A Voice for Animals Contest The contest is supported by a partnership between the Animal Welfare Institute and the Humane Education Network with additional support from the Palo Alto Humane Society. Each January, the Humane Education Network holds its annual A Voice for Animals contest for high school students. Congratulations to our 2020 contest winners! H.E.N. does not condone any form of animal suffering. We strive to discover solutions to mitigate animal suffering. Small steps are often necessary to achieve the ideal goal of ending pain and distress altogether. First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) Sarah Robison The Plastic Effect: Sea Turtle Awareness Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) Jessica To Koala Preservation | Defend the Defenseless Third Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) Caitlyn Kwok Manta Rays Need Our Help Third Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) Belen Torres A Helping Hand To Paws First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) Reed Farrar Strange Birds Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) Derek DeAngelo Animal Homelessness: There's an App for That Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) Aimee Jones Bee Kind to All Honorable Mention Oris Chambliss Sharks: Hollywood's Most Misunderstood Villains First Prize (Essay by 16-18 year old) Yolanda Chen Overfishing and Bycatch: An Empty Ocean Honorable Mention Sophia Duera-Cardozo Aquatic Research Bot Honorable Mention Hillary Shi Extinction of the tiger king Second Prize (Essay by 16-18 year old) Elizabeth Quach EcoTensil Third Prize (Essay by 16-18 year old) Franscine Garcia Stray Lives Matter First Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) Liana Hase-Penn The Tragic Plight of Pangolins and the Poaching of the Endangered Species Second Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) Tracy Huang Saving the Intelligent Red-fur Beasts: One Step at a Time Third Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) Chloe Sow What's Up with the Southern Resident Orcas? First Prize (ESL, 16-18 year old) Dane Wary Dulnuan Humanity in the World Wild Web Second Prize (ESL, 16-18 year old) Valentina Barrón García The Broad Line between Tradition and Cruelty Second Prize (ESL, 16-18 year old) Karla Ortega-Sandoval Caged in the Wilderness Third Prize (ESL, 16-18 year old) Shruti Dhaka Sacred but neglected Previous winners Select a winning essay and click the Read Essay button. The essay will open as a PDF file in another window.

(Essays shown in gray are not currently available online.) Select winner ... 2019 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Elyas Masrour - Piping Plover Education Project 2019 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Tess Cowles - Save The Elephants #refusetoride 2019 Third Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Yuki Coyle - Our Home is Their Home 2019 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Amanda Cabral - Harmful Effects of ... 2019 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Paulina Umansky - Humane Classroom Act 2019 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Adam Vossen - The Power of Plant-Based Diets 2019 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Denali Bruce - Teaching Birds to Fly 2019 Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Somya Pandey - Climate Change’s Impact ... 2019 First Prize (Essay by 16-18 year old) - Tracy Chen - Environmental Impact Awareness Week 2019 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Grace Kueker - Angel's Community ... 2019 Second Prize (Essay by 16-18 year old) - Emma Rhyne - Starving in a Full World: The Plight ... 2019 Third Prize (Essay by 16-18 year old) - Hannah Nivar - Project Terrapin 2019 Active Involvement Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Kristin Thorneloe - Finding a Home 2019 Active Involvement Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - William Naughton - Bat Houses 2019 First Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Killashandra Coetzee - The Cape Mountain Zebra: ... 2019 Honorable Mention (Essay by 16-18 year old) - Borja Ingle-Fernandez - Bird Migrations and ... 