Congratulations to the winners of the fall 2008 round of Public Agenda's Students Face Up to the Nation's Finances student contest! Two winning entries were chosen by our panel of judges, and two others were selected in a popular vote by registered users of the FacingUp.org site. Thanks to all of you who entered written and multimedia essays on the federal budget deficit and the national debt, their impact and what to do about the problem – we saw a lot of great ideas and interesting observations.
The winners chosen by our judges are:
Best Essay: The $500 prize goes to Mallory Livingston of Emporia State University in Kansas, for "Our Generation and the Impact of America's Growing National Debt." Kudos to Mallory for a great job explaining the mushrooming and serious nature of the nation's fiscal crisis and the kinds of things we'll have to do to create a climate in which we can begin to solve the problem of the federal budget deficit and the national debt.
Best Multimedia: The $500 prize will be split between John O'Malley and Will Son, of the University of Pennsylvania, for their video, "Man on the Street 2: Facts and Figures," an excellent slice of life on campus talking to students about the federal budget and national debt, serving up a few shockers and surprises along the way.
The Peer Prize winners, chosen in a popular vote by registered users of FacingUp.org are:
Best Essay: There was a tie in votes in this category, so the winners will split the $500 Peer Prize for Best Essay. They are: Amber Dawn Vanderhofe, Emporia State University, for "Resolutions for the National Debt," in which she outlines some suggestions, and Mallory Livingston, Emporia State University, for "Our Generation and the Impact of America's Growing National Debt." Note: for Mallory, this prize is in addition to the $500 Best Essay prize awarded by our judges, for a total of $750, making her our Grand Prize Winner.
Best Multimedia: The $500 prize goes to Teelah Churchill of Lyndon State College, in Lyndonville, Vermont, for "National Debt," a fast-paced video journey through the problem featuring snippets of analysis and student opinions.
The problem of the nation's debt and federal budget deficit isn't over – in fact, it got worse even as you read this sentence – and neither is the nonpartisan Students Face Up to the Nation's Finances curriculum, which is continuing free of charge thanks to a grant from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
The curriculum is open to both college students and interested citizens on and off campus. We hope to see many of you again in the spring semester. Stay tuned to FacingUp.org for updates on our next contest, interactive additions and more new things in the Students Face Up to the Nation's Finances curriculum.
And to learn more about the federal budget and national debt, and how it is already affecting our lives, check out the resources at FacingUp.org, and, the guide to Taxes, Spending & Debt, in our Citizen's Survival Kit.