This is the motive and purpose of my writing: *the projection of an ideal man*. The portrayal of a moral ideal, as my ultimate literary goal, as an end in itself--to which any didactic, intellectual or philosophical values contained in a novel are only the means.

2009 Anthem Essay Contest

Anthem Essay Winners

Winners:

Anthem Cover

First Place

  • Hillary Purcell, Mariemont High School, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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Second Place

  • Julian Cassidyne-Hook, Home-Schooled, Kelowna, BC, Canada
  • Amy Do, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Brian Free, The Tome School, North East, MD, USA
  • Soumya Ghosh, Libertyville High School, Libertyville, IL, USA
  • Abigail Plummer, Daniel Hand High School, Madison, CT, USA

Third Place

  • Altair Regienne Galgana, Clear Lake High School, Houston, TX, USA
  • Madison Hansen, San Luis Obispo High School, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
  • Jason Kim, Century High School, Rochester, MN, USA
  • Shauheen Ladjevardi, Quarry Lane, Dublin, CA, USA
  • Walter Mcwilliams, Vandamme Academy, Laguna Hills, CA, USA
  • Kai Muskat, Vacaville High School, Vacaville, CA, USA
  • Sara Nishikawa, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Rilla Peng, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Nolan Stevens, Willow Canyon High School, Surprise, AZ, USA
  • Olivia Zhu, The Harker School, San Jose, CA, USA

Finalists

  • James Alver, H.B. Plant High School, Tampa, FL, USA
  • Julia Andretta, Sequoyah High School, Canton, GA, USA
  • Austin Biehl, Stanwood High School, Stanwood, WA, USA
  • Taylor Buford, Seminole High School, Sanford, FL, USA
  • Alexandra Butler, Mesquite High School, Gilbert, AZ, USA
  • Eric Chen, University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL, USA
  • Tucker Cholvin, Bothell High School, Bothell, WA, USA
  • Chelsea Corey, San Ramon Valley High School, Danville, CA, USA
  • Sarah Craig, Peck Community Schools, Peck, MI, USA
  • Richard Cunningham, Elizabethtown Area High School, Elizabethtown, PA, USA
  • Kaitlyn Foley, Clear Lake High School, Houston, TX, USA
  • Ray Fontaine, The Tome School, North East, MD, USA
  • Lana Frankle, Stanbridge Academy, San Mateo, CA, USA
  • Nick Geary, Webster Thomas High School, Webster, NY, USA
  • Hannah Goring, Mater Dei High School, Breese, IL, USA
  • Sarah Greene, Paul D. Schreiber High School, Port Washington, NY, USA
  • Helen Gutierrez, Hamilton High School, Chadler , AZ , USA
  • Holly Hajare, Milford High School, Milford, MA, USA
  • Audrey Harnagel, Treasure Mountain International School, Park City, UT, USA
  • Madeleine Hebert, Lafayette High School, Lafayette, LA, USA
  • Laura Hildebrand, Episcopal Collegiate School, Little Rock, AR, USA
  • Raphaella Jackson, Lassiter High School, Marietta, GA, USA
  • Lance Kelley, Clear Lake High School, Houston, TX, USA
  • Velina Kozareva, Myers Park High School, Charlotte, NC, USA
  • Brooke Kuei, East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
  • Christine Livingstone, Cypress Woods High School, Cypress, TX, USA
  • Eryn Macneil, Crown Point High School, Crown Point, IN, USA
  • Alexandra McLaughlin, Rosemount High School, Rosemount, MN, USA
  • Luke Morris, Seminole High School, Sanford, FL, USA
  • Srishti Nath, East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
  • Rebecca Neuman, Lassiter High School, Marietta, GA, USA
  • Eric O’Donnell, Glynn Academy, Brunswick, GA, USA
  • Eric Pittaluga, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Brad Qualizza, Crown Point High School, Crown Point, IN, USA
  • Lauren Raycraft, Portage Central High School, Portage , MI, USA
  • Natalie Reyes, La Quinta High School, La Quinta, CA, USA
  • Anna Sheu, St. Ignatius College Preparatory, San Francisco, CA, USA
  • Paige Squyres, Clear Lake High School, Houston, TX, USA
  • Remy Terle, Germantown High School, Germantown, TN, USA
  • Michael Tibbs, Pinewood Preparatory School, Summerville, SC, USA
  • Taylor Turkeltaub, Chaparral High School, Scottsdale , AZ, USA
  • Jingxuan Wang, Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans, LA, USA
  • Elizabeth Waters, Cinco Ranch High School, Katy , TX, USA
  • Anna Woodmansee, St. Catherine’s School, Richmond, TN, USA
  • Michael Wright, Archbishop Moeller Hs, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Semi-Finalists

