"The Mind Challange"
Essay competidtion of Flourishing

Purpose

The purpose of the competition is to encourage young people to engage in careful ethical thinking and to write about contemporary moral issues, while also providing them with an opportunity for recognition and publication of their work. Flourishing therefore encourages all university students or young people aged 19–29 who have been reflecting on ethical issues in contemporary society to participate.

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Patron

The patron of Heilabrotið is Vilhjálmur Árnason, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Iceland. His works are widely known and have brought about major developments in the teaching of and public discussion about ethical issues in society over the past four decades. Vilhjálmur is committed to the advancement of informed public debate and to encouraging young people to engage with ethical questions. He will present the prizes to the winners of Heilabrotið at the award ceremony of the competition.

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Length and Form of Essays

The competition concerns relatively short essays of 3,000 to 5,000 words on ethical issues in contemporary society, which may also address possible solutions leading to constructive outcomes.
The submission deadline is Tuesday, May 1st, 2026.

Essays may be papers previously written in university courses but must not have been formally published. They must be independent work and must not include contributions from artificial intelligence. See further important information below.

Evaluation Process

In March, the judging committee (see below) reviews submitted essays. Initially, the essays are checked to ensure that they meet the basic participation requirements. If they do, the author is notified and the essay proceeds to a more detailed evaluation by the committee.

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Prizes and Final Event

The results of Heilabrotið will be announced at symposium on Flourishing as aim of education on Friday May 29th 2026 (At Saga S-262) 15:50 - 16:30. (Whole event is from 14:30)

At the symposium, the author of the winning essay will briefly present its content and receive the association’s recognition and prize. The authors who receive second and third place will also be announced.

Prizes include:

• a certificate of recognition,

• book prizes,

• monetary prizes, and

• a special gift prize for the winner (an overnight stay in Rangárvellir).

Participants must reserve time to attend the symposium, either in person or online if necessary.

Publication of Winning Essays

Each year the winning essay, along with the essays placed second and third, will be published on the Flourishing website in a dedicated section for the competition.

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Further Description of Content and Presentation

Content

The main body of the essay should describe ethical realities in society (which may also have international relevance). The concluding section should present conclusions and possibly suggestions for constructive solutions or reflections by the author on the topic.

Evaluation will consider factors such as:

• conciseness of expression,

• breadth of perspective and impartial treatment of premises and arguments,

• understanding of the topic,

• clarity and foresight in conclusions, future perspectives, or proposals,

• strong command of the Icelandic language, and

• coherent and well-structured presentation.

Form

The essay must contain between 3,000 and 5,000 words. Care should be taken in formatting, and sources should be clearly indicated where applicable. Direct quotations from other authors must be placed in quotation marks or indented text. The work must be independently written and without AI-generated contributions.

Submission Format

The essay must be submitted as a Word, RTF, text, or PDF document, attached to an email sent to ritgerd@farsaeld.is. Links to documents or other formats will not be accepted.

The email subject line should read: “Essay Competition 2026” (or another clearly similar title).

The essay itself must be anonymous, but the submission email must include:

• the author’s name,

• national ID number,

• email address,

• home address, and

• telephone number.

The recipient at Flourishing will then ensure the anonymous submission of the essay to the judging committee.

Submission deadline: May 1st, 2026.

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Judging Committee

The judging committee consists of three experienced university-educated individuals. They establish their own procedures for reviewing the essays and criteria for evaluating quality. After the review process is completed, the committee meets and agrees on the ranking of the essays.

Results

Participants will be informed of the committee’s decision one week before the Flourishing symposium. The notification will indicate whether the participant has reached the final stage or not, but the ranking will only be announced at the symposium itself.

Participants must reserve time to attend the symposium, either in person or online if necessary.

Further information can be requested via email at ritgerd@farsaeld.is (the anonymity of the inquirer will be respected where appropriate).