2nd Annual Patricia Trottier and Gwyn Morgan Student Essay Contest Winners
The Manning Foundation along with C2C Journal, Institute for Liberal Studies, Generation Screwed, True North News and Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy were pleased to sponsor in 2024 the 2nd Annual Patricia Trottier and Gwyn Morgan Student Essay Contest
Undergraduate Canadian students were invited to submit an essay (between 1,500 and 2,500 words) addressing a current political, cultural or economic topic broadly consistent with the tenets of classical liberalism and Western civilization which include the principles of free markets, democratic governance, individual liberty, reason, personal responsibility and freedom of conscience and expression. In the spirit of open inquiry and free expression the contest encouraged essays that challenge conventional orthodoxies.
The following five students were chosen by a panel to receive a prize package including $6,000 in cash award:
1. Jonathan Barazzutti – University of Calgary – Six Ways to Fix the Intellectual Diversity Problem at Canadian Universities
2. Jake Melo Valinho – Simon Fraser University – What Does the U.S. Have that Canada Needs? Open Primaries
3. Morrigan Geleynse – Redeemer University – Aquinas’ Verdict: Natural Law and Legal Positivism Clash Over Free Speech
4. Soren Hendricks – University of Lethbridge – Conversational Crisis: The Diminishing Role of Dialectic in Our World
5. Gavin McLeaming – Queen’s University – Truth North Strong and Free? – The Weakness of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Protecting Fundamental Values
A special thank you to everyone supporting the 2nd Annual Morgan Trottier Student Essay Contest (L to R): Troy Lanigan (sponsor, Manning Foundation, Scott Hennig (sponsor, Generation Screwed), Jake Melo Valinho (2nd place essay, Simon Fraser University), Peter Shawn Taylor (headline sponsor, C2C Journal), Morrigan Geleynse (3rd place essay, Redeemer University), Jonathan Barazzutti (1st place essay, University of Calgary), Gwyn Morgan (benefactor), Matt Bufton (sponsor, Institute for Liberal Studies), Patricia Trottier (benefactor), Mark Milke (sponsor, Aristotle Foundation).