  • Jordan Abell, Littlestown High School, Littlestown, PA, USA
  • Athena Abuso, Herbert Hoover High School, Fresno, CA, USA
  • Adrian Adamiec, Maine South High School, Park Ridge, IL, USA
  • Jacob Artz, Dripping Springs High School, Dripping Springs, TX, USA
  • Marc Barnes, Albemarle High School, Charlottesville, VA, USA
  • Trisha Basu, Micds, St. Louis, MO, USA
  • Martin Bear, Gardendale High School, Gardendale, AL, USA
  • Andrew Bender, Moscow High School, Moscow, ID, USA
  • Stephen Bergauer, Hamilton High School, Chandler, AZ, USA
  • Ruth Bishop, Caddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport, LA, USA
  • Devan Blazey, Victor Senior High School, Victor, NY, USA
  • Sarah Blum, Moscow High School, Moscow, ID, USA
  • David Blythe, Clinton Community High School, Clinton, IL, USA
  • Colt Bradley, Brawley Middle School, Mooresville, NC, USA
  • Benjamin Brelo, Ozark High School, Ozark, MO, USA
  • Matthew Brock, Winter Springs High School, Winter Springs, FL, USA
  • Francesca Brown, Clairemont High School , San Diego, CA, USA
  • Carissa Brown, Hilliard Darby High School, Hilliard, OH, USA
  • Katelyn Brown, Park High School, Livingston, MT, USA
  • Stephanie Burda, Park High School, Livingston, MT, USA
  • Rebecca Butler, Murchison Middle School, Austin, TX, USA
  • Nicole Cannell, Daniel Boone High School, Birdsboro, PA, USA
  • Audrey Cannon, Douglas Southall Freeman High School, Richmond, VA, USA
  • Hannah Chappell, Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT, USA
  • Josephine Chen, The Harker School, San Jose, CA , USA
  • Helen Chen, Evergreen Valley High School, San Jose, CA, USA
  • Marshall Chi, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Eun Bich Cho, Collins Hill High School, Suwanee, GA, USA
  • Taylor Colwell, Spalding High School, Griffin, GA, USA
  • Kaitlyn Colyer, Mesquite High School, Gilbert, AZ, USA
  • Victoria Connelly, Crown Point High School, Crown Point, IN, USA
  • Paige Coughlin, Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans, LA, USA
  • Trinity Covington, Park High School, Livingston, MT, USA
  • Dylan Crouse, Riverside High School, Basin, WY, USA
  • Sarah D’Atri, Simi Valley High School, Simi Valley , CA, USA
  • Cailin Daley, Marblehead High School, Marblehead, MA, USA
  • Zachary Danielak, North Springs Charter High School, Atlanta, GA, USA
  • Hannah Davis, Rockville High School, Vernon, CT, USA
  • Christopher Deitrick, Midlothian High School, Midlothian, VA, USA
  • Hayley Deklotz, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Amanda Diethorn, Spanish River High School, Boca Raton, FL, USA
  • Jose Dominguez, Klein Oak High School, Spring, TX, USA
  • Annabel Edwards, Lassiter High School, Marietta, GA, USA
  • Tyler England, F. W. Springstead High School, Brookesville, FL, USA
  • Devin Eskew, Pittsfield High School, Pittsfield , IL, USA
  • Lauren Falcom, Rockwall High School, Rockwall, TX, USA
  • Emily Featherstone, Crown Point High School, Crown Point, IN, USA
  • Ethan Ferraro, Urbana High School, Ijamsville, MD, USA
  • Ames Fowler, Moscow High School, Moscow, ID, USA
  • Elizabeth Fox, El Molino High School, Forestville, CA, USA
  • Robert Friedland, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Neelay Fruitwala, Clear Lake High School, Houston, TX, USA
  • Anna Gerechka, Portage Central High School, Portage, MI, USA
  • Thu Giao, Elk Grove High School, Elk Grove, CA, USA
  • Dan Gregory, Covington Catholic High School, Park Hills, KY, USA
  • Sarah Hageman, South Plainfield High School, South Plainfield, NJ, USA
  • Tyler Halliwell, Tecumseh Jr. High School, Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Colin Harkrider, Cherry Creek High School, Englewood, CO, USA
  • Tyler Haulotte, Stony Point High School, Round Rock, TX, USA
