RSN's Announces the 21st Annual Essay Contest Winners!

The 21st Annual Essay Contest is Closed for Submissions. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

This year the theme is “How do you use your creativity to help cope with kidney disease?”

RSN is thrilled to unveil the talented winners of the 21^st annual essay contest. The theme this year was “How do you use your creativity to help cope with kidney disease?” This inspiring competition encouraged individuals living with kidney disease to share their experiences and insights on how creativity has been a vital tool in their coping journey. The contest is open to anyone in the United States who has been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.

The array of heartfelt and imaginative entries from kidney disease warriors across the country demonstrates how creativity can be an effective and a joyful coping strategy. The resilience and creativity displayed by these individuals are truly inspiring. We are delighted to showcase their stories, which highlight the incredible ways creativity can be a source of strength and healing for those of us living with kidney disease.

This year the theme is “How do you use your creativity to help cope with kidney disease?”

We are pleased to announce the theme of our 21st Annual Essay Contest. This year, it’s all about creativity, and writers are asked to address the following question: “How do you use your creativity to help cope with kidney disease?”

The essay contest is open to all people in the United States who have been diagnosed with kidney disease, have had a kidney transplant, or are on dialysis. For submissions to be accepted, they must be typed and not exceed 750 words.

Lori Hartwell, founder and president of RSN, says, “When our kidneys fail, we must embrace a new life and learn to live with the challenges we face every day. As individuals with a chronic disease, how do we deal with the bumps in the road that seem to continually appear before us? One of the strategies I use to cope with those challenges is to engage in the creative process. When I am involved in doing something creative, or even when I watch someone who is involved, I feel relaxed. It helps me live in the moment. We encourage our fellow kidney peeps to share how they use their own creative skills to cope with CKD. By doing so, they will serve as an example of extraordinary courage and resilience.”

Contest winners will receive cash prizes: First Place, $500; Second Place, $300; and Third Place, $100. The submission deadline is August 10, 2023. Winners will be announced on the week of September 25, 2023, and winning essays will be featured in RSN’s publication KidneyTalk™ Magazine and on RSNHope.org.

Read Full Press Release

All entries must be postmarked or received by 12:00 PM (PT) on August 13, 2023.

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST

DOWNLOAD/POST FLYER AT YOUR CLINIC

Read and Listen to the Winning Essay of the 21^st Annual Essay Contest:

The top five winning essays are also available to read in Spanish.

Landscaping, Gardening, and Flowers Everywhere, 1st Place Winning Essay, 21st Annual Essay Contest

Unimaginable fatigue, like cotton candy melting and wilting on a hot day, slows the mind and body; sleep becomes an escape, but the body...

A Dash of Creativity, 2nd Place Winning Essay, 21st Annual Essay Contest

For the fifth time that day, mired in hopelessness, I stood in front of my refrigerator and stared at its contents. I wanted my...

Mind Games, 3rd Place Winning Essay, 21st Annual Essay Contest

I am a baker. I usually work out of the left side of my brain. I’m very methodical and list oriented. I do everything...

Flip the Script, 4th Place Winning Essay, 21st Annual Essay Contest

Let’s flip the script: My kidney disease supports my creativity. We must begin with the simplest fact: In my life, I have people who...

Birdhouse Blessings, President’s Pick, 21st Annual Essay Contest

In 2022, I got very sick, and my mom told me I almost died. I spent five months in the hospital at UCLA Mattel...

Jump In! Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

I am a photographer. I photograph along the Crystal Coast, a few steps from the sea. I capture moments in time others will want...

Did you eat yet?, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

“Did you eat yet?” or “Are you hungry yet?” are two phrases I hear frequently since I was a child. Is cooking a creative...

Happy Pens, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

Smorgasbord: A wide variety of something. Happy Pens: An oasis in the ever-changing smorgasbord of medical opinions. I am more than my diagnosis. Regarding my “condition,”...

Coping by the Layers, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

I would not have considered myself to be an artist as a child. Toddlerhood was marked by hastily scribbled drawings. Childhood into the preteen...

A Tale of Tasty Triumphs, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

I dream of food. In the way a painter stares at a blank canvas and sees a sunset or perhaps a portrait of dogs...

The Power of Three, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

They say good things come in threes. There is red, white, and blue in our nation’s flag. “Goldilocks and The Three Bears” is a...

Enjoy the Moments, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

I would have a hard time painting a stick-figure portrait, even by number. I would only successfully be able to put the clay in...

A Novel Approach, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

Being on dialysis is like having a part-time job that doesn’t pay. So what I’ve done is use my treatment time in ways that...

The Lime Green Blanket, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

The first time I was wheeled into the dialysis room I was met with a sea of lime green blankets covering a sea of...

O, Yes You Can(e)!, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

I am a registered nurse by profession. My resume lists gardening and singing as my hobbies. Little did I know when I composed my...

A Recipe for Happiness, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

Living with kidney disease can present numerous challenges, both physical and emotional. However, for me, creativity has played a significant role in helping me...

Tokens of Love, Honorable Mention, 21st Annual Essay Contest

Being one of twelve children, there was never any extra money for flowers or birthday cards. But my mom always baked each of us...

Read and Listen to the Winning Essay of the 20^th Annual Essay Contest:

The theme of 20th annual essay contest was “Surviving Tough Times, sharing a strategy that helps cope with kidney disease.” — inspired people who have kidney disease to share their experiences and how they learned to cope with the illness. The contest is open to anyone in the United States who has been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.

We congratulate our 1ST – 4TH place winners, 2 President’s Picks, and 12 Honorable Mentions who shared their strategies to survive and thrive with this illness.

“It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been 20 years since we hosted the first essay contest,” says Lori Hartwell, President and Founder of RSN. “Every year I have the privilege of reading my peers’ amazing stories. These stories are the fuel that drives hope for people who have kidney disease. Seeing my peers overcome such incredible adversity makes me determined to persevere. Don’t miss this opportunity to read their words of wisdom.”

Read Past Winning Essays:

Get the Essay Collection Book

RSN’s book of essays “Hope, Inspiration & Wisdom: A Treasury of Thoughts on Coping with Kidney Disease” is available for purchase.
Order the Printed Book for $14.95 or the Kindle Book for $6.99