High School Essay Contest: Being an American

The Bill of Rights Institute invites all high school students and their teachers to participate in the sixth annual Being an American Essay Contest. 

The contest, sponsored by the History Channel, is administered by the Bill of Rights Institute, a non-profit educational organization in the Washington, D.C. area devoted to educating young people about the Constitution and the founding principles. Since the contest began in 2006, over 80,000 students have participated. 

The essay contest asks students to share their thoughts on the Constitution by answering the question, “How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?”

There will be three top winners from five geographical regions--North Eastern Region (includes New Jersey), Southern Region, Mid-Western Region, Central Region, and Western Region. The top three winners will be awarded cash prizes of $1000 (First Place), $500 (Second Place), and $250 (Third Place). Teacher sponsors for each student winner will be awarded a cash prize of $100. 

Essays can be submitted between September 17, 2011 and December 15 2011. All contest entries are due by 11:59 p.m. on December 15, 2011. 

Click here for further information, including submission criteria, lesson plans and background information on the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Founders and the Founding principles.