The American Philosophical Association (APA) has announced the winners of its 2021 Public Philosophy Op-Ed Contest.

According to the APA, the aim of the Public Philosophy Op-Ed Contest is to “honor up to five standout pieces that successfully blend philosophical argumentation with an op-ed writing style. Winning submissions will call public attention, either directly or indirectly, to the value of philosophical thinking. The pieces will be judged in terms of their success as examples of public philosophy, and should be accessible to the general public, focused on important topics of public concern, and characterized by sound reasoning.”

The 2021 winners, recognized for op-eds published in 2020, are:

• Kimberley Brownlee (University of British Columbia) for “Social needs are a human right,” OUP Blog
• Megan Craig (Stony Brook University) for “The Courage to Be Alone,” The New York Times
• Iskra Fileva (University of Colorado Boulder) for “What Do We Owe the Dead?” The New York Times
• Andrew Schroeder (Claremont McKenna College) for “How Many Have Died?” Issues in Science and Technology
• Annette Zimmermann (University of York & Harvard University) for “The A-level results injustice shows why algorithms are never neutral,” The New Statesman

Winning authors receive a $100 award and will be formally recognized at the annual prize reception at an APA divisional meeting. You can learn more about the prize, and see a list of previous winners, here.