OUTLOOK magazine is excited to announce the 2026 LouAnn Howard Student Essay Contest, formerly known as the OUTLOOK Student Writers Contest.

The contest has been renamed in honor of LouAnn Howard and her many years of service to Seventh-day Adventist education. Her commitment to students and Christian education reflects the purpose of this contest: encouraging young people to grow, develop their talents and share their voices.

Now in its fifth year, the contest is open to middle and high school students attending Adventist schools throughout the Mid-America Union.

Who Can Enter?

Seventh-day Adventist students in middle or high school who are currently enrolled in a Mid-America Union Adventist school during the 2026–2027 school year.

Pick a Topic(s) about Adventist Education:

  • How has Adventist Education deepened your faith in Jesus?
  • How has it helped your relationship with Christ grow?
  • What role has your school played in connecting you to your church community?
  • Share a story about a teacher, chaplain, or friend at your school who has strengthened your walk with Christ.
  • How has your school helped you build spiritual habits (prayer, Bible study, service)?
  • What is one lesson you’ve learned in Adventist Education that will stay with you for life?
  • In what ways does Adventist Education prepare you to live your values in real life?
  • How has Adventist Education shaped your goals for the future?
  • What difference do you think your school experience has made compared to a non-Adventist school?
  • How will you carry the values of Adventist Education into your career, relationships, and future church life?

What Are the Judges Looking For?

We want students to know what makes a strong entry. Essays will be judged on the following:

Word Count: Essays should be 600–650 words.

Clear Writing: Ideas should be easy to understand and sentences should communicate the writer’s thoughts clearly.

Organization: The essay should have a clear beginning and flow naturally from one idea to the next.

Creativity: We want to hear your voice. Look for an interesting and personal way to tell your story.

Strong Theme: The essay should have a main idea that remains clear throughout the article.

Sources: Each essay must include at least one academic source and one spiritual source, such as a Bible verse or a religious author. Sources should support the ideas in the essay rather than simply being added to meet the requirement.

Photo: Include a photo of yourself or an image that helps illustrate your article.

Deadline: Entries must be received by October 19, 2026.

A Note About Artificial Intelligence

One purpose of the LouAnn Howard Student Essay Contest is to help students develop the basic skills of good writing—forming ideas, organizing thoughts, choosing words, revising their work and developing their own voice.

For this reason, we strongly discourage the use of artificial intelligence to write or rewrite contest entries. Teachers, parents and others may provide guidance and feedback, but the ideas, words and final essay should reflect the student’s own work and voice.

Prizes

1st Place: $100 Amazon gift card plus $300 applied to the Adventist school of the student’s choice.

2nd Place: $75 Amazon gift card plus $200 applied to the Adventist school of the student’s choice.

3rd Place: $25 Amazon gift card plus a $100 Adventist school tuition scholarship.

Winning articles will be featured in OUTLOOK magazine and on OUTLOOKmag.org.

Submission

Please email your article and photo to Hugh Davis,  hugh.davis@maucsda.org OUTLOOK publisher.

Past Winners

The 2022 winner was Jesse Campbell from College View Academy within the Kansas-Nebraska Conference.

The 2023 winners were Annika Swanson-Lane from Maplewood Academy and Camron Miranda, Midland Adventist Academy.

The 2024 winners were Nolice Matumano from Sunnydale Adventist Academy and Damaris Lopez, Campion Academy.

The 2025 winners were Evie Lange from Campion Academy, Isabella Becker from College View Academy, and Eden Henton from College View Academy.

Subscribe to the Mid-America Union OUTLOOK e-newsletter to be one of the first to know who the winners will be!

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