Aldo Leopold Writing Contest
WRITING CONTEST 2023
Announcing the student winners!
Read their winning essays HERE.
FIRST PLACE
Alessandra Seawright, Grade 6 — La Mariposa Montessori School, Santa Fe NM
Frances Anderson, Grade 8 — Santa Fe Girls School, Santa Fe NM | Additional Honor: David E. Stuart Humanitarian Award for Special Merit
Bodhi Lewis, Grade 10 — Mandela International Magnet School, Santa Fe NM
Alessandra Seawright, Grade 6 — La Mariposa Montessori School, Santa Fe NM
Frances Anderson, Grade 8 — Santa Fe Girls School, Santa Fe NM | Additional Honor: David E. Stuart Humanitarian Award for Special Merit
Bodhi Lewis, Grade 10 — Mandela International Magnet School, Santa Fe NM
HONORABLE MENTION
Aliana Hardy, Grade 7 — Native American Community Academy, Albuquerque NM
Evelyn Lemon, Grade 6 — La Mariposa Montessori School, Santa Fe NM
Maiya Brock, Grade 9 — New Mexico School for the Arts, Santa Fe NM
Mary Helen Brown, Grade 9 — Rehoboth Christian High School, Rehoboth NM
Sofia Alexandrescu, Grade 11 — Santa Fe Preparatory School, Santa Fe NM
Madeline Hostetler, Grade 11 — Rio Rancho High School, Rio Rancho NM
Aliana Hardy, Grade 7 — Native American Community Academy, Albuquerque NM
Evelyn Lemon, Grade 6 — La Mariposa Montessori School, Santa Fe NM
Maiya Brock, Grade 9 — New Mexico School for the Arts, Santa Fe NM
Mary Helen Brown, Grade 9 — Rehoboth Christian High School, Rehoboth NM
Sofia Alexandrescu, Grade 11 — Santa Fe Preparatory School, Santa Fe NM
Madeline Hostetler, Grade 11 — Rio Rancho High School, Rio Rancho NM
THE ALDO LEOPOLD WRITING CONTEST
For 6th – 12th grade students in New Mexico, the Aldo Leopold Writing Contest is an effective and inclusive way to engage the next generation of citizen leaders in an urgent conversation about how to address the changing realities brought about by climate disruption, biodiversity loss, growing demand for fresh water, and other pressing global conservation issues.
It is effective not only because of how many it touches (the student participants, their schools, and their larger communities), but also because it gives voice to the writers with the most moral authority to discuss these issues: the generation most vulnerable to the consequences of inaction. It is inclusive because the essays are judged anonymously based on the character, relevance, and persuasiveness of the content, without regard to the writer’s race, origin, religion, or other factor. The Aldo Leopold Writing Contest is an organic way to diversify an essential conversation for society because it is expansive, wide-reaching, and merit-based.
Each year, the Aldo Leopold Writing Contest invites New Mexico students in Grades 6-12 to submit essays in response to a carefully-crafted and thought-provoking prompt inspired by the writings of Leopold. Encouraged by their teachers, students delve into his philosophies of land stewardship, especially as set forth in A Sand County Almanac, and explore the relevance of Leopold's classic and timeless observations to issues that they experience personally, locally, and globally.
The Writing Contest is divided into three levels:
Grades 6-7, Grades 8-9, and Grades 10-12.
A panel of volunteer judges evaluates each essay in these grade categories for responsiveness to the prompt, eloquence of expression, writing skill and language usage, and connection to Leopold's "land ethic." Judges choose First Place essayists in each of the three categories, as well as Honorable Mentions as merited. Each student winner receives a cash award and certificate.
Since its beginning in 2009, over 2,000 students from schools in rural and urban communities around New Mexico have taken part in the annual Aldo Leopold Writing Contest.
The Writing Contest is divided into three levels:
Grades 6-7, Grades 8-9, and Grades 10-12.
A panel of volunteer judges evaluates each essay in these grade categories for responsiveness to the prompt, eloquence of expression, writing skill and language usage, and connection to Leopold's "land ethic." Judges choose First Place essayists in each of the three categories, as well as Honorable Mentions as merited. Each student winner receives a cash award and certificate.
Since its beginning in 2009, over 2,000 students from schools in rural and urban communities around New Mexico have taken part in the annual Aldo Leopold Writing Contest.
General Contest Details
ELIGIBILITY
Open to all students enrolled in grades 6-12 in public, private, and home schools in New Mexico.
Open to all students enrolled in grades 6-12 in public, private, and home schools in New Mexico.
CONTEST PARAMETERS
- Students must submit original work and have a sponsoring teacher sign the contest entry form.
- One entry per person.
- Information about the essay topic will be published and distributed in the Fall, with a deadline for submission two months prior to the presentation of awards in the Spring.
FORMAT AND AWARDS
ESSAY LENGTH
Grades 6-7: 300-500 word essay
Grades 8-9: 400-600 word essay
Grades 10-12: 500-700 word essay
AWARDS
First Place in each Grade Level
Honorable Mention - up to 2 per Grade Level, at judges' discretion
Grades 6-7: 300-500 word essay
Grades 8-9: 400-600 word essay
Grades 10-12: 500-700 word essay
AWARDS
First Place in each Grade Level
Honorable Mention - up to 2 per Grade Level, at judges' discretion
