2009 Guidelines

Submission Dates: October 1 through November 2, 2009

Note: Because November 1 is a Sunday, we have extended the postmark deadline until November 2. Entries postmarked after November 2 will be sent back or discarded.

Topics

Category 1 (ages 7-10):

The Bible talks about God knowing all our days and all the days of time. Why do you think you were born now instead of in another generation?

Category 2 (age 11-14):

If you were charged with the task of investing $100,000 how would you invest it and why? Part of the requirement is you cannot give it away or spend it on yourself.

Category 3 (ages 15-19):

How does the news media (TV news, newspapers, news websites or blogs) affect your perception of America? Be sure you talk about coverage of both good and bad news.

Form

Essays come in many different forms, from descriptive to compare/contrast to narrative, etc. For this contest, the essays are meant to present the writer’s point of view (in a sense, their argument) but there are many different ways the writer could go about doing this. You could use the narrative approach and tell about a personal experience or one from history to demonstrate why you believe your particular argument is true or false. You could give a couple examples of practical application and then compare/contrast how it would work out in real life. The options are limitless!

There is no dictated form given for these essays, but it is still good to be purposeful in your writing style. Take some time to research different essay styles/forms and then decide which best suits your purpose. For a brief description of various essay forms, you can visit Galludet University’s English Works! webpages.

Entrant Qualifications

Category 1: Homeschoolers ages 7 to 10 as of October 1, 2009.
Category 2: Homeschoolers ages 11 to 14 as of October 1, 2009.
Category 3: Homeschoolers ages 15 to 19 as of October 1, 2009.

Only one entry per student.

For the purposes of this contest, an eligible student must have been homeschooled and received the majority of his or her educations through home education during the past year.

Contest Guidelines

1. Essays must be completely the work of the student entering the contest. No assistance of other parties, including but not limited to brainstorming, editing, or proof reading, is permissible.
2. Essays cannot be longer than 700 words.
3. All essays must be typed double-space on white unlined paper in 12 point Times New Roman font.
4. The student’s telephone number should be typed on the top of each page. If more than one student from a family is participating in the same category, the number should be followed by a letter to distinguish it from the other students. Example: 540-338-5600A and 540-338-5600B.
5. The student must fill out an entry form with their full name, date of birth, HSLDA membership number (if applicable), address, email, and telephone number; this should be on a separate cover sheet of paper attached by a paperclip to the essay. This sheet should also include a one-sentence description of the essay’s contents (e.g., “Joan of Arc is my hero because she did the right thing no matter what other people said.”) and word count for the essay.
6. Do not type or write the student’s name or any other identifying information other than the phone number on anything other than the cover page.

Submission

Essays must be mailed to:

HSLDA
Attn: Essay Contest
P.O. Box 3000
Purcellville, VA 20134-9000

1. Essays must be postmarked on/before November 2, 2009
2. Essays from students in the same family may be mailed in the same envelope.

Fee

1. HSLDA members: Please enclose a $10 check with each essay.
2. Non-HSLDA members: Please enclose a $15 check with each essay.
3. The check must be made payable to “HSLDA” with a note of “Essay Contest” in the memo line.

Judging

1. Essays will be evaluated by a panel of judges appointed by Home School Legal Defense Association.
2. Essays will be judged on originality of thought, grammar, spelling, logic, clarity, writing style, and content.
3. All decisions of the judges are final.
4. Winners will be notified and announced on the web by mid-December.

Prizes for Each Category

Other

1. Only essays sent to the above address will qualify for the contest.
2. No essay containing any plagiarized or non-original work will be considered.
3. By submitting an essay you:
• Grant Home School Legal Defense Association the right to publish all or part of your submission. HSLDA may also allow other non-profit entities to publish the essays for non-commercial use.
• Agree to all rules and the decisions of the judges and sponsors.
4. Home School Legal Defense Association is not responsible for any lost, damaged, misdirected, delayed, mutilated, incomplete, illegible, or postage-due entries or mail.
5. All profits from this contest will go to the Home School Foundation’s Special Needs Children Fund.

Please email contests@hslda.org with any questions.