First Freedom Center: Student Competition Essay Award

S U M M A R Y

Contest / Scholarship

Type:

Essay

Description:

New topic to be posted on line soon.

The First Freedom Student Competition is a first-semester national essay contest, offering high-school students an opportunity to compete for a $3,000, $1,500 and $750 award, as they examine religious freedom, its history, current importance, and relevance in their lives. The competition is open to students in the United States and U.S. territories, and to American schools and American home-schooled students worldwide. We invite 9th - 12th grade students at all levels of academic placement to participate.

Sponsor:

First Freedom Center

Sponsor's Goals:

To help students understand religious freedom, explore their individual and civic rights to and responsibilities for religious freedome, and challenge them to strengthen their analytic writing skills.

Deadline:

2011-11-22

P R I Z E S

Total # of Prizes:

Low Prize:

$750

Top Prize:

$3000

R E Q U I R E M E N T S

Applies To:

For Residents of:

U.S. and Territories

Grades:

9,10,11,12

Other Requirements:

TO QUALIFY, YOU MUST COMPLY WITH ALL REQUIREMENTS!

ELIGIBILITY
9th - 12th Grade Students
The competition is open to public, private and parochial school students and to home-schooled and distance-learning students living in
:
The United States of America;
The District of Columbia; and
U.S. territories.
The competition is also open to:

American students living outside of the United States;
Non-American students attending American and international schools outside of the United States;
Foreign-exchange students studying in the United States;
Legal aliens and legal visitors studying in the United States;
All students participating in dual enrollment programs, which combine classes for a high-school diploma and college credit, whether studying on a high school or college campus; and

American GED-program students, 20 years of age and younger.
We invite 9th – 12th grade students at all levels of academic placement to participate.

Teacher Sponsorship and Entry Selection

Student-Driven Entries: Many students find and enter the competition on their own with no other students competing against them at the classroom level. These students must request competition sponsorship from their Social Studies or English department teacher. (This also includes teachers of government, economics, social sciences, business law, speech, forensics/debate, theology, etc.). If not taking Social Studies and English department classes this semester, students may request sponsorship from a former or upcoming Social Studies or English department teacher. Guidance counselors should direct students to their Social Studies and English department teachers for sponsorship.

Sponsoring teacher
:
Signs registration form; and
On registration form, enters the total number of students in this student's class period who prepared an essay. (It may be just "1").
Note: We encourage teacher to review essay and edit, as deemed appropriate to enhance learning, but not to detract from student's original presentation.
Teacher-Driven Class Competitions and Extra-Credit Assignments: When student participation is teacher driven and more than two students prepare an essay in a class period, teachers select top classroom entries to represent their classes at the national level of competition. Teachers may select a total of
:
Two final entries per class period (i.e., if five classes participate, 10 essays may be submitted);
An additional two entries from former students not enrolled in Social Studies and English department classes this semester, who request their sponsorship; and
An additional two entries from upcoming students not enrolled in Social Studies and English department classes this semester, who request their sponsorship.
Participating teachers also
:
Sign registration forms; and
On registration forms, enter the total number of students in each participating student's class period who prepared an essay.
Note: We encourage teachers to review essays and edit, as deemed appropriate to enhance learning, but not to detract from students' original presentations.
Home-School and Distance-Learning Teacher Entry Selection and Sponsorship

Home-school and distance-learning teachers may select two final entries per grade level in home-school group or distance-learning class to represent the group at the national level of competition.

If not a part of a home-school group, home-school teachers may select one entry from the home class at each grade level.
Sponsoring home-school and distance-learning teachers also
:
Edit student essays, as deemed appropriate to enhance learning, but not to detract from students’ original presentations;
Sign registration forms; and
Enter the total number of students who competed, as designated on each registration form.

First Freedom Center staff, interns and immediate family members are not eligible.

F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N

Web Site:

Telephone: