How to Participate

You can register to participate by going to the Teacher Registration Form. Most teachers assign the essay to their whole class and submit their best five; some teachers invite students to submit essays to the contest for extra credit; some teachers submit essays for self-motivated students who have discovered the contest on their own;  and some teachers use our lesson plan and activities as a way of talking about civic values with their students before asking students to reflect on civic values by writing on the essay topic. A complete list of resources can be found in the "For Teachers" and "For Students" sections of the main menu.

However you choose to participate, we ask you to submit up to five of the best essays your students have written. These essays will be judged blindly by a panel of current and former high school teachers from around the country.

IMPORTANT: Students must use one of the approved Founding documents for their essay to qualify for the Contest. Please direct them to the "For Students" section of the Being an American Essay Contest website to review the full list of approved Founding documents. The"Founding Documents" drop-down item contains a comprehensive listing.

Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions for further clarification.