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2026 Elie Wiesel Ethics Prize Winners Announced
Building a New Generation of Moral Leaders
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Elie Wiesel Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Elie Wiesel Ethics Prize. The winners come from schools across the country, and their essays have been selected through a rigorous anonymous process during which the distinguished readers’ committee and jury identified essays offering thoughtful, nuanced explorations of pressing ethical challenges in today’s world. Elisha Wiesel, son of Elie Wiesel and Chairman of The Elie Wiesel Foundation, remarked that “this year’s essays were outstanding and presented the jury with an exciting opportunity to engage with a range of ethical issues and deepen their own thinking.”Now in its 37th year, the prize invites students to write essays that engage deeply with complex moral questions, often drawing from personal experience to illuminate broader societal and ethical issues. In addition to scholarships, the winners will participate in curated professional development training, including expert writing and speaking seminars, learning modules, and networking opportunities. The winners will be celebrated on October 6, 2026, at the annual Elie Wiesel Ethics Prize Dinner.
“I'm proud to partner with The Elie Wiesel Foundation in an essay contest that inspires students to wrestle deeply — in both a philosophical and personal way — with consequential issues facing humanity and society through an ethical lens. In writing essays that prod our conscience, this year’s remarkable group of student winners are already making a difference in the world. They each embody the hope that a new generation of moral leaders will rise to meet the challenges before us,” said Dov Seidman, Founder and Chairman of The HOW Institute for Society and LRN, and board member of The Foundation and long-time partner on the Ethics Prize.
We congratulate the following winners:
Cynthia Medina, Yale University, 1st prize, When I Said I Was Fine
Noella Mongony, George Mason University, 2nd prize, Stones That Remember
Kaia Fujinaka, California Polytechnic State University, 3rd prize, What We Carry Quietly: Guilt at the Bedside
Honorable mention:
Shah Wasif Fabian, Eastern Illinois University, Stillness
Maya Kikov, Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, Solidarity in Silence: From Wiesel to October 7th
Aleyna Uslu, Montclair State University, The Spectrum of Silence
The Foundation’s Executive Director, LizAnn Eisen, said “The winning essays stood out in a year of record submissions. We appreciate the time and effort of our readers and our jury to identify essays that push each of us to think about systemic moral and ethical challenges.”
The Foundation will open submissions for the 2027 Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest in Fall 2026. Submissions will be due in January 2027. The contest will be open to all undergraduate students enrolled as full-time students for the Spring 2027 semester at accredited four-year colleges and universities.
About The Elie Wiesel Foundation
Founded by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, and his wife Marion, The Foundation advocates for global human rights, ethical reflection and cross-cultural understanding through programs that engage students, artists, educators, and communities in meaningful dialogue and action.
To learn more, visit: www.eliewieselfoundation.org.
LizabethAnn R. Eisen
The Elie Wiesel Foundation
+1 212-490-7797
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