Contests - High-School Students can win MONEY and a Laptop Computer

Here are two opportunities for High-School Students to win money and a FREE Laptop !

 

1.  The First Freedom Center announces the 21^st annual First Freedom Student Competition.  This national essay and video contest offers 9^th - 12^th grade students an opportunity to compete for $2,500 awards as they examine the First Amendment and the history and implementation of religious freedom and freedom of conscience in American democracy and the world today.  Student online registration is required on or before Monday, November 18, 2013.  The postmark deadline for mailing the essay or video and its accompanying entry materials is Monday, November 25^th.  For topic, guidelines, classroom poster, student flyer and registration, visit www.firstfreedom.org; and then click on the red First Freedom Student Competition button.

 

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2.  The Library of Virginia and Dominion Virginia Power are proud to present the 2014 Strong Men & Women essay contest.  Four student winners, one from each of Dominion Virginia Power's four regional service areas, will be selected to receive a personal laptop.  The winners? schools will each be given $1,000.  The deadline for submissions is November 8, 2013.  For more information, please go to www.lva.virginia.gov/smw.

 

Dominion Virginia Power and the Library of Virginia
Strong Men & Women in Virginia History
2014 Student Writing Contest Winners

Contest Overview
High school students in Virginia are invited to honor outstanding African Americans by participating in Dominion Virginia Power and Library of Virginia's Strong Men & Women in Virginia History student writing contest. Four winning essays will be chosen, one from each of the four regions in Virginia that Dominion Virginia Power serves.

 

Prompt
One of this year's honorees is John Mitchell Jr. (1863-1929), editor of the influential African American newspaper The Richmond Planet. As editor, he fought against racism and for African-American advancement in politics, business, and education.

Born enslaved in Henrico County, Mitchell graduated valedictorian from the Richmond Normal School and worked as a teacher before becoming editor of the fledgling Richmond Planet in 1884, a position he held for more than forty years.  Mitchell, known as the "fighting editor," assisted in organizing a black boycott of the Richmond trolley system and gained notoriety for promoting the Planet's strong anti-lynching stance.  The legacy of Mitchell's Richmond Planet endures; his countless editorial and articles condemning racial injustice "gave meaning to the lives of his readers" long before the beginning of the civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century. 

 

Consider an issue or problem that is keeping your community (be it local, state, national, or global) from achieving its full potential.  Describe that issue and explain why it is so important to you.  How would you go about overcoming it?

Submit your winning 400-word essay by Friday, November 8, 2013, for a chance to win a laptop computer and $1,000 for your school!

Contest Rules

• Entries must be submitted online by the deadline of Friday, November 8, 2013.
• Each entrant must be a high school student at a public or private high school in one of Dominion Virginia Power's four regional service areas in Virginia. Homeschoolers may also apply; the $1,000 school award can be applied to a homeschooler association if the winner's family has an active, dues-paying membership.
• No entry may be longer than 400 words.
• All entries must be original works that have not been published or submitted for publication anywhere else.
• Entries become the property of the Library of Virginia and will not be returned.
• No purchase necessary to enter or win.
• The Library of Virginia and Dominion Virginia Power reserve the right to use the winners' names and entries for promotional purposes in all forms of media without notice, review, approval, or compensation, except where prohibited by law.
• Judging decisions are final.

Timeline

• Deadline for entries is November 8, 2013.
• Winners will be notified by December 9, 2013.
• Winning essays posted to both the Library of Virginia (www.lva.virginia.gov/smw) and Dominion (www.dom.com, keyword "strong") websites by December 16, 2013.
• Awards ceremony will be held in Richmond on Wednesday, February 5, 2014.

Awards

• Winning students will receive an HP Pavilion laptop computer.
• Winning students' schools will receive a cash award of $1,000 at the award ceremony in January. Each winner and a school representative must attend the ceremony to receive their awards. Virginia Power will provide overnight accommodations for out-of-town winners.
• Arrangements will be made with the winning schools for the student and a school representative to attend the January ceremony in Richmond to receive the awards.

Judging Criteria

Content	Reflection of careful and thorough thought
Focus	Prompt answered and main idea clearly represented
Support	Relevant, quality details about important thoughts and concepts
Style	Essay flows well and shows good word choice and diction
Mechanics	Correct use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation; entry does not exceed 400 words

Submit your writing entry

Questions? Please call 804-692-3719 or e-mail education@lva.virginia.gov