The Churchill Society of New Orleans sponsors a yearly essay contest for the purpose of encouraging young people to learn more about the great man, and thereby to absorb some of his wisdom, his courage, and his masterful use of the English language.
The winners of the 2024-2025 contest are as follows:
First Prize: Connor Bussey, Jesuit High School
Second Prize: Avery Platt, Home Schooled in Sainte Maries, ID
Third Prize (3-Way Tie):
James Redmann, Jesuit High School
Brady Crowson, Jesuit High School
Anna Claire Capshaw, St. Scholastica Academy
2025-2026 Essay Contest Information below.
Please address any questions about the contest to Ben Capshaw at bcap031047@gmail.com or Ted Martin at tmartin242526@gmail.com
Complete the Online Entry Form below, upload your essay, and press the Submit button. You will receive an email confirmation upon successful submission.
Online Entry Form
Submit your essay by no later than midnight April 12, 2026.
2025-2026 Essay Contest Information.
Prizes:
$1,500 First Prize *
$500 Second Prize
$250 Third Prize **
* The teacher named by the student who wins first prize will also receive a prize of $500
** If 5 or more students at a school submit essays and none win first, second or third prize, the best of those essays will receive a prize of $100
2025-2026 Essay Topic:
In most of the 1930s Churchill was out of office and critical of the government’s failure to stop German aggression. In his speech to the House of Commons on March 24,1938, Churchill said the following:
“A country like ours…cannot avoid war by dilating upon its horror, or even by a continuous display of pacific qualities, or by ignoring the fate of the victims of aggression elsewhere. War will be avoided in present circumstances, only by the accumulation of deterrents against the aggressor…We come to the case of Czechoslovakia. [He then described vague commitments for common defense among the members of the League of Nations and between Britain and France, and German assurances to keep hands off Czechoslovakia]
“This seems to be another case of making very considerable commitments without gaining the full proportion of deterrent value. We are not taking the fullest steps in our power to stop the event occurring and yet we are liable to suffer from it if it occurs. We are liable not only to be drawn in, but to be drawn in perhaps late in the day, and very likely in unfavorable circumstances…The great point of view is to produce…an adequate deterrent…At the moment, with the rape of Austria before our eyes, Great Britain should say,
‘If the Germans march in upon the State of Czechoslovakia… then we should feel bound to act with France in resisting it…’
If we do not stand up to the Dictators now, we shall only prepare the day when we shall have to stand up to them under far more adverse circumstances…Where shall we be a year hence? Where shall we be in 1940?…”
In your essay you should address these questions:
- What happened to Austria in 1938?
- What happened to Czechoslovakia in 1939?
- What is Churchill’s point about the value of an “adequate deterrent”?
- What was the consequence of the British government’s policy of appeasement?
- How was the speech prophetic?
- Does the world situation described by Mr. Churchill in March 1938 resemble any recent or current world events?
2025-2026 Essay Contest Rules
1. All students at any high-school level are eligible to participate.
2. The essay should address the Topic given above.
3. Essay should be between 500 and 1000 words, typed double spaced.
4. Essays will be judged on knowledge of Churchill, relevance to the Topic, and good use of the English language.
5. A student’s teacher and parents are encouraged to help with the research and to comment on essay drafts, but the student must produce the paper. We ask that the name of the teacher responsible for the student’s participation be provided on the Entry Form.
6. The essay must be your own original work and not the result of AI-generated content, as stated in the above Certification. Contestants are allowed to use AI tools for research purposes and to locate sources, but may not use AI to draft, generate or create the essay. The Society reserves the right to reject any essay that it determines, in its sole discretion, to be largely created or generated by AI.
7. The deadline for the 2025-2026 contest is April 12, 2026.
If a teacher would like a member of the Board of the Churchill Society to speak to students about Churchill, please call Ben Capshaw at (504) 957-4999.
The Society will be happy to provide books on Churchill to a participating school, if requested.
Background Material:
Besides information bearing on the Topic that might be found elsewhere, be sure to study the material under “About Churchill” and “Background Material” pages on this website.
Tips for a Winning Essay:
1. Be sure of your facts before you write something that is wrong – like the country in which something took place, or the role that Churchill played.
2. Proofread your essay. Reading it out loud will help you to find mistakes – words left out or misused.
3. Attaching a bibliography to your essay will help the judges understand how you obtained the ideas and information in your essay.
4. Churchill supported himself and his family by writing books, which sold well. He used short words and short phrases to get his points across effectively. Here is an example from one of his speeches:
“Come then, let us to the task, to the battle, to the toil – each to our part, each to our station. Fill the armies, rule the air, pour out the munitions, strangle the U-boats, sweep the mines, plough the land, build the ships, guard the streets, succor the wounded, uplift the downcast and honor the brave.”
5. In your writing, aim for clarity and brevity. Your essay will be short, but it can say a lot if you write carefully and thoughtfully.
6. Try to put forth several points rather than repeating the same one in different ways.