Final Reminder: Essay Contest Closes July 15

You have two weeks left!

Across this sprint we have tried to take the fiscal trap apart from every side — laying out the arithmetic, walking through the mechanics, and setting down what is actually true about it, from an interest bill that now runs larger than defense to a Medicare cost crisis that is architectural rather than demographic. We took the heterodox case at its strongest rather than waving it off, pressed the point a second time, traced where a currency's value really comes from, and asked whether the sacred two-percent target still earns its authority.

And where Washington reaches for a reassuring analogy we have pushed back — on the country everyone calls the counterexample, the empire that debt actually dissolved, and the few nations that engineered real fiscal strength — before starting on the harder half ourselves, in what a disciplined cut would actually require and where the defense budget quietly bleeds. But most of that is diagnosis, carried about as far as we can carry it on our own. The way out is the part we have left for you. We've already got a strong batch of submissions, and we're looking forward to reading many more before the July 15 deadline!

As a reminder, the question we are asking for this sprint’s contest is:

“How does America escape its fiscal trap?”

Prizes and Recognition

• Grand Prize: USD $2,500 cash, re-publication and promotion on our Substack, and the honorary title of Boyd Fellow for one year.

• Second Prize (Runner-Up): USD $1,000 and re-publication/promotion on our Substack.

• Third Prize (Runner-Up): USD $1,000 and re-publication/promotion on our Substack.

• Additional Publication: We may offer a USD $300 honorarium to authors whose essays we choose to re-publish beyond the top three.

How to Submit

1. Prepare your essay following the guidelines above.

2. Either publish the article on your Substack, or prepare a PDF.

3. Complete the online submission form HERE.

4. Provide your contact details.

5. Link to your Substack post or attach your PDF.

6. Confirm that you have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions.

Full details here:

Also, feel free to reach out via DMs with any questions:

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We want Boyd’s funding to come from core supporters who want to be part of the conversation. For that to work, we need people like you to step up now, while it’s still early.

Here’s what we’re offering:

• Supporter ($10/month) and Annual ($120/year): Access to our private Discord community and a quarterly call, where you can talk directly with us and other members

• Founding Partner ($1,000/year): Everything above, plus a monthly one-on-one call with us.

The Boyd Institute is a 501(c)(3). All contributions are tax-deductible. If you’re able to give through a Donor Advised Fund or make a direct donation beyond a subscription, it would meaningfully extend what we can do. Reach out to [email protected].