NPG Essay Scholarship Contest Winners
Winners of the 2025 Written Advertisement Scholarship Contests
2025 Graduate Students Written Advertisement Scholarship
Part One: Create written copy for an advertisement appropriate for a magazine or newspaper. Your written advertisement should persuade the public to support programs that are designed to slow, halt, and eventually reverse U.S. population growth. The key issue to be addressed in your advertisement copy is U.S. population size and growth. You may also address the negative consequences of U.S. overpopulation, such as: environmental damage, natural resource depletion, deterioration of infrastructure, economic strain, etc.
Part Two: Research and suggest two publications where you believe your advertisement could be placed. Include one to three sentences explaining why you feel that your advertisement copy is appropriate for that magazine/newspaper.
Click on each name to view the text of the winning advertisements.
| Award | Winner Name | School | |
|---|---|---|---|
$5,000 - The Donald W. Mann Memorial Scholarship for Population Studies | Duc Thinh Nguyen | Cornell University | |
| $3,000 | Christina Maria Louka | Columbia Business School | |
| $2,000 | Trisha Badjatia | Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine | |
| $2,000 | LynnLee Bolin | Columbus State University | |
| $2,000 | Kenneth Caraballo | George Washington University | |
| $2,000 | Ian Kleinfeld | Wake Forest University School of Professional Services Charlotte | |
| $2,000 | Tyler Kleinsasser | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | |
| $2,000 | Aleisha Murdock | University of Baltimore | |
| $2,000 | Solmi Park | Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine | |
| $2,000 | Marcus Pugh | Walden University |
2025 High School Seniors & Undergraduate Students Written Advertisement Scholarship
Create written copy for an advertisement appropriate for a magazine or newspaper. Your written advertisement should persuade the public to support programs that are designed to slow, halt, and eventually reverse U.S. population growth. The key issue to be addressed in your written advertisement is U.S. population size and growth. You may also address the negative consequences of U.S. overpopulation, such as: environmental damage, natural resource depletion, deterioration of infrastructure, economic strain, etc.
Click on each name to view the text of the winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$3,500 - The Edwin S. Rubenstein NPG Memorial Scholarship | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
|
$2,500 | University of California, Berkeley |
|
$2,000 | Northeast Texas Community College |
|
$2,000 | University of Maryland, Baltimore County |
|
$2,000 | Palm Beach State College |
|
$2,000 | Renton Technical College |
|
$2,000 | The University of South Carolina |
|
$2,000 | New York University |
|
$2,000 | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
|
$2,000 | Florida Southern College |
|
$2,000 | University of Virginia |
Winners of the 2024 Essay Scholarship Contest
2024 Graduate Students Essay Scholarship Topic
Imagine yourself 20 years in the future. The population in your area has doubled in size since 2024. Name three of the most serious problems your community faces as a result of this population growth. What can local officials and community leaders do today to prevent these problems in the future? What can you, as an individual, do now to help protect your community in the future?
Click on each name to view the text of the winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$5,000 - The Donald W. Mann Memorial Scholarship for Population Studies | Essence Roark | Yale University (Yale School of Public Health) |
$3,500 | Alex Blake | University of Nevada |
$2,500 | Joy McFadden | College of Architecture and Planning/University of Colorado |
$1,500 | Michelle Berg | National University of Natural Medicine |
$1,500 | Jessica Davis | Vanderbilt University |
$1,500 | Tyler Kleinsasser | SD School of Mines and Technology |
$1,500 | Jill Koundakjian | The University of Kansas |
$1,500 | Monica Monroe | Eastern Illinois University |
$1,500 | Jennifer Powers | The University of Chicago |
$1,500 | Zion Richardson | Emory University- Goizueta Business School |
$1,500 | Sarah Slay | UNC Chapel Hill |
2024 High School Seniors & Undergraduate Students Essay Scholarship Topic
Imagine yourself 20 years in the future. The population in your area has doubled in size since 2024. Name three of the most serious problems your community faces because of this population growth. What can you, as an individual, do now to help protect your community in the future?