2019 Honorable Mention (Essay by 16-18 year old) - Danielle Mank - Save the Snakes 2019 Honorable Mention (Essay by 16-18 year old) - Alyssa Medin - The Race to Greyhound Freedom 2019 Second Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Skye Lam - The Depleting Undersea Forests: ... 2019 Third Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Annie Edwards - Erasing Leatherback History: The ... 2019 Active Involvement Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Lauryn Green - ... 2019 Active Involvement Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Aoi Otani - Be a ... 2019 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Amanda Kay - The Effects of Climate Change ... 2019 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Nitisha Ponnappan - Behind the Painted Shells 2018 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Weijia Liang - Protect the Smile of the Yangtze River 2018 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Amogh Gowda - Pigs in Danger 2018 Third Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Sara Bower - Shark Appeal 2018 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Vibha Rohilla - They Evolved With Us 2018 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Emily McLaughlin Sta. Maria - ... 2018 Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Hannah Sackles - A Second Life for ... 2018 First Prize (Essay by 16-18 year old) - Sydney Puda - Rhino Conservation Mission 2018 Second Prize (Essay by 16-18 year old) - Melanie Sztybel - Loneliest Orca in the World: Lolita 2018 Third Prize (Essay by 16-18 year old) - Amadea Gardner - Declawing is Cruelty 2018 Active Involvement Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Kelsey Levine - Bouncing Back - A ... 2018 Active Involvement Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Tina Li - SOS: Save Our ... 2018 First Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Alexi Lee - Moon Bears: The Gut-Wrenching Truth 2018 Second Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Ivan Budanov - Bring back the leatherback 2018 Third Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Devin Robinson - Ignorance is Bliss: the True Tale ... 2018 First Prize (Endangered Species, 14-15 year old) - Peyton Steffek - The Gentle Giants of ... 2018 Second Prize (Endangered Species, 14-15 year old) - Faith Oh - A Devastating Population ... 2018 Third Prize (Endangered Species, 14-15 year old) - Angelina Xu - Need A Bit More Than Magic 2018 Noted by Judges - Abhinav Ganguly - The Pride of Assam 2018 Noted by Judges - Jina Kwon - The Invisible Plague: Microplastics 2018 Noted by Judges - Dayana Martinez Hernandez - Saving domestic dogs: The correlation ... 2017 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Myriam Burger - Save an Elephant, Save a Species 2017 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Lisa Wang - The Buzz About Bees 2017 Third Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Jovita Solorio-Fielder - Saving Sea Turtles 2017 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Olivia Banks - Cozy Condos for Feral ... 2017 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Emma Richards - Pit Bulls Are Not Bullies 2017 Climate Change First Prize - Claire Wayner - Seeing Scarlet: Saving a Neotropical Migrant 2017 Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Tess Pickering - The Final Cut 2017 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Kaitlyn Johnson - Older Cats: A ... 2017 Active Involvement Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Leah Evensen - Food For Thought 2017 Active Involvement Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Anne Fentress - Ending ... 2017 First Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Naomi Chongsiriwatana - When the Powerful Are Crushed 2017 Second Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Dylan Scott - Bees: Earth's Backbone 2017 Third Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Katherine Sabak - Muennink's Spiny Rat 2017 Active Involvement Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Janelle Huinda - ... 2017 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Sasha Fairbairn - The Hopeful Story of the ... 2017 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Kellen Vu - Not-So-Happy Feet 2017 Climate Change Second Prize - Kelsey Hall - LEAP Club (Leaders for Environmental Awareness ... 