IEB teams should be aware of a prestigious ethics essay competition for which they would likely be very competitive. Established in 1989, the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest is only open to college students enrolled at 4-year institutions, and the deadline is coming up fast on January 20th. But if you, your team members, or someone you know might qualify and be interested, please spread the word.
AI usage is grounds for disqualification, so ensure folks are leveraging those organic human brains. Essays should be between 2,500 and 3,500 words, full guidelines are here, and here’s this year’s prompt:
2026 Essay Theme: Silence, Conscience, and ResponsibilityÂ
Is silence an act of compassion or complicity?
When does silence protect dignity and when does it betray it?
When silence becomes complicit, what is your moral responsibility?
Do we owe the world our voice or does the world sometimes need our silence to heal?
Reflect on a time, in your life or in the world, when silence itself became an ethical choice.
What did that moment teach you about conscience, courage, and responsibility?
Engage us. Enlighten us. Explore the ethics of any question that moves you, whether drawn from the tension between silence and speech, or from any other moral challenge, close to home or across the world. We are eager to learn from you.
Free hint to Ethics Bowlers: consider engaging Rochester Institute of Technology Professor Lawrence Torcello’s 2014 article, “On The Virtues of Inhospitality,” which is all about silence and responsibility, available for download here, overview video here. Good luck!