Click on each name to view the text of the winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$4,000 | Youssef El-Mankabady | University of CA: Berkeley |
$2,500 | Jose Rodriguez | Florida International University |
$2,000 | Matthew Schneider | Berklee College of Music |
$1,500 | Jack Casey | University of Arizona |
$1,500 | Viera Fisher | Wright State University |
$1,500 | Jace Hersey | Southwestern University |
$1,500 | Jessica Nguyen | University of Louisville |
$1,500 | Lily Ogburn | Northwestern University |
$1,500 | Christian Santos | California State University |
$1,500 | Christopher Slack | Hartwick College |
$1,500 | Zoe Thomas | University of Vermont |
$1,500 | Brooklyn Wagner | California Baptist University |
Winners of the 2023 Essay Scholarship Contest
2023 Graduate Students Essay Scholarship Topic
Experts from the U.S. Census Bureau predict U.S. population may reach 404 million by 2060 unless we change course. That means we may be living with an additional 70 million people in less than 40 years. What aspects of your life will be most affected by this growth? In order to protect our environment and quality of life for future generations, should the US government encourage policies designed to reduce growth to a smaller, truly sustainable, level?
Click on each name to view the text of the winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$5,000 - The Donald W. Mann Memorial Scholarship for Population Studies | Alex Blake | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
$2,500 | Veronica Irwin | NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute |
$1,500 | Leanne Deng | Georgetown University |
$1,500 | Ashlyn Puckett | Georgia State University College of Law |
$1,000 - The Dr. Donald C. Spencer NPG Memorial Scholarship | Lorena Elizabeth Diaz | Strayer University |
$1,000 | Grace Katzmar | Columbia University, Teachers College |
$1,000 | Brian Lum | University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) |
$1,000 | Michael Soaries | Union Theological Seminary New York |
2023 High School Seniors & Undergraduate Students Essay Scholarship Topic
Experts from the U.S. Census Bureau predict U.S. population may reach 404 million by 2060 unless we change course. That means we may be living with an additional 70 million people in less than 40 years. What 3 aspects of your life will be most affected by this growth?
Click on each name to view the text of the winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,500 | Peter Sloniewsky | Georgetown University |
$2,000 | Curtis Halpin | Penn State University |
$2,000 | Amanda Jorjorian-Furcho | Valencia College |
$2,000 | Morgan Pursley | University of Tennessee |
$1,500 | Sebastian Henson | Lake Forest College |
$1,500 | Connor Karpilovsky | St. Joseph's University |
$1,000 | Simran Bhogle | Irvine Valley College |
$1,000 | Madelyn Heckert | Portland State University |
$1,000 | Domnica Reutov | Portland State University |
Winners of the 2022 Essay Scholarship Contest
2022 Topic:
The 2000 United States Census counted a total U.S. population of 281.4 million people. In 2020, just twenty years later, the U.S. population stood at more than 331.4 million people. That increase of 50 million is roughly the population of New York state and Texas combined. Is this growth good or bad for the United States? Give 5 reasons to explain your answer.
Click on each name to view the text of the winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$5,000 - The Donald W. Mann Memorial Scholarship for Population Studies | Harrison Hall | Liberty University |
$2,500 | Jadon Lau | Northwestern University |
$1,500 | Aaron Chan | Elon University |
$1,500 | Conner Daehler | Valparaiso University |
$1,500 | Yihan Deng | Georgetown University |
$1,500 | Matthew Doty | University of Notre Dame |
$1,500 | Najya Gause | Harvard College |
$1,500 | Lily Ogburn | Northwestern University |
$1,000 The Michael Hanauer NPG Scholarship | Taylor Gollhofer | The University of Northern Colorado |
$1,000 | Shamona Joseph | University of Central Florida |
$1,000 | Ethan Pellicane | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
$1,000 | Roniel Rivera-Garcia | Iowa State University |
$1,000 | Maryanne Thomas | North Carolina State University |
Winners of the 2021 Essay Scholarship Contest
2021 Topic:
Write a letter to President Biden that highlights why overpopulation must be part of his administration’s discussions concerning our environment, including efforts to curb climate change.
