2010 Guidelines

Submission Dates: October 1 through November 1, 2010

Note: Entries received before October 1 or postmarked after November 1 will be sent back or discarded.

Topics

Category 1 (ages 7–10):

If you were asked to create a new invention to be used in 2011, what would it be, and how would it be valuable?

Essay form: Descriptive

Category 2 (age 11–14):

In 1620 the first pilgrims who landed in America wrote and signed a document called the Mayflower Compact.

Compare and contrast the attitude, passion and goals of the first pilgrims with James Truslow Adam’s definition of the “American Dream.” The term was believed to be first coined in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931. He states: The American Dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

Essay form: Compare and Contrast

Category 3 (ages 15–19):

Read the following essay on a famous, old story that offers a new and controversial twist: “In Defense of Scrooge.” Write an essay in response to this author’s opinion. You may choose one or several points to address.

Essay form: Argumentative

Form

Each category does have a specific form requested. For a brief description of various essay forms, you can visit Gallaudet University’s webpage on the topic.

Entrant Qualifications

Category 1: Homeschoolers ages 7 to 10 as of October 1, 2010.
Category 2: Homeschoolers ages 11 to 14 as of October 1, 2010.
Category 3: Homeschoolers ages 15 to 19 as of October 1, 2010.

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 education 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 his or her 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 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 1, 2010.
2. Essays from students in the same family may be mailed in the same envelope, but please include separate checks for each entry.

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.