2017 Honorable Mention (Climate Change) - Enrithy Chey - Climate Change: Fish 2017 Honorable Mention (Climate Change) - Allison Feng - Let's Be Oral About Coral 2017 Honorable Mention (Climate Change) - Nicholas Grosso - Saving Spoonbills: A Look Through ... 2017 Honorable Mention (Climate Change) - Jenny Tran - A Voice for Animals: Climate Change 2016 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Aleia Free - "Don't Buy An Easter Bunny This Year" 2016 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Noemi Tirado - Ecowlity 2016 Third Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Lionell Wright - Castles for 'Coons 2016 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Lindsay Alfermann - The Franklin County ... 2016 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Kassidy Manning - Animals Have Feelings Too 2016 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Matthew Carbonaro - Cape Cod Doxie Day 2016 Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Jake McGarey - People Food is Not Pet Food 2016 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Victoria Oldson - Effects of ... 2016 Active Involvement Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Emilia Kosonen - Animal Agriculture ... 2016 Active Involvement Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Brynnan Grimes - End Cat ... 2016 First Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Abigail Ulsamer - The Search for the Ghost Bird 2016 Second Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Grace Sampson - Propelling to Extinction: The ... 2016 Third Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Cassandra Parker - Never Neglect 2016 Active Involvement Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Sofia Annunziata - ... 2016 Active Involvement Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Kayla Kezema - Cat ... 2016 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Joseph Chu - Deforestation: Destroyer of Habitats 2016 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Sarah Katz - Polar Bears vs. Global Warming 2016 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Justice Morgan - The Factory Farm: A House ... 2015 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Natalia Maisonet - Alley Cats & Dogs Rescue Project 2015 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Trystan Adams - "Catios" 2015 Third Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Lauren Fredericks - Saving a Life is Always in Style 2015 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Jennifer Carter - Invisible Wounds: ... 2015 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Rachel Kirylo - Until There Are None, Adopt One 2015 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Frances Manthorpe - Changing Animals Lives ... 2015 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Alyssa Saggau - Every Animal Deserves a Chance 2015 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Gabriela Gonzalez - Making a ... 2015 Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Felicia Saravo - Terps Make A Comeback 2015 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Ryan Lacey - Horse Slaughter: ... 2015 First Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Eva Herscowitz - Tough on Poaching: The Bleak Fate ... 2015 Second Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Aidan Crowley - The Awe-Inspiring Leatherback 2015 Third Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Hyunji Lee - Who is the actual killer 2015 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Tia Biggs - Haunted By Halloween 2015 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Keara Watkins - Is a Dog Really a Man's Best ... 2015 First Prize (Personal Involvement Project by 15-16 year old) - Alexandra Forsythe - ... 2014 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Evan Brown - First Coast No More Homeless Pets: ... 2014 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Chaise Hendrix - Homeless Animals and Volunteering 2014 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Marina Luccioni - Urban Fox 2014 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Kaleigh Rings - Saving the Rhinos 2014 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Sara Ruhl - Exotic Bird Owner Awareness 2014 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Cara Doolittle - Bee Aware 2014 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Emily Boujemaa - Rescued is my ... 