Click on each name to view the text of the winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$5,000 - The Donald W. Mann Memorial Scholarship for Population Studies | Matthew Joseph Doty | University of Notre Dame |
$2,500 - The Marjorie Koldinger NPG Memorial Scholarship | Harrison Hall | Liberty University |
$2,000 | Jack Lee | New York University |
$2,000 | Angela Yu | Georgetown University |
$1,500 - The Marjorie Koldinger NPG Memorial Scholarship | Nicole Giannetta | Ohio State University |
$1,500 - The Overpopulation Insights.Com NPG Scholarship | Janathia Renee Henry | Savannah College of Art and Design |
$1,500 - Ellen G. Wong NPG Memorial Scholarship | Attalia Harmony Rogers | University of California, San Diego |
$1,000 - The Jim & Kay Baccus NPG Scholarship | Allison Laney Barnes | University of West Georgia |
$1,000 - The Marjorie Koldinger NPG Memorial Scholarship | Landon Trey Crabtree | Tennessee Technological University |
$1,000 - The Overpopulation Insights.Com NPG Scholarship | Akshitha Ginuga | University of Michigan |
$1,000 - Ellen G. Wong NPG Memorial Scholarship | Marissa Loraine Kuechenmeister | Ohio University, Athens |
$1,000 | Eli Kurlander | Indiana University Bloomington |
$1,000 | Jadon Lau | Northwestern University |
$1,000 | Toheed Mahmood | Bunker Hill Community College |
$1,000 | Carly Meulenberg | Olivet Nazarene University |
$1,000 | Connor Stutz | Hillsdale College |
Winners of the 2020 Essay Scholarship Contest
2020 Topic:
The 2020 U.S. Census will begin in April. In the past, our nation has grown by tens of millions of people each decade and experts predict our population will exceed 400 million by 2060. Is this good or bad for our country? What three aspects of your life do you think will be most affected by that growth?
Click on each name to read their winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
Grand Prize | Anelyse Regelbrugge | Lewis and Clark College |
2nd Place | Jessica Wen | Rice University |
$1,000 | Solana Adedokun | University of Chicago |
$1,000 | Cavin Alderfer | Colorado State University |
$1,000 | Kaysan Frueh | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
$1,000 | Nicolas Genna | Oakland University |
$1,000 | Harrison Hall | Liberty University |
$1,000 | Makenzie Hrabina | Edgewood College |
$1,000 | Jesse Roy | Yale University |
$1,000 | Reece Sodano | Pennsylvania State University |
$1,000 | Manu Sundaresan | University of Chicago |
$1,000 | Brennan Thompson | United States Air Force Academy |
$1,000 | Zakkariyya Yandle | Wayne State University |
Winners of the 2019 Essay Scholarship Contest
2019 Topic:
Write a letter to the 100 + new members of the 116th Congress explaining why US population size and growth are serious problems for our nation.  What do you expect them to do to help the situation?
Click on each name to read their winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,500 | Sara Pross | Clemson University |
$2,000 | Jenna Leihgeber | Texas A&M University |
$2,000 | Nicolas Zampaglione | Keiser University |
$1,500 | Anna Heilman | University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI |
$1,500 | Drew Pedersen | University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI |
$1,500 | Zoe Wright | Clark University Worcester, MA |
$1,000 | Felix Herbst | Arizona State University Tempe, AZ |
$750 | Linnea Bakos | Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA |
$750 | Amy Simko | North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC |
$750 | Jasser Syed | George Mason University Fairfax, VA |
$750 | Yue Taira | University of Texas Austin, TX |
$500 | Ezra Ahmad | University of North Carolina at Asheville Asheville, NC |
$500 | Yasin Ali-Halane | University of Washington Seattle, WA |
$500 | Brennan George | Georgetown University Washington, DC |
$500 | Anthony Hayes | Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell, PA |
$500 | Abigail Knol | Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville, PA |
$500 | Kiah Rivera | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ |
Winners of the 2018 Essay Scholarship Contest
2018 Topic:
With America headed toward a population of approximately 400 million people by 2050 (up from the present 327 million), such huge numbers will surely intensify many of our country’s most critical environmental problems. Select ONE environmental issue from below, explain how it is made worse by population growth, and describe what measures you would recommend our nation’s leaders take to ensure we protect our fragile environment for generations to come.
