Business Ethics Magazine is delighted to once again publish winning essays by the top finishers in the Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics essay contest.

Ethics_Magnifier_iStock__Feature_000016707944XSmallThe contest is an annual competition that “challenges college students in the U.S. to submit essays on the urgent and complex ethical issues that confront us in the modern world.”

First place winner of the 2015 Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics is Alexandra Stewart, University of New Mexico, Class of 2015. Stewart, an International Studies major from Edmond, OK, won first place for her essay, “The Ethics of Transcendence,” in which she discusses a personal encounter with familial sexual violence as a teenager.

Additional winners of the 2015 Prize in Ethics Essay Contest include:

  • Second Prize: Andrew Mueller, for his essay, “The Ethics of Giving: Lessons from the Ship and the City,” in which he illustrates a developed framework for ethical giving after witnessing firsthand acts of inhumanity during his time at sea visiting the port of Djibouti. From Meridian, MS, Mueller attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
  • Third Prize: Andrew King, for his essay “Humans, Animals, and the Kingdom of Ends,” in which he considers and defends reasons for understanding the lives of animals to be analogous to our own, through a combination of philosophy and personal essay. From Hayward, CA, King attended the University of California, Berkeley.
  • Honorable Mention: Robert Chan, for his essay, “From Shackles to Square Hats: Higher Education and Lifer Prisoners,” in which he explores the moral and practical implications of higher education for convicts, sharing a perspective through his current experience as an incarcerated student. Born in Taiwan, Chan attends Colorado State University – Pueblo.
  • Honorable Mention: Joshua Asaro, for his essay, “Public Service in the Social Media Age: How Ethics and Perception Must Guide Our Service Members,” in which he reflects on the duty and responsibility of public servants in the social media age to accept expanded roles associated with earning public trust. From Florissant, Missouri, Asaro attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

The essay contest is intended for undergraduate full-time Juniors or Seniors at accredited four-year colleges or universities in the United States. Students may write about any topic they wish, as long as their essay explores the theme of ethics. The Prize in Ethics Essay Contest was established by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity in 1989; cash prizes are awarded to each of the top three winners and two honorable mentions. LRN is the exclusive corporate partner of the prize.

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