NIH Announces Winners of 2023-2024 High School Mental Health Essay Contest
• Institute Update
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Speaking Up About Mental Health essay contest. Out of more than 370 submissions across 33 states, NIH awarded 24 youth (ages 16-18) finalists with gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention prizes.
Supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the essay contest invited youth to address mental health and reduce mental health stigma that young people may face when seeking mental health treatment.
The winning essays addressed complicated topics such as stigma, trauma, resilience, equity, anxiety, and more. Teens also wrote about specific ideas for improving well-being, such as broader access to leisure sports, reducing time spent on social media, and normalizing mental health treatment and care.
NIH awarded a total of $15,000 in cash prizes to gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention recipients. Read the winning essays at nimhd.nih.gov/EssayContest .
Gold winners
- Max, California - Tenacity Through Tumultuousness
- Michaela, Maryland - Exposing the Impact of Social Media on Teenage Mental Health: A Journey of Self-Discovery
- Raphael, Hawaii - Let's CHAT: Mental Health Impact on Teens Living with Speech Challenges
Silver winners
- Aditi, California – Embracing Authenticity
- Anna, New York - Change Our Approach: How Sports Can Play a Role in Mental Health
- Ciniyah, Illinois - The Roots Affect the Fruit: A Personal Journey of Trauma to Triumph
- Kathleen, Maryland - Behind A Perfect Life
- Paige, Texas - Learn to Live and Accept Your Journey
- Rylie, Maryland - Drowning in Plain Sight
Bronze winners
- Argiro, Pennsylvania - Out in the Open: A Conversation about Mental Health
- Dresden, Maryland - Normalize the Care to Destigmatize the Conditions
- Gabriel, New Jersey - Keeping My Head Up: My Experience with Dad's Brain Cancer
- Hailey, Arkansas - Access for Adolescent Athletes
- Jordan, New Jersey - A Weighted Wait
- Kathryne, North Carolina - Embracing Openness: Unveiling Silent Struggles Surrounding Mental Health
- Maya, Maryland - Speaking up for Change
- Rachel, California - Embracing the Journey Towards Mental Health Acceptance
- Savannah, New Jersey - Taking a Step Today, for a Better Tomorrow
Honorable mentions
- Agaana, Maryland – Accountability for Authority: The Responsibilities of Schools
- Gisele, Pennsylvania - Breaking the Silence
- Jillian, Illinois - Navigating Mental Illness in Teens
- Kyle, North Carolina - How the Neglect of Mental Health Within Black Communities Causes Underlying Issues
- Mason, Maryland - Social Media as a Possible Method to Reduce Mental Health Stigma
- Minsung, Georgia - Hope to Bridge the Gap
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