The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee – Chattanooga Division is accepting entries in its annual civics essay contest for high school and middle school students.
The prompt for this year’s contest is a question currently before the Supreme Court: Should race be a factor in college admissions?
Students are invited to share their views on whether race and ethnicity should be considered in admissions and whether there are race-neutral factors that could be considered to ensure a diverse student body.
The contest is open to public, private and home school students in Grades 6–12 in Bedford, Bledsoe, Bradley, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Lincoln, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, Moore, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Warren and Van Buren counties.
The court is holding the contest in conjunction with the Federal Bar Association’s national contest. Students may submit the same essay to both contests.
Entries for the local contest must be postmarked or emailed by March 22. Students can send email submissions to chattcivicsessay@gmail.com or mail their entries to Civics Essay Contest, Attn: Kelly L. Walsh, U.S. Courthouse, 900 Georgia Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37402.
A selection committee will choose three high school winners and three middle school winners. The prizes are $500 for first place, $250 for second place and $100 for third place.
The court will announce the winners mid-April and invite the winning students, along with their parents and teachers, to a reception at the courthouse.
Full requirements and additional materials are available at connections.tned.uscourts.gov/participate.html. For questions, contact Walsh at 423 386-3523 or chattcivicsessay@gmail.com.
Source: Eastern District of Tennessee – Chattanooga Division