Anne Miller, director of N.H. Peace Action, believes the organization’s essay competition gives high school students an avenue to deepen their understanding about the world surrounding them. “We really want to give high school students an opportunity to think about peace and justice,” she said. Writing about specific topics helps students establish a deeper understanding of the issues, which may result in increased individual efforts to rectify the problems.  Initially, a group of “blind” judges will review the essays based on creativity, thoroughness and depth of understanding. The judges will not know who wrote the essays. After of the initial round of deliberation, five finalists will be asked to meet with the judges for interviews. The interviews will be used to gauge the participants’ understanding of specific issues raised in their submissions. Finally, judges will compose a list of the top three participants based on the essays and interviews.