- Air Pollution
- Availability of Clean Water
- Climate Change
- Destruction of Wildlife Habitat
- Detrimental Effects of Coal, Oil and Natural Gas Extractions
- Loss of American Farmland
- Protection of Wetlands
- Shrinking of Parks and Green Spaces
- Urban Sprawl
Click on each name to read their winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
| Hannah Sackles | University of Florida |
The John E. Brown NPG Scholarship $1,000 | Grace Klein | Denison University |
The Hugh McTavish NPG Scholarship $750 | Abigail Snellgrove | University of South Carolina Columbia, SC |
$750 | Susan Leigh Thomassie | Loyola University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA |
$750 | Clarke Williams | Howard University Washington , DC |
$750 | Morgan Zenon | Lakeland University Plymouth, WI |
Winners of the 2017 Essay Scholarship Contest
2017 Topic:
President Donald Trump and the more than 50 new Members of the 115th Congress should learn about the critical issue of U.S. population size and growth. Students are requested to provide NPG with a three- to five-point plan to educate these freshmen legislators about the sources of U.S. population growth, as well as policy suggestions to slow, halt, and eventually reverse our growth in order to preserve America’s environment, economy, natural resources, and quality of life.
Click on each name to read their winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,000 | Joseph Wagner | Gonzaga University |
NPG's Edith E. May Memorial Scholarship $1,000 | Caitlin Stock | Brigham Young University Provo, UT |
$1,000 | Grant Kleiman | Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, MN |
Winners of the 2016 Written Advertisement Scholarship Contest
2016 Topic:
Create a Written Advertisement appropriate for a magazine or newspaper. Your ad should persuade the general public to support programs that are designed to slow, halt, and eventually reverse U.S. population growth. The key issue to be addressed in your ad is U.S. population size and growth, which may include topics such as fertility and immigration rates – the two factors which most influence our nation’s overall population numbers.  You may also address the negative consequences of U.S. overpopulation, such as: environmental damage, natural resource depletion, deterioration of infrastructure, economic strain, etc
Click on each name to view the text of the winning ad.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,000 | Dustin Soutendijk | North Carolina State University |
$1,500 | Samantha Burkhart | University of Miami |
$1,000 | Joseph Ayers | Boise State University Boise, ID |
NPG’s Edith E. May Memorial Scholarship $1,000 | Matthew Janz | Nevada State College Henderson, NV |
$1,000 | Madison Purdy | University of Colorado Boulder, CO |
Winners of the 2015 Essay Scholarship Contest
2015 Topic:
Should the United States’ government pursue population policies to protect our quality of life for future generations?
Click on each name to read their winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,500 | Calvin Wilder | University of Chicago |
$1,500 | Davis Negrete | California Polytechnic State University |
$1,000 | Megan Beach | Northwestern University Evanston, IL |
$1,000 | Kara Leonard | South Piedmont Community College Monroe, NC |
$1,000 | Hartland McDonald | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL |
$1,000 | Raegan Melfe | California Baptist University Riverside, CA |
$1,000 | Zachery Waitrovich | University of Wisconsin Madison, WI |
$1,000 | James Wang | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT |
Winners of the 2014 Essay Scholarship Contest
2014 Essay Topic:
Explain why the average American citizen – particularly our youngest generation – should become active in the cause to slow, halt, and eventually reverse U.S. population growth.
Click on each name to read their winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$1,000 | Pierce Brooks | Wesley College Dover, DE |
$1,000 Winner of the Richard C. Smith NPG Essay Scholarship | Ian T. Grey | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott, AZ |
$1,000 Winner of the Foundation for Human Conservation NPG Essay Scholarship | Hartland McDonald | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL |
$1,000 | Gregory Ross | University of Chicago Chicago, IL |
$1,000 | Gemma Zahradka | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI |
Winners of the 2013 Essay Scholarship
2013 Essay Topic:
Explain how population growth has negatively affected your community. What solutions do you propose to ensure a decent quality of life for your generation 30 years from now?
Click on each name to read their winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,500 | Wyatt Martinez | Univ. of North Carolina |
$1,000 | Sarah Fine | University of Missouri Columbia, MO |
$1,000 | Hartland McDonald | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL |
$1,000 | Ryan Molton | University of ArizonaTucson, AZ |
$1,000 | Jayme Pruett | Hunter College of CUNY New York, NY |
Winners of the 2012 Essay Scholarship
2012 Essay Topic: Â
Without critical changes, U.S. population is projected to reach 438 million people in less than 40 years. Explain how this projected growth will negatively affect the United States socially, economically, and environmentally.
