2026 Americans United Student Contest
Offered by Americans United for Separation of Church and State
About this scholarship
The 2026 Americans United Student Contest awards cash prizes to U.S. high school and undergraduate students who explain why religious freedom and church-state separation remain important as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. Entrants may submit an essay, a video, or one of each; a student who enters both formats may win in both. The essay prompt asks students to connect the Founders’ protection of religious freedom with the issue’s continuing relevance. The video prompt asks students to rebut the claim that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and explain why separation matters to democracy. Essays must be 750 to 1,000 words, fact-checked, cited, and written in the entrant’s own voice. Videos must be one to two minutes, formatted vertically, and include citations on the submission page. Americans United prohibits using artificial intelligence to write or produce either entry. Judges consider responsiveness to the prompt, the strength of arguments and examples, voice, perspective, and overall writing or video quality. First-place winners in each of four categories receive $1,500, second-place winners receive $1,000, and third-place winners receive $500. Winners may also have their work published or presented through Americans United channels. Entries are due October 5, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
Eligibility
- Be a high school student or an undergraduate at a two-year, four-year, trade, or technical school
- Live in one of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory
- Not be an Americans United employee, board member, or immediate family member of either
- Submit no more than one essay and one video
- Address every part of the official 2026 prompt for the selected format
- Write a cited essay of 750 to 1,000 words or create a cited portrait-format video of one to two minutes
- Create the entry independently without using artificial intelligence to write or produce it
- Submit through the official contest platform by October 5, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time