Six middle and high school students representing California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas and Virginia, have received cash awards for their winning submissions in Maryknoll magazine’s 22nd annual Maryknoll Student Essay Contest.

 This year’s assignment, iMission, asked students to describe how young people continue to spread the Good News of the Lord throughout a world increasingly dominated by and dependent on instant messaging and online social networking. For 100 years, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers has been following Jesus’ command to “go out to the whole world and spread the Good News.” While ever-changing technology now provides unique, easy and instantaneous communications opportunities from almost anywhere, Maryknoll asked teenagers and pre-teens to share the many ways that they share Jesus’ message with others.

More than 3,500 students competed in two divisions (grades six to eight and grades nine to 12) for nearly $3,000 in cash prizes. A panel of Maryknoll missioners and employees chose the following winners:

First Place ($1,000): The Bishop Francis X Ford Award (named in honor of the Maryknoll priest who died in a prison in China during 1952)

• Clarissa Vokt, St. John Vianney School, San Jose, California, Grade 8. (click here to read her essay)

First Place ($1,000): The Bishop Patrick J. Byrne Award (named for the missioner who died on a forced march in Korea during 1950)

• Kelly Dempsey, Holy Family High School, Broomfield, Colorado, Grade 10. (click here to read her essay)

Second Place ($300)

• Julia Pelletier, St. Agatha School, Milton, Massachusetts, Grade 8. (click here to read her essay)
• Maeve Donovan, Holy Family High School, Broomfield, Colorado, Grade 10. (click here to read her essay) 

Third Place ($150)

• Oscar Rubio, Sacred Heart Catholic School, Del Rio, Texas, Grade 7. (click here to read his essay)
• Candy Suh, Roanoke Catholic School, Roanoke, Virginia, Grade 12.  (click here to read her essay)

The first-place essays are published in the May/June issue of MARYKNOLL magazine, together with the names and photos of second- and third-place winners. Visit www.maryknollsociety.org/essay to get the 2011 Student Essay Contest rules when they become available.

Read Press Release