  • Emily Hebert, Lafayette High School, Lafayette, LA, USA
  • Annie Hegarty, Lafayette Tecumseh Junior High School, Lafayette, IN, USA
  • Forest Hempen, Mater Dei High School, Breese, IL, USA
  • Brandon Henken, Central Dauphin High School, Harrisburg, PA, USA
  • Cody Henson, Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans, LA, USA
  • Amey Hewitt, Portage Central High School, Portage, MI, USA
  • Beth Hightower, Home Study Program Cupertino Union School District, Cupertino, CA, USA
  • Terranisha Hiley, Wossman High School, Monroe, LA, USA
  • Joel Hodgdon, Mill Valley High School, Shawnee , KS, USA
  • Robert Hsu, Andover High School, Andover, MA, USA
  • Trisha Huff, Easton Area High School, Easton, PA, USA
  • Lena Jia, Kirksville High School, Kirksville, TN, USA
  • Olivia Johnson, Allen Park High School, Allen Park, MI, USA
  • Lauren Jones, Canton High School, Canton, IL, USA
  • Alex Jones, Hebron Christian Academy, Dacula, GA, USA
  • Glenna Joyce, Marblehead High School, Marblehead, MA, USA
  • Arjun Kar, Mt. Lebanon High School, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
  • Bailey Kay, Orillia District Collegiate And Vocational Institute, Orillia, ON, Canada
  • Ryan Key, Mountain Home Jr. High School, Mountain Home, AR, USA
  • Angie Kim, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Surin Kim, Troy High School, Fullerton, CA, USA
  • Edward Kim, Daniel Boone High School, Birdsboro, PA, USA
  • Kathrin Klemm, Intermountain Adventist Academy, Grand Junction, CO, USA
  • Tia Kosaka, Maine South High School, Park Ridge, IL, USA
  • Sandy Kramer, Rancho Buena Vista High School, Vista, CA, USA
  • Cassidy Krokosz, St. Cloud High School, St. Cloud, FL, USA
  • Jodi Leach, Pueblo County High School, Pueblo , CO, USA
  • Rachael Lefevre, Portage Central High School, Portage , MI, USA
  • Daphna LeGall, East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
  • Sara Lynn Lesage, North Springs Charter High School, Atlanta, GA, USA
  • Mariah Ligas, Freedom High School, South Riding, VA, USA
  • Daniel Liss, Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Rockville, MD, USA
  • Caroline Lo, Hamilton High School, Chadler , AZ , USA
  • Robert Lou, Grimsley High School, Greensboro, NC, USA
  • Hannah Lowell, La Quinta High School, La Quinta , CA, USA
  • Stephanie Lu, East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
  • Ashley Luer, Edwardsville High School, Edwardsville, IL, USA
  • Maggie Lundquist, Fellowship Christian Academy, Methuen, MA, USA
  • Jordan Lunsford, Moscow High School, Moscow, ID, USA
  • Leonard Ma, Elk Grove High School, Elk Grove, CA, USA
  • Logan Ma, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Jay Mahabal, Blair Ib Magnet School, Pasadena, CA, USA
  • Jonathan Makel, Kent-Meridian High School, Kent , WA, USA
  • Ashlee Malone, North Hagerstown High School, Hagerstown, MD, USA
  • Erin Martell, Maine South High School, Park Ridge, IL, USA
  • Harleen Marwah, Lutheran High School Of La Verne, La Verne, CA, USA
  • Collin Miclon, Buckfield High School, Buckfield, ME, USA
  • Mitchell Miller, North Springs Charter High School, Atlanta, GA, USA
  • Brandon Mills, Hilliard Davidson High School, Hilliard, OH, USA
  • Stephanie Morse, Belton High School Freshman Center, Belton, MO, USA
  • Caroline Murphy, Maine South High School, Park Ridge, IL., USA
  • Lauren Nash, George Jenkins High School, Lakeland, FL, USA
  • Danielle O’Hara, Webster Thomas High School, Webster, NY, USA
  • Amanda Ojeda, Easton Area High School, Easton, PA, USA
  • Sarah Orsak, Bellaire High School, Bellaire, TX, USA
  • Jonathan Pae, Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton, CA, USA
  • Joshua Page, Dripping Springs High School, Dripping Springs, TX, USA
  • Alyanna Elisa Palma, Liberty High School, Hillsboro, OR, USA
