CAMDEN — Three Gould Academy students claimed all top honors in the annual Camden Conference Bill Taylor Essay Contest that drew submissions from students around the state. 

Ingrid Janicki took first place for her essay "Peace to the People: Election Denialism." Meredith McMillan earned second place for "The Independence of the Judiciary," while Will Brown captured third place for "Broadcasting Democracy." 

All essays addressed this year's theme, Democracy Under Threat: A Global Perspective, reflecting the focus of the 2025 Camden Conference. Among the conference attendees were nearly eighty high school teachers and students from fourteen Maine high schools. 

Judges David Dethlefs, Mary Beth Banios, and Laurie Stone – members of the Camden Conference Education Committee – praised the eighteen submissions for their impressive attention to academic detail and rigorous research.

"We were impressed by the thoughtful engagement with complex topics and real depth of thought and analysis," the judging panel said. "This recognition affirms not just your skill as writers, but also the hard work, discipline, and civic awareness you brought to your pieces," the judges told the winners. 

Gould Academy teacher Brad Clarke expressed pride in his students' achievement.

"We are very happy for our students to have the opportunity to reflect on what they learned through the Bill Taylor contest," he said. 

The Camden Conference also thanked all the schools and teachers who participate in Camden Conference in the Classroom through classwork and participation in the annual conference. 

The essay competition is part of Camden Conference in the Classroom, an educational program that connects Maine students with global issues. The winning essays are available for reading on the Camden Conference website.

The mission of the Camden Conference is to be a non-partisan community forum fostering in-depth discussion of world issues through year-round public engagement in community events and student education programs, culminating in an annual February weekend conference. For more information, please visit http://www.camdenconference.org