2014 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Katharine Frazier - SOS! (Saving our ... 2014 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Jacob Reese - Lake Erie Water Snake ... 2014 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Alisha Fowler - Tails on Trails ... 2014 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Elizabeth Hasier - Collection ... 2014 First Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Annie Benedict - We Otter Bring 'Em Back! : The ... 2014 First Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Victoria Carotenuto - Bringing an End to the ... 2014 Second Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Jennifer Carter - Just Imagine: Saving Shelter ... 2014 Third Prize (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Conor Quinn - Be The Change 2014 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Sonya Mangat - The North Pacific Gyre 2014 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Olivia McCormick - Changing The Poultry Industry 2014 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14-15 year old) - Benjamin Seaberg - Prairie Dogs: Are They ... 2014 First Prize (Blog/Facebook page) - Dania Gonzalez - A Place To Call Home 2014 Second prize (Blog/Facebook page) - Kaleigh Rings - Endangered Species Everywhere 2014 Third Prize (Blog/Facebook page) - Ashley Aubin - Cat Sanctuary Website 2013 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Jordyn DeGroote - Exotic Animal Trade- Dangers and ... 2013 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Lucerito Gutierrez - Volunteering in Rescuing ... 2013 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Tiara Driedger - Save The Humpback Whales 2013 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Megan Tsang - Truth About Shark Finning 2013 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Morgan Beckwith - Spay and Neuter ... 2013 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Alex Koss - SPCA Rescue the Animals 2013 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Marina Mireles - A Path Down a Broken Road 2013 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Rebekah Hatherly - A Voice for Sharks 2013 Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Grant Ly - Dolphin Captivity-The ... 2013 Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Kailei Malauskas - Stop the Breeding ... 2013 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Christopher Farrow - "Save the ... 2013 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Matthew Pentek - 100 Bluebird ... 2013 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Emily Robinson - Years in Change 2013 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 15-16 year old) - Brita Walther - A.E.A and the ... 2013 First Prize (Blog/Facebook page) - Lyra Bertels - Dog Abuse Awareness 2013 Second prize (Blog/Facebook page) - Keertana Srinivasan - End Animal Experimentation 2013 First Prize (Essay by 14 year old) - Maya Rinehart - Making a Difference in the Lives of ... 2013 Second Prize (Essay by 14 year old) - Karan Ishii - Reasons to Not Eat Meat 2013 Second Prize (Essay by 14 year old) - Shriraj Susarla - Territorial Disputes Between ... 2013 Third Prize (Essay by 14 year old) - Brooke McArdle - The Endangered Killer Whale 2013 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14 year old) - Judy Lau - The Reality of Dogfighting 2013 Honorable Mention (Essay by 14 year old) - Holly Testerman - Now He is Nothing: The Plight ... 2012 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Carissa Atallah - Hermit Crab Molting Awareness 2012 First Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Rick Espinoza - Titan: A Stray is Just as Good 2012 Second Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Rachel Park - Saving Cats Step by Step 2012 Third Prize (Video by 16-18 year old) - Tyler Kerver - Mustang 2012 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Regina Antoine - What If We Were the Polar Bears 2012 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Rachel Emrich - Meet Your Meat Public ... 2012 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Kyana Jones - Unless I care a whole ... 2012 Honorable Mention (Video by 16-18 year old) - Cyndi Lynn Sheridan - Save Our Species: ... 