About The Contest

The Prizes: Tens of thousands of dollars in prizes will be awarded to students AND teachers. First prize student winners in each of the nine contest regions will receive $5,000! Submitting teachers will receive matching prizes. Click here for complete prize structure.

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.

Submitting an Essay: You can begin the process by registering here. If you previously participated in the Bill of Rights Institute's Being an American Essay Contest, you can simply use the login and password you created before*. The 2010-2011 Contest submission period begins September 1, 2010 and ends December 1, 2010.

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

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