OUTLOOK magazine is happy to announce the winners of its 4th Annual Student Essay Contest, which highlights the voices and experiences of Adventist students across the Mid-America Union.
This year was an exciting step forward for the contest. We received 16 student submissions from four conferences, an increase from last year. It was also the first year middle school students were invited to participate, giving even more young people the chance to share their stories.
This Year’s Winners
We are pleased to recognize the following students:
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1st Place: Evie Lange – Campion Academy (Rocky Mountain Conference)
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2nd Place: Isabella Becker – College View Academy (Kansas-Nebraska Conference)
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Middle School Winner: Eden Henton – College View Academy (Kansas-Nebraska Conference)
Each winner received scholarship support, an Amazon gift card, and a framed copy of their published article.
The 1st- and 2nd-place essays are featured in the January issue of OUTLOOK and are available on our website. Other selected student essays will also be shared online and in future issues throughout the year.
Thank You to Our Teachers
We would like to thank the teachers who partnered with us to make this contest possible. We are grateful for your commitment to Adventist education and student storytelling.
Looking Ahead: 5th Annual Student Writers Contest
The 5th annual contest will be renamed the LouAnn Howard Student Essay Contest.
This name change honors LouAnn Howard, who served more than 47 years in Seventh-day Adventist education as a teacher, leader, and advocate for students. While the name will change, the purpose of the contest will remain the same—to encourage students to share their stories and reflect on the impact of Adventist education.
The 2026 Student Writers Contest will take place later this year, and we hope you’ll take part! If you would like to be informed when the contest opens, please sign up for our newsletter at bit.ly/myoutlook — that’s the best way to receive official announcements and updates.
As this new contest approaches, we encourage all students, staff, and teachers to continue in prayer as you pursue Something Better in Adventist education, for yourselves and for one another.
About Seventh-day Adventist Education
The Seventh-day Adventist education system is one of the largest Christian school systems in the world, second only to the Roman Catholic Church’s system. It includes more than 7,500 schools in nearly 150 countries, serving about 1.5 million students with a strong focus on faith, academic growth, and service to others. Adventist schools help students grow spiritually, academically, socially, and physically so they can live meaningful lives and make a positive impact in their communities and the world.