2012 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Keely Ryan - KFC demo 2012 Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Abby Kimball - The Industrialized ... 2012 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Emily (Yan Ting) Chen - Stop ... 2012 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Rafael Parra - A New Way to Eat 2012 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Erica Riano - Adopt A Stray 2012 Honorable Mention (Essay/Photographs by 16-18 year old) - Wendy Villavicencio - Vet Society 2012 First Prize (Essay/Photographs by 15-16 year old) - Michelle Jang - Road to Extinction: ... 2012 Prize for best 14 year old (Essay/Photograph) - Yassel Manrique - A Voice For Animals Entry 2012 Second Prize (Essay/Photographs by 15-16 year old) - Kathryn Andrae - Anti-Puppy Mill Project 2012 Third Prize (Essay/Photographs by 15-16 year old) - Hayoung Chang - Ending the Cruelty of ... 2012 Noted by Judges - Kayla Bean - The animals in who suffer - Who am I? 2012 Noted by Judges - Ana Coffman - Heart Strings 2012 Noted by Judges - Daishan Epperson - Animals Have Feelings Too 2012 Noted by Judges - Ebony Joseph - True F.R.I.E.N.D.S 2011 1st Prize - Clara Monsma - Georgia's Lost Gazelles 2011 2nd prize - Anita Lo - Bitter Bile: Torture of Moon Bears in Asia 2011 3rd Prize - Hanqing Chen - The Moon Bear's Plight 2011 3rd Prize - Madeleine Villanueva - The Effects of Plastic on Marine Animals 2011 Best Personal & Active Involvement - Nicolas Simon - Lessons From the Temple Dogs 2011 Honorable Mention - Julie Fink - The Last Performance of the Circus Bear 2011 Honorable Mention - Chloe Gui - The Slaughter of Australia's Icon 2011 Honorable Mention (Involvement) - Kendra Baum - Strays - The Cats of the Street 2011 Honorable Mention (Involvement) - Sean Bernatowicz - BE A VOICE 2011 Overseas Prize - Robyn Faulkner - Save a Turtle 2011 Overseas Prize - Gunhwan Kim - Consumption of Man's Best Friends Dogs 2011 Overseas Prize - Jessee Kuhar - Brazil, the Bill, and the Will - To Change 2011 An Essay We Couldn't Ignore - Josie Benson - Good Intentions Gone Awry: The Sad Case of ... 2011 An Essay We Couldn't Ignore - Melina Figueroa - Fashion fau pas 2011 An Essay We Couldn't Ignore - Allison Hall - Muzzled Out of Life 2011 An Essay We Couldn't Ignore - Casey Reynolds - Breaking the Bit 2011 Best Essay by a 14 Year Old - Keertana Srinivasan - The Terrifying Truth Behind ... 2011 Honorable Mention (14 Year Old) - Cianna Chavez - Animal Hoarding: Dangerous to Both Human ... 2011 Honorable Mention (14 Year Old) - Haritha Jupudy - Meet your Meat: Cows are Friends, not Food 2011 1st Prize (15-16 year old) - Sneha Ayyagari - Behind the Scenes: The Shocking Lives of ... 2011 2nd Prize (15-16 year old) - Molly Chirunomula - The Plight of the Parrots: Solutions to ... 2011 3rd Prize (15-16 year old) - Amanda Kowalczyk - A Dying Legacy: Thoroughbred Racing 2011 3rd Prize (15-16 year old) - Kevin Pope - "Gobble Gobble?" 2011 Honorable Mention (15-16 year old) - Hyun Kim - The Loss of the Gem of the Yangtze: the ... 2011 Honorable Mention (15-16 year old) - Joyce Squillante - More than Just That Crazy Cat ... 2011 Honorable Mention (15-16 year old) - Jennifer Tran - Cute, Cuddly and Homeless 2011 Africa Prize - Katherine Grunder - The Cost Is Extinction: African Elephants and the Ivory ... 2010 1st Prize - Lauren Gilbert - New York City's Shame: The Carriage Horse Industry 2010 2nd prize - Sara Corben - Xenotransplantation 2010 3rd Prize - Tiffany Wang - Sushi Slaughter 2010 Best Personal & Active Involvement - Jennifer Yost - Parrot Rehabilitation Journey 2010 Honorable Mention - Alexandra Durst - Salmon For The Salish 2010 Honorable Mention - Amanda La Rue - Matador Mastery or Merciless Mutilation? The ... 2010 Honorable Mention - Sara Redd - Acidosis in American Cattle: Possible Solutions to a ... 2010 Honorable Mention (Involvement) - Erin Calhoon - Hear Them 2010 Honorable Mention (Involvement) - Mackenzie Robert - Vested Determination 2010 Honorable Mention (Involvement) - Andy Wang - The Reviver 2010 Overseas Prize - Yosra Alterkawi - A Sad Reality: CATastrophes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2010 An Essay We Couldn't Ignore - Melis Borovali - Fighting Against Fate 2010 An Essay We Couldn't Ignore - Stephanie Bryan - Man's Best Friend Poisoned with Strychnine ... 