•Eligibility:
•Students in grade 9 – 12.
•Enrolled in public, private, parochial
schools, or home school programs.
•U. S. citizenship not required, but must
be a lawful permanent resident.
•Students age 20 or over are not eligible.
•Students in GED or Adult Education
programs are not eligible.
•Rules:
•Essays shall be spoken in English.
•Length of essay will be between 3 to 5
minutes. + or – 5 seconds leeway is allowed.
•Essay can not contain the student’s name,
address, school name, or any other personal identifier.
•References to race, sex, religion,
national origin, should be avoided in the essay as they may compromise
anonymity. General references to
nationality or patriotic identity are permitted if they are relevant to the theme.
