Previous Winners

Aldo Leopold Writing Contest Winners

2017-2022

2022

CLICK ON STUDENT NAME TO READ ESSAY

2022 Aldo Leopold Writing Contest TOPIC and PROMPT

“Land, then, is not merely soil; it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants, and animals … When a change occurs in one part of the circuit, many other parts must adjust themselves to it.”

─ ALDO LEOPOLD, “The Land Ethic,” A Sand County Almanac

We are seeing climate changes disrupt the natural balance of this “circuit of soils, plants, and animals.” Unpredictable variations in temperature and rainfall in the Southwest are creating soil erosion, water scarcity, habitat loss, and more.

ESSAY PROMPT What actions have you taken to help “tend the land” (such as protecting soil, plants, animals, wildlife habitat, water sources, etc.), or what are your ideas for how you and other young people can help counteract the impacts of climate disruption on the different elements of your local environment?

GRADES 6-7

FIRST PLACE

ALEX HANNA, Grade 7
Albuquerque, Hanna Homeschool

HONORABLE MENTION

ADITYA VISWANATHAN, Grade 7
Los Alamos, Los Alamos Middle School

HONORABLE MENTION

STELLA GIORGETTI, Grade 7
La Mariposa Montessori, Santa Fe

GRADES 8-9

FIRST PLACE

TIMOTHY RYER, Grade 9
Mandela International Magnet School, Santa Fe

HONORABLE MENTION

MIA SCHLEMAN, Grade 8
Mandela International Magnet School, Santa Fe

HONORABLE MENTION

KALILA KO, Grade 9
Tres Piedras, Taos High School

GRADES 10-12

FIRST PLACE

ELIOT PATTON, Grade 10
Albuquerque - Bosque School

HONORABLE MENTION

ISABELLA McTEIGUE, Grade 11
Los Alamos - Los Alamos High School

HONORABLE MENTION

MATTHEW OSCHWALD, Grade 12
ABQ - Estancia Valley Classical Academy

2021

CLICK ON STUDENT NAME TO READ ESSAY

2021 Aldo Leopold Writing Contest TOPIC and PROMPT

“Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a good shovel.”
– ALDO LEOPOLD, “Pines Above the Snow,” A Sand County Almanac

As the novel coronavirus spread in 2020, we needed to stay home. We had to turn back to familiar landscapes, reacquaint ourselves with our yards and neighborhoods, and look more closely at our own skies and landscapes.

“Using Leopold’s land ethic as a guidepost, think about lessons we can learn from staying home. What acts of creation – be that as poet or as planter – did you unexpectedly find yourself taking up, and how did your creations build on some of New Mexico’s senses of dwelling with the Earth, such as querencia, kinship, acequias, and aridity?”

GRADES 8-9

FIRST PLACE
and Overall Best Essay

DYLAN COMO-MOSCONI, Grade 8 Mandela International Magnet School, Santa Fe
Teacher: Holly Call

HONORABLE MENTION

CHARLES CHAPMAN, Grade 8
Mandela Int'l Magnet School, Santa Fe
Teacher: Holly Call

HONORABLE MENTION

KAREN ZHANG, Grade 9
Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque
Teacher: Elizabeth Scott Buron

GRADES 6-7

FIRST PLACE

PIPPA BARRETT, Grade 7
Journey Montessori Middle School, Santa Fe
Teacher: Lara Prestinary

HONORABLE MENTION

INEZ CASTILLO, Grade 6
Amy Biehl Community School, Santa Fe
Teacher: Joan Gauscheman

MIA SCHLEMAN, Grade 7
Mandela Int'l Magnet School, Santa Fe
Teacher: Susan Nichols 

GRADES 10-12

FIRST PLACE

BRIANNA XIE, Grade 12
Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque
Teacher: Casey Citrin

HONORABLE MENTION

RYAN JADEN JIM, Grade 10
Rehoboth Christian School, Rehoboth
Teacher: DeLyssa Begay

MAGGI VAN DRUNEN, Grade 10
Rehoboth Christian School, Rehoboth
Teacher: Seth Weidenaar

2020

CLICK ON STUDENT NAME TO READ ESSAY

GRADES 10-12

First Place + Overall Best Essay
MATTHEW OSCHWALD
Grade 10, Estancia Valley Classical Academy

HONORABLE MENTION GRADES 10-12
Isabella Clark, Grade 11, Mandela International Magnet School (Santa Fe)
Mireya Sanchez-Maes, Grade 12, Mayfield High School (Las Cruces)
Sloan Tafoya, Grade 10, San Juan College High School (Farmington)

GRADES 8-9

First Place
MERRICK WORD-BROWN
Grade 8, Santa Fe School for the Arts and Sciences

HONORABLE MENTION GRADES 8-9
Akansha Nanda, Grade 8, Mandela International Magnet School (Santa Fe)
Maggi Van Drunen, Grade 9, Rehoboth Christian High School (Rehoboth)

GRADES 6-7

First Place
AVERY BELL
Grade 7, Taos Integrated School of the Arts

HONORABLE MENTION GRADES 6-7
Dylan Como-Mosconi, Grade 7, Mandela International Magnet School (Santa Fe)
Ruben Cuesta Ray, Grade 7, Monte del Sol Charter School (Santa Fe)
Claire Johnston, Grade 7, Mandela International Magnet School (Santa Fe)