FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Ciancio, American Life League, sciancio@all.org
(December 15, 2025 – Fredericksburg, VA) American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program is proud to announce that it has chosen the winners of its annual Pro-Life Essay Contest—an educational initiative designed to encourage students to thoughtfully articulate the value and dignity of human life.
This year’s contest drew a record-breaking nearly 500 entries—three times the number received last year—from elementary, middle, and high school students across Catholic schools, homeschool programs, and beyond. Participants, ranging from young children to teens, articulated their pro-life convictions with remarkable clarity, compassion, intelligence, and joy.
“It was incredibly challenging to select winners amid such an extraordinary influx of thoughtful submissions,” said Susan Ciancio, director of the Culture of Life Studies Program. “This surge speaks volumes about the passion of the next generation and the dedicated educators guiding them. Every essay we read affirmed that today’s youth deeply understand the urgent need to protect the most vulnerable among us.”
The Pro-Life Essay Contest aligns with CLSP’s core mission: to equip young people with the knowledge and courage to engage thoughtfully and compassionately on life issues through writing and civil discourse.
Katie Brown Xavios, national director of American Life League, added, “These talented winners—and all who participated—offer profound hope for the future of the pro-life movement. Their powerful arguments for the sanctity of human life inspire us all, and we pray their voices continue to resonate and influence their peers.”
Building on an earlier announcement of historic participation levels, this year’s overwhelming response underscores a growing commitment among young people to pro-life principles. American Life League anticipates even greater growth in future contests as this momentum builds.
Winners in each category will receive cash prizes along with an array of pro-life resources and materials. The winning essays are now available for the public to read on the American Life League website at prolifeessay.com.
For more information about the Culture of Life Studies Program or the Pro-Life Essay Contest, visit all.org/clsp.
American Life League, founded in 1979, is the nation’s oldest grassroots Catholic pro-life education organization dedicated to building a culture that respects all human life from creation to natural death.