We are pleased to announce the 2025-2026 Live Deliberately Essay Contest Winners!
Both winners were chosen from the 14-16 age category:
Francesca Di Rende, Fairfield, CT: CLICK HERE TO READ ESSAY
Arden Lowder, Buford, GA: CLICK HERE TO READ ESSAY
“Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail…Simplify, simplify.” — Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Reflecting on Henry David Thoreau’s two years, two months, and two days at Walden Pond, consider how his commitment to simplicity and deliberate living resonates with you. Think about how you have (or could) incorporate intentionality and purpose in your own life. What would a life focused on essential, meaningful experiences look like for you, and why might this be key to a truly fulfilling life? Essays should be no more than 750 words.
We received 500 submissions. Thank you to everyone who submitted and for our volunteers who read essays this winter!
For information about past contest winners and to read their essays, click here.
The Live Deliberately Essay Contest is guided by the talented members of the Essay Contest Advisory Board:
- Abdullateef Abdul, lawyer, writer and former Live Deliberately Essay Contest winner
- Julie Bastedo, high school English teacher in Orchard Park, NY, and Approaching Walden Alumna
- Lindsay Dent, high school English teacher in Atlanta, GA, and Approaching Walden Alumna
- Jenifer Ishee, The Walden Woods Project’s Curator of Collections
- Ellen Resnek, Chief Program Officer at Founding Forward in Valley Forge, PA, and Approaching Walden Alumna
- Sarah Walker, The Walden Woods Project’s Education Director
- Christie Wyman, elementary school teacher in Weston, MA, and Approaching Walden Alumna
Additionally, our contest is made possible by dozens of thoughtful volunteer reviewers each year. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer REVIEWER, please contact sarah.walker@walden.org.