2010 An Essay We Couldn't Ignore - Justine Dover - The Ozark Hellbender: No longer found under ... 2010 Best Essay by a 14 Year Old - Morgan Zerkle - The Influence of the Macaw 2010 1st Prize (15-16 year old) - Kimberly Hanson - The Tragedy behind Foie Gras 2010 2nd Prize (15-16 year old) - Robert Born - Modern Slaves: the Secret Life of Circus Elephants 2010 3rd Prize (15-16 year old) - Clayton Suplinski - Tapirs: On the Brink of Extinction 2010 Honorable Mention (15-16 year old) - Kaitlin Deutsch - Trapped in Suffering: The Cruelty ... 2010 Honorable Mention (15-16 year old) - Mary Kate Koch - Lonely Waters: the Decline of ... 2010 Honorable Mention (15-16 year old) - Alexis Schilf - Testing on Animals Breaks More Than Hearts 2010 Africa Prize - Megan Dixon - Bullfighting and its Many Evils 2009 1st Prize - Kristen VanZant - Technology Boom, Gorilla Bust 2009 2nd prize - Brittany Willingham - The Orangutan's Struggle to Survive the Palm Oil Industry 2009 3rd Prize - Roxanne Olsson - The Voice of the Macaw 2009 Best Personal & Active Involvement - Chelsi Sparti - Menace of urbanization – Downfall of ... 2009 Honorable Mention - Muyi Li - Preserving a Cultural Heritage: the Decline of the Dugongs 2009 Honorable Mention - Katherine Peter - The Devastating Impact of Man on the Asian ... 2009 Honorable Mention - Christine Shieh - Disappearing Silhouettes in the Savanna Sun: The ... 2009 Honorable Mention (Involvement) - Renee Ceil - Some May Call Me Crazy -- My Dedication to ... 2009 Honorable Mention (Involvement) - Sarah Yeend - Being Human: The Problem of Imprinting in ... 2009 1st Prize (Underclassmen) - Sophia Hu - The Detrimental Effects of Abusive Training and ... 2009 2nd Prize (Underclassmen) - An Nguyen - The Truth Behind the White Tiger 2009 3rd Prize (Underclassmen) - Dajahi Wiley - Mass Murder: The Politics and Economics of ... 2009 Best Personal Activist - Sofia Prado - Huaperros Essay 2009 Overseas Prize - Julianna Ko - China's Secret: The Plight of Stray Cats 2009 An Essay We Couldn't Ignore - Megan Garbarini - Elvis--A Shelter Dog To A Ground Zero Hero 2009 Honorable Mention (Underclassmen) - Tori Burnett - Lead Poisoning: A Silent Epidemic 2009 Honorable Mention (Underclassmen) - Alex Klintworth - Protecting the Manatee 2009 Honorable Mention (Underclassmen) - Monica Lee - Animal Sacrifice in South African Churches 2009 Best Essay by a 14 Year Old - Cayla Jakubowski - A Call to Action: Cruelty Towards Cows in ... 2009 Honorable Mention (14 Year Old) - Sadia Ahmed - The Life of a Battery Hen 2009 Honorable Mention (14 Year Old) - Briauna Inglis - Polar Bears: Are They in Danger? 2008 1st Prize - Tracy Mandel - The Corruption of Chimpanzee Testing and Its Implications for ... 2008 2nd prize - Ashley Eberhart - Equine Soring in the Tennessee Walking Horse Industry- A ... 2008 3rd Prize - Emily Reed - Tigers: Endangered Species 2008 3rd Prize - Jennifer Wiegand - Free-Range Puppies? Using the Market Economy to Promote ... 2008 Best Personal & Active Involvement - Zander Srodes - Turtle Talks 2008 Honorable Mention - Maricela Jimenez - Dogfighting: America's Latest Vice 2008 Honorable Mention - Ashlee Stafford - The Sport of Kings? The Toll of Racing on the ... 2008 Honorable Mention - Lauren Welch - Going Going Gone: The Siberian Tiger Vanishing Act 2008 Best Freshman Essay - Cynthia (Xi) Hua - Goldfish Bowls: Art at What Cost? 2008 Honorable Mention (Involvement) - Alexandra Hayford - The Perils of Our Garbage 2008 Honorable Mention (Involvement) - Keith Kremlick - Wild Horses Couldn't Drag me Away 2008 Honorable Mention (Freshman) - Tara Deonauth - The Plight of the Eastern Diamondback ... 2008 Honorable Mention (Freshman) - April Dodd - Organisms We Examine 2007 1st Prize - Viridiana Acosta - The Atrocious Impact of Deforestation and Illegal Pet Trade ... 2007 2nd prize - Teresa Smit - Use of Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone 2007 3rd Prize - Amanda Goldsmith - The Effects of Public Awareness on the Modern Industry of ... 2007 Best Personal & Active Involvement - Nicole Mattei-Lince - The Final Ride: The Causes & ... 2007 Honorable Mention - Lisa Burley - The Silent Population Problem 2007 Honorable Mention - Shaina Lex - Wildcats: the Newest Family Pet 2007 Honorable Mention - Anamarie Urrutia - Apes in Crisis 2007 Best Freshman Essay - Juliana Joe - Animal Experimentation is Not Helping Anyone 2006 1st Prize - Brian Nguyen - The Impact of Off-Road Vehicles on the Safety of Tortoises in ... 