolutionary and developmental biologist working at The University of Chicago and at The Field Museum of Natural History. His research explores how new body parts evolve. He combines paleontology and embryology, analyzing the diversity of vertebrates to understand the history of life on earth.

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Emily Minor, Ph.D

Associate Professor

Biological Sciences

University of Illinois at Chicago

Dr. Emily Minor is an urban ecologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has a joint appointment in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Institute for Environmental Science and Policy. She studies the diversity and distribution of plants and animals in cities and the interactions between people and nature. 

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Cynthia Quam, MFA

President

End of the Line Humanists

Ms. Quam is a writer, editor, poet, and former college English instructor. Her work has appeared in a number of literary journals and periodicals, including The Humanist and The Chicago Tribune. She is the founder and current president of End of the Line Humanists.