The aim of our essay competition is to allow new thinking to emerge on the key subjects of Lantern's publishing program and to encourage new voices to step forward to shape the debate of the future.

Congratulations to the winners of our 2007 Lantern Books Essay Contest.

• Emily Pepe won first prize of $1000 with her essay Butch O'Hare and the Nameless Chicken
• Jerry W. Davis won second place and $500 with Food for Vultures
• Samia Asif won third place and $250 with The Darkest Nights Make the Brightest Stars
• Read runner up essays and prior years' winners on our blog.

Subject

We gave participants 3 topics to choose from:

• How far does personal responsibility extend when it comes to the environment or other issues affecting the planet?
• Where do you find peace, and how can that space be extended?
• What "bad" experience has turned out to be "good" for you?

Guidelines

• We encourage those wishing to enter to familiarize themselves with Lantern's core subject areas by exploring the Lantern website and reading the 2005 and 2006 Winning & Runner-Up Essays. Past winners and runner-ups may not participate.
• Judges will be looking for originality of vision, knowledge of the subject, skill in presenting an argument, and literary merit. Essays that do not focus on the topics presented will not be considered.
• Essays submitted to this contest are thereby released to Lantern for publishing online, and potential print publishing.
• Essays should be 1500 words or less, and submitted to essay@lanternbooks.com by December 31, 2007. Please include your name, email address, snail mail address, phone number and essay title in the body of the email.

Prizes

• $1000 first prize
• $500 second prize
• $250 third prize
• Winners will be announced March 31, 2008.
• Prize money will be paid by check in US dollars.
• Winning essays may be published in the next Lantern catalogue, on the Lantern website, and in other venues. By submitting your essay for consideration, you are agreeing to this use.

Judges

• Latham Thomas is a graduate of Columbia University, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is a certified holistic health counselor, principal chef preparing raw vegan cuisine at Organic Avenue, and co-founder of Panela Productions, a lifestyle company that educates youth and families. She's taught at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health.
• Norm Phelps is the former spiritual outreach director of The Fund for Animals, as well as a founding member of the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians (SERV) and a contributing writer for Satya. His goal is for faith communities of all traditions to include animals within the scope of their compassionate ministries. Norm Phelps is author of The Dominion of Love, The Great Compassion and The Longest Struggle.
• Tina Volpe is the author of the book The Fast Food Craze: Wreaking Havoc on Our Bodies and Our Animals She is a health researcher, 32 year vegetarian, speaker, educator/consultant, television guest, columnist, and radio host of the top rated show Wake Up America on GlobalTalk Radio. Tina is now affiliated with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine as a "Heart Health" speaker, and SPEAK, as a Humane Educator.