Pathfinder 2026
Center for a New American SecurityUnited States only
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Pathfinder: A National Security Essay Contest
Pathfinder, run by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and Breaking Defense, is a writing competition for graduate students and early-career professionals. Writers are asked to submit an essay that analyzes and addresses a national security challenge in 800–1,000 words. This competition seeks to give the next generation of national security leaders an opportunity to have their writing published and promoted by both CNAS and Breaking Defense.
Applications for the 2026 cycle will close on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Prompt
Conflict and strategic competition, rapid technological change, and growing human and environmental costs have left the United States contending with an increasingly complex security landscape at home and abroad. What is a national, transnational, or global security challenge facing the United States that isn’t talked about enough? How can the U.S. policymaking community address it in a bold, innovative, and bipartisan way?