Eligibility & Policies:

• All High School Students

• Individual entries only

• We encourage you to submit original work

• You are permitted to publish after the contest ends

• You are permitted to submit as many as you want

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AI policy: 

• You are permitted to use it strictly for citations and brainstorming

• Please don’t use it to write the essay - we can tell.

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Guidelines:

• Word count: Min 750 words / Max 2000.

  • Please do not feel as though you need to fill the word count to have a well-written essay.​​

• Formatting: Times New Roman 12

• Please submit as a PDF titled LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME with your first and last name.

• Citation style: MLA

  • Resource: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html​

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Judging Criteria

• Strength of Argument (30%)

• Evidence (15%) : Support your claim with sufficient and reputable sources & evidence

• Organization (20%)

• Style (15%)

• Originality (20%)