2020 Eastern District of Tennessee Civics Essay Contest Packet
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Knoxville and Greeneville Divisions, in partnership with the Knoxville and Greeneville Chapters of the Federal Bar Association, is sponsoring a local civics essay contest. Each year, the national Federal Bar Association (FBA) sponsors a civics essay contest, which is open to middle and high school students nationwide and, for 2020, provides six cash awards totaling $4,500. The Knoxville and Greeneville divisions of the federal court and local chapters of the FBA want to encourage local students to participate in the national contest by offering cash awards for high school students who submit entries to both the national and local contests.
The local contest is open to public, private, and home high school students from Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, and Washington Counties. The topic for the national and local essay contests is the same, as detailed below: "The 19th Amendment Turns 100: Why is the Right to Vote Still Important?"
To enter the local contest, students must write an essay for submission to both the national and local contests, following the criteria and rules for the national contest (described in detail below). Essay entries for the local contest must be submitted in either PDF, DOC, or DOCX format and must be accompanied by the attached submission form for receipt by 11:59 p.m. on March 22, 2020, at the local contest email address, KXGVcivicsessay@gmail.com. (Please note that the national contest deadline is also March 22, 2020; however, entries for the local and national contests must be submitted separately.)
Prizes for the local contest will be awarded in at least the following amounts:
Winners of the local contest will be announced by April 17, 2020, and the winners, along with their parents and teachers, will be invited to a special reception with federal judges and members of the local chapters of the Federal Bar Association. The winning authors and entries will also be announced in a court press release and recognized on the federal court's civics website and at meetings of the Knoxville and Greeneville chapters of the FBA.
Please spread the word and encourage your students to participate! If you have any questions, please contact KXGVcivicsessay@gmail.com
