Announcing the Winners of the Share Your Secular Story Contest!
June 3rd, 2010 | Posted by: Chris Stedman
When we put out a call for stories just a few months ago, we received an influx of submissions from all across the United States and even across the globe, with entries from Ireland and Kenya and a story from one entrant’s childhood growing up in India. This great diversity of submissions made judging these and determining a batch of winners a difficult task for our esteemed panel of judges made up by the former Director of Amnesty International and 2000 “Humanist of the Year” Dr. William Schulz, the highly regarded author and academic Dr. Sharon Welch, the highest ranking Asian-American slam poet of all time Alvin Lau, the brilliant interfaith activist Mary Ellen Giess, the respected and poetic young West Coast writer Nick Mattos, and the renowned blogger, community activist and DJ Erik Roldan. But they rose to the occasion and the votes are in; we’re pleased to announce the winners of the Share Your Secular Story contest!
Interfaith
Winners: Jeff Pollet and Vandana Goel LaClair (tie)
Runner-Up: Rory Fenton
Moral Imagination
Winner: Corinne Tobias
Runners-Up: 1. Beatrice Marovich | 2. Jonathan S. Myerov
Youth
Winner: Joseph Blaha
Runners-Up: 1. Stephen D. Goeman, II | 2. Kyle Morgan
Congratulations to all of our honorees! You should be receiving your prizes (depending on the category, a signed book by Eboo 
Patel or Greg Epstein, a signed DVD by Fish Out of Water director Ky Dickens or signed CD by Ben Lundquist, per the contest description page) soon. And a special congratulations to our winners Jeff Pollet, Vandana Goel LaClair, Corinne Tobias and Joseph Blaha — your submissions will be eligible for publication in the Washington Post Faith Divide, Killing the Buddha, and Jettison Quarterly. More information on that to come.
Thank you to everyone who submitted to our contest for demonstrating that secular stories really do matter. Thank you to our panel of judges for donating your time and wisdom, and to our partners who donated prizes and publication space. But more than anything, I cannot wait for everyone to read what our honorees have produced.
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