Click on each name to read their winning essay.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,500 | Allison Tuch | Virginia Tech |
$1,000 | Sarah Abohana | University of Washington Tacoma, WA |
$1,000 | Bailey Cassidy | DePaul University Chicago, IL |
$1,000 | William Davidson | Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO |
$1,000 | Cheryl Gaul | Massachusetts Institution of Technology Cambridge, MA |
$1,000 | Corey Gier | Fort Hays State University Hays, KS |
Winners of the 2011 Essay Scholarship
2011 Essay Topic:
The 112th Congress contains more than 100 new members who should learn about the critical issues of population growth and illegal immigration.Â
Students are requested to provide NPG with a three- to five-point plan to educate these freshmen legislators about what can be done to slow, halt and reverse today’s out-of-control population growth. Submissions must be between 500 and 750 words.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,000 | Tyler Vunk | The University of |
$1,000 | Anne Montalban | The University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA |
$1,000 | Aeisha Reese | Wayne State University Detroit, MI |
$500 | Erin Hanrahan | Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD |
$500 | Hannah Manning | Western Washington University Bellingham, WA |
$500 | Parker Powell | Boston University Boston, MA |
Winners of the 2010 Essay Scholarship
2010 Essay Topic:
Create a Print Advertisement appropriate for a magazine or newspaper. Ads must be at least 100 words but not more than 200 words. Your ad should persuade the general public to support programs that are designed to slow, halt and eventually reverse population growth.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$1,000 | Kimberly Andresen | Cornell College |
$1,000 | Kseniya Kuprienko | Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ |
$500 | Lauren Busch | Duke University Durham, NC |
$500 | Rona Ding | University of Washington Seattle, WA |
$500 | Udayan Gupta | New York University New York, NY |
$500 | Lindsey Hamilton | Salisbury University Salisbury, MD |
$500 | Camille Kirch | The Illinois Institute of Art Chicago, IL |
Winners of the 2009 Essay Scholarship
2009 Essay Topic:
Write a letter to your Congressional Representative explaining that the United States simply has TOO MANY PEOPLE. Ask him/her to work to reverse this problem by helping to create a U.S. Commission on Population Growth. Cite specific areas you feel the Commission should evaluate, and give examples of what can be done to achieve the goal of reducing U.S. population.
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,000 | Mark Azic | The College of New Jersey |
$1,000 | Hillary McMullin | University of Rochester |
$500 | Zachary Al-Nasser | Georgia Institute of Technology |
$500 | Christi Crump | Morehead State University |
$500 | Kristan Middleton | California Polytechnic State University |
$500 | Elizabeth Polster | Thomas Nelson Community College |
Winners of the 2008 Essay Scholarship
2008 Essay Topic:
“Many people believe that our nation is already greatly overpopulated with regards to our limited natural resources and fragile environment. Do you agree that Congress should create a National Population Policy? If so, what would you recommend as its chief goals? If not, how do you propose we solve this problem?”
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,000 | Adam Wright | The University of Wisconsin-Madison |
$1,000 | Molly Simmons | University of Tennessee - Chattanooga |
$500 | Christian Aulbach | John Jay College of Criminal Justice |
$500 | Helen Ho | Duke University |
$500 | Kristin Schultes | University of Michigan |
$500 | Michelle Ziperstein | University of Florida |
Winners of the 2007 Essay Scholarship
2007 Essay Topic:
“300 Million Americans! In October 2006, the U.S. population reached 300 million. Is a population of this size sustainable in the long term? If not, what population size would be sustainable and why?”
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$1,000 | Zhihan Chen | Harvard College |
$500 | Bryan Jackson | Northern Illinois University |
$500 | Nicholas Murray | California Polytechnic State University |
$500 | Carolyn Taylor | Indiana University |
Winners of the 2006 Essay Scholarship
2006 Essay Topic:
“Should the United States’ government pursue population policies to protect our quality of life for future generations?”
Award | Winner Name | School |
|---|---|---|
$2,000 | Craig Huneke | National University |
$1,000 | Ashley Reynolds | Oklahoma State University |
$500 | Renee Wasser | Goucher College |
$500 | Vincent Harris | Baylor University |
$500 | Sareena Dalla | Harvard University |
