2026 Free Speech Essay Contest

Welcome! Thanks once again to a generous donation from Jon and Kim Morgan, the Free Speech Essay Contest is back! Sponsored by the Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center, it is designed to encourage high levels of scholarship and thought among UT-Austin students and to promote understanding and appreciation of the freedom of speech and the many complex challenges related to it.

We look forward to reading your submission. Essays will be reviewed via blind judging by a panel of professors who are First Amendment scholars.

The essay guidelines and link to the submission form can be found below.

Contact Sandra Garcia, Program Manager, at sandra.garcia@law.utexas.edu with additional questions.

Good luck!


Eligibility

This essay contest is open exclusively to all University of Texas at Austin undergraduate and graduate students (graduate students include all those in professional schools) who are enrolled full-time in Spring Semester 2026.

Previous winners are welcome to participate in the 2026 contest provided they are enrolled full-time at the University of Texas at Austin in Spring Semester 2026.


Prizes

There will be two judging categories: undergraduate and graduate. Winners in each category will be awarded the following prizes*:

  • $5,000: FIRST PRIZE
  • $3,000: Second Prize
  • $2,000: Third Prize
  • $1,000: Honorable Mention (at least 3 awarded)

*Please note, awardees are responsible for the earned income taxation on prize money.


Important Dates

  • Submission deadline: January 31, 2026 by 11:59 PM.
    There are preliminary steps required before you can begin writing your essay. Please read the prompt below carefully and plan accordingly.
  • SAVE THE DATE: February 25, 2026
    Free Speech Essay Contest Awards Banquet (6:00 PM – AT&T Hotel and Conference Center):
    All contest participants are invited to the awards banquet. The winners of the contest will be announced at the banquet (not before). A formal invitation and RSVP form will be sent to participants after an essay is submitted.


Submission Guidelines and Requirements (please read carefully):

    • Use of generative artificial intelligence to write your essay is prohibited. AI detection software will be used to ensure the integrity of this contest. Participants will be required to acknowledge a statement on the submission form that they did not use any form of generative artificial intelligence to draft any portion of their essay. Generative artificial intelligence, while valuable, can inhibit your own thought creation and prevent you from developing important critical-thinking skills. We encourage you to get the full benefits of this contest by drafting your essay on your own.
    • Essays should not exceed 1,500 words.
    • Essays should be double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman.
    • You may use whichever citation format is the norm in your field of study or major.
    • Essays should be submitted in PDF format.
    • Only page numbers and essay title should be visible in the header/footer.

Important to ensure the integrity of the blind judging process:

    • All entries will be linked to the name and EID entered in the submission form.
    • There should be no identifying information on the submitted PDF file.
      • No name, EID, email, etc. in the header/footer.
    • There should be no identifying information in the submitted file name.
      • Acceptable:  Undergraduate_2026 Free Speech Essay Contest
      • Unacceptable:  Garcia_Undergraduate_2026 Free Speech Essay Contest


PROMPT

You must do the following:

  • Watch an event hosted in 2022 by the Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center about free speech and students being fearful of speaking freely on controversial issues (you may watch the video here).
  • Think of a well-reasoned opinion you hold that you think deserves a wider hearing but that you are hesitant to voice in contexts where you think it will be unpopular. Find a setting connected to the university where you think the opinion would be unpopular but could enrich the conversation. Then state the opinion in a manner that is clear and respectful. (Suitable university settings could include, for example: in class, at a student organization meeting, in an op-ed, in conversation with staff or administrators, or another similar context. Social media posts do not count.). Your goal is not to provoke for provocation’s sake, but to formulate a clear, evidence-based argument on a contested issue.
  • Write an essay that establishes a connection between the event video and your attempt to do the second bullet above. It should include personal reflection on how you felt in taking that step and what you learned from doing so. As you write your essay, please identify the setting in which you made the effort to state the respectful opinion. (You should not use your name or the names of private individuals; if you use names of nonpublic figures, please use pseudonyms).


RESOURCES

  1. Links to library resources.


SUBMIT

>>>> ACCESS SUBMISSION FORM HERE <<<<

                     EID Login in required to access the form. 

 

Event series: Essay Contest