The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is seeking submissions for its 2021 essay contest.
Students are invited to consider and share their thoughts on the question: "What are the responsibilities of citizenship, and how do those responsibilities support and reinforce the rule of law?"
The contest is open to all students currently in grades 9 through 12 from Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Essays are limited to1,000 wordsand must be submitted by11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 28, 2021.
Students have the opportunity to win one of three cash prizes:first place, $2,000;second place, $1,500; andthird place, $1,000.
Winners will be announced in the summer, and travel will be provided to the court’s Essay Awards Program in September 2021.
For additional information and instructions on how to submit an essay, visitwww.ca4.uscourts.gov/essay-contest.
For questions, contact the Fourth Circuit Clerk’s Office atessaycontest@ca4.uscourts.govor (804) 916-2706.
Please note:Prior award winners as well as children, grandchildren, stepchildren, and members of the household of a federal judge or federal judiciary employee are excluded from the competition.