2006 2nd prize - Grace Willis - Bats: The Fight for Flight 2006 3rd Prize - Taylor Wasserman - A Voice Against Bullfighting 2006 Best Personal & Active Involvement - Kathryn Hobbs - "Protecting the Dogs that Protect ... 2006 Honorable Mention - Tiffani Compton - Desert Tortoises: This Year's Throw-Away Pet 2006 Honorable Mention - Katee LoMonaco - It's A Puppy Prison 2006 Honorable Mention - Brian McLeod - "A World of Beliefs" 2006 Best Freshman Essay - Amy Tai - Cockfighting: Inhumane Treatment for Contemptible Pleasure 2005 1st Prize - Lisette Arellano - Wildlife Pets: A Deplorable Oxymoron 2005 2nd prize - Sarah Davis - Horse Slaughter: Our Nation's Dirty Secret 2005 3rd Prize - Steven Huang - 21st Century Holocaust 2005 Honorable Mention - Michelle Boire - The Inhumane Treatment of Animals in the United States 2005 Honorable Mention - Wayne Boom - Back on Your Feed and Good as New 2005 Honorable Mention - Bof Safford - Protecting the Prairie Dogs 2004 1st Prize - Michael Jin - Cruelty to Ducks in Foie Gras Production 2004 2nd prize - Dewi Harjanto - The Untold Story 2004 3rd Prize - Rowena Bandigas - The Truth About Vivisection 2004 Honorable Mention - Julie Heade - Torture for Beauty 2004 Honorable Mention - Katie Levy - Animal Testing is a Barbaric Practice 2004 Honorable Mention - Dallas Sherman - Alaska's Aerial Wolf Killing Program 2003 1st Prize - Britney Heredia - Circus Animals 2003 2nd prize - Ohmar Myint - Animal Use in War Research 2003 3rd Prize - Teresa Castro - The Imprisonment of Dolphins for Peoples' Amusement 2003 3rd Prize - Lidia D'Amico - The Cruelty of Keeping Wild, Exotic Cats as "Pets" 2003 Honorable Mention - Samantha Haw - Dog Fighting 2003 Honorable Mention - Neha Prakash - Rehabilitating Ducklings 2003 Honorable Mention - Erin Schwartz - Testing Household Products on Animals 2002 1st Prize - Rebekkah Dilts - Mountain Lions 2002 2nd prize - Mallory Curtis - Lives of Feral Cats 2002 2nd prize - Akira Kobayashi - Torture of Chickens in Modern Factory Farms 2002 3rd Prize - Caroline Chase - Factory Farms Inflict Suffering on Cows, Pigs, and Chickens 2002 Honorable Mention - Tran Ho - Dolphins 2002 Honorable Mention - Brianne Johnson - The Plight of Elephants 2002 Honorable Mention - Heather Sulli - Chickens 2002 Honorable Mention - Amanda Ufheil-Somers - Abolishing Hunting Ranches 2001 1st Prize - Alia Kroos - Imprisonment and Inhumane Treatment of Chimpanzees in Biomedical Labs 2001 2nd prize - Andrew Grundstrom - The Abuse of Greyhounds in the Racing Industry 2001 3rd Prize - Jeff Chien - Which Do You Pet and Which Do You Eat? 2001 Honorable Mention - Jennifer Cheung - Cockfighting 2001 Honorable Mention - Alice Pencavel - Throwaway Toys 2001 Honorable Mention - Cheryl Phillips - Captive Parrots 2001 Honorable Mention - Christina Schmunk - Shrimping and the Plight of Sea Turtles 1999 1st Prize - Nick Sesnak - The Tragedy of Circus Elephants 1999 2nd prize - Andrea Smith - Sacrifice to Vanity: The Killing of Animals for Fur 1999 3rd Prize - Alison Prehn - The Price of an American Tradition Contest FAQ No. This is an contest with a set of rules and cash prizes. We advertise the contest on scholarship web sites to reach the largest number of eligible high school students. The dates are usually announced on our web site mid-December after the judges have finalized the rules. The contest usually opens for entries in January and closes in March with results being announced in May. The rules and requirements for each contest may vary from year to year. The rules for the 2021 contest will appear on this page when the contest dates are announced in December. Entries are accepted only between the contest opening and closing dates. The online form for submitting entries does not appear on this page until the contest opens. Your entry must be submitted online using a form which appears on this page only while the contest is open for entries. Entries sent to us in any other way (e.g. e-mail or via the postal service) will simply be discarded. Questions about the A Voice for Animals contest may be sent to contest@hennet.org. E-mail to any other address will not necessarily receive a response.