Second Annual Libertas Institute Essay Contest


Update: Click here to see the winning essays. To view the list of all essay submissions, click here.

Libertas Institute is proud to announce its second annual essay contest:

“The Proper Role of Local Government”

The winner of this year’s contest will receive $1,500 and the “people’s choice” winner will receive $500!

Submit your essay using the form below. Before doing so, please review the following rules:

  • Using between 500 and 1,500 words, explain your view of the proper role of state or municipal government. What principles or policies should guide government at the local level? Feel free to write about a specific policy or issue rather than a general explanation, though these are fine as well. If you do highlight a specific policy, be sure to also analyze why your suggested approach is better than the status quo, or statist, approach. Be creative while still keeping your essay relevant to the topic.
  • Submissions are limited to one per person. Libertas Institute staff and their family members are prohibited from participating.
  • Contestants must live within the state of Utah and be at least 18 years old.
  • Each essay must reflect the contestant’s own research, writing and original thinking.
  • Libertas Institute reserves the right to remove from consideration any essay which contains vulgar, profane, demeaning, or otherwise objectionable material.
  • All submissions remain the intellectual property of their respective authors. However, by submitting your essay in the contest, you fully license and authorize Libertas Institute to publish and use your essay on our website, in other publications, and for other educational purposes. Appropriate citations will be given to the essay’s author.
  • All submissions must be entered on or before August 16, 2013.
  • The essay with the most Facebook “likes” by August 23, 2013 will be declared the winner of the “people’s choice” award and will receive the $500 prize. Once you submit your essay, you will be redirected to the published version of it. Share that link with your friends, family, and on social media encouraging them to visit the page and press the Facebook “like” button to vote for it.
    (Hint: the earlier you submit your essay, the more time you’ll have to promote it and try to win the $500!)
  • Libertas staff will review all essay submissions and choose a winner by August 30, 2013. The decisions by Libertas staff are final.
  • If the judges award the grand prize award to the essay which also received the most Facebook “likes,” the “people’s choice” award will be given to the essay which received the second most “likes.”
  • Winners will be contacted directly via email to arrange delivery of their award, and will be announced shortly thereafter on the Libertas Institute website.

Please note that you will not be able to edit your submission; clicking “Submit” below will automatically create a page on our website that you will be able to share with others to get the most Facebook “likes.” Please compose your essay in a separate text editor before entering the final submission here.

The contest is now closed.