  • Shivangi Patel, George Jenkins High School, Lakeland, FL, USA
  • Janine Perri, Sachem High School East, Farmingville, NY, USA
  • Rachel Peters, Franklin Regional Senior High School, Murrysville, PA, USA
  • Jolee Potts, Jenks Middle School, Jenks, OK, USA
  • Scott Prouty, El Molino High School, Forestville, CA, USA
  • Erin Purcell, Mariemont High School, Cincinnati, OH, USA
  • Yasmin Rafiq, Midlothian High School, Midlothian , VA, USA
  • Rohit Reddy, Germantown High School, Germantown, TN, USA
  • Benny Rockwell, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Camilo Ruiz, Cinco Ranch High School, Katy , TX, USA
  • Jessica Rutkowski, Conrad Weiser High School, Robesonia, PA, USA
  • Susanna Sabin, Blair Ib Magnet High School, Pasadena, CA, USA
  • Jacob Sachs, East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
  • Melissa Sandler, Coral Glades High, Coral Springs, FL, USA
  • Elizabeth Sapoznik, Granger Middle School, Aurora, IL, USA
  • Richard Saylor, Glynn Academy, Brunswick, GA, USA
  • Katie Sears, C. Douglas Killough Lewisville High School North, Lewisville, TX, USA
  • Max Shatkhin, Winter Springs High School, Winter Springs, FL, USA
  • Maryann Shipp, Cinco Ranch High School, Katy , TX, USA
  • Carmen Siew, Crown Point High School, Crown Point, IN, USA
  • Kiersten Smith, North Lenoir High School, La Grange, NC, USA
  • Caroline Snowden, Alice B. Landrum Middle School, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, USA
  • Maeve Snyder, Penn Manor High School, Millersville, PA, USA
  • Albert Song, Davis High School, Kaysville, UT, USA
  • Kate Stankiewicz, Marblehead High School, Marblehead, MA, USA
  • David Steury, Moscow High School, Moscow, ID, USA
  • Christine Stevens, Rosary High School, Fullerton, CA, USA
  • Tammy Tarng, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Chris Tate, Hilliard Davidson High School, Hilliard, OH, USA
  • Jonathon Taylor, Stony Point High School, Round Rock, TX, USA
  • Devon Tenney, Aiea High School, Aiea, HI, USA
  • Janie Tepen, Jersey Community High School, Jerseyville, IL, USA
  • Kyle Vachris, Frank W. Cox High School, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
  • Leah Vaughan, Knoch High School, Saxonburg, PA, USA
  • Angela Vertucci, Elizabethtown Area High School, Elizabethtown, PA, USA
  • Barbora Vrbikova, A.J. Dimond, Anchorage, AK, USA
  • Aaron Wade, Waverly High School, Lansing, MI, USA
  • Emily Wages, Foothill Technology High School, Ventura, CA, USA
  • Jimmy Wagner, Victor High School, Victor, NY, USA
  • Jerry Wakai, Enterprise High School, Redding, CA, USA
  • Jeanny Wang, Schurr High School, Montebello, CA, USA
  • Stefanie Watson, Timbercrest Junior High School, Woodinville, WA, USA
  • Marc Webber, East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
  • Ashley Weber, Melbourne Central Catholic High School, Melbourne, FL, USA
  • Kelly Weill, Ruben A. Cirillo High School, Macedon, NY, USA
  • Haley Westfall, Clinton Community High School, Clinton, IL, USA
  • Tony Wickham, Rockwall High School, Rockwall, TX, USA
  • Janelle Wilhelm, Webster County High School, Dixon, KY, USA
  • Stefani Wilson, Walter Hines Page High School, Greensboro, NC, USA
  • Ariana Yeatts-Lonske, Cabin John Middle School, Potomac, MD, USA
  • Albert Yen, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Tiffany Yim, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Amy Yu, Cinco Ranch High School, Katy , TX, USA
  • Wesley Yu, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Comyar Zaheri, Clear Lake High School, Houston, TX, USA
  • Jana Zaidan, Irvine High School, Irvine, CA, USA
  • Wenyuan Zhou, Spring-Ford High School, Royersford, PA, USA
  • Dylan Zimmerman, East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick, NJ, USA