About The Contest

The Question: What civic value do you believe is most essential to being an American? Trace the enduring importance of this value throughout the American story by discussing: a Founding document that reflects this value; a figure from American history who embodies this value; and examples of how you have and/or could put this value into practice.

The Prizes: Tens of thousands of dollars in prizes will be awarded to students AND teachers. Top prize winners in each contest region will receive $2,000! We will announce all of the prizes on the day the Contest launches, September 17, 2009!

Submitting an Essay: You can begin the process by registering here. If you previously participated in the Essay Contest, you can simply use the login and password you created before*. The 2009-20010 Contest submission period begins September 17, 2009 and ends December 1, 2009. For detailed rules, click here.

The Rules: Contest rules and regulations can be found here.

*if you cannot remember your password, please use our forgotten password reminder tool.