Free contest, 2011 Religious Liberty Essay Scholarship Contest, top prize: $1000 and travel to DC

Deadline: 15 March 2011

Sponsored by the Religious Liberty Council of the Baptist Joint Committee

TOPIC:

The right to freely exercise your religion is guaranteed by the First Amendment, but that right is not absolute and it sometimes clashes with the rights of others. For example, public school students have legal rights that protect their freedom of religion, but a student’s right to free speech or the free exercise of religion can conflict with school policies.

Using a single example or multiple examples, write an essay explaining how religious rights clash with other rights or laws in America and how you would determine an appropriate outcome.

You may use any example(s) you wish. Here are some other ideas:

* the rights of religious groups to build houses of worship in the way they want versus local zoning laws that place limits on buildings
* the rights of individuals to have time off from their job for religious reasons versus the rights of employers to run their business efficiently
* the rights of parents to care for their children according to their religious beliefs versus the need to protect the health and safety of children

Click here to download entry forms and the rules for the 2011 contest.

Entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2011.

2011 Essay Contest Eligibility

Open to all high school students in the graduating classes of 2011 and 2012.

Scholarship Prizes Awarded

First Place – $1,000 and travel and lodging for two to Washington, D.C.*
Second Place – $500
Third Place – $100

Winners will be announced in summer 2011.

* Trip includes reasonable travel and lodging expenses for the contest winner and accompanying parent or guardian to attend the BJC board meeting.

Length

800 (minimum) to 1,200 (maximum) words

Coordinator information

Students must have a submission coordinator that can review their essay. Coordinators must be a teacher or counselor at the applicant’s school or on staff at the applicant’s church and cannot be the student’s parent. The coordinator reviews the essay to ensure that it meets all the necessary requirements, is free of typographical and grammatical errors and appropriately addresses the topic. A submission coordinator may work with more than one student.

Requirements

1. Submitted essays should be in 12-point type, double-spaced and with 1-inch page margins. Essays must have a title, and they must be between 800-1,200 words.

2. Sources must be cited and credited in a bibliography, consistent with an accepted citation style.

3. Students should complete all fields on the registration form. To ensure fairness, no personal or identifying information should appear on the essay itself. Registration forms are available on the contest Web page, www.BJConline.org/contest.

4. All registration forms and the essay should be mailed with a postmark no later than March 15, 2011.

Baptist Joint Committee Essay Contest
200 Maryland Avenue, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002

Essays failing to meet any of the above requirements will not be judged.

Judging Criteria

Entries will be judged on the depth of their content, the mastery of the topic, and the skill with which they are written. Students should develop a point of view on the issue and demonstrate critical thinking, using appropriate examples, reasons and other evidence to support their position. Essays should be free of grammatical errors and should be clear, concise and well-organized. Judges reserve the right to reduce the number of awards if not enough deserving entries meet the requirements.

For more information, contact Cherilyn Crowe at 202-544-4226 or by e-mail at ccrowe@BJConline.org

More information here.