Holland & Knight Law Young Native Writers Essay Contest!

The Young Native Writers Essay Contest is a writing competition for Native American high school students designed to encourage young Native Americans to write about their experiences as a member of a Native American community and share what inspires them.

The 2016 Prompt is “Native Youth Initiatives: What active role should Native youth take in advancing Native initiatives within your community, region, or state?”

The essay should use research from your tribal community (e.g., website, tribal documents or personal interviews) and should reflect on your own experiences within your community.

The application deadline for first-time students is April 30, 2016!

ELIGIBILITY
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
• Native American students;
• Currently enrolled in grades 9-12;
• Have a significant and current relationship with a Native American community (i.e., an American Indian tribe, an Alaska Native community or a Native Hawaiian community).

AWARD
Four (4) first-place winners will each receive an expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, to visit the National Museum of the American Indian and other prominent sites as part of Scholar Week (July 24 – 28, 2016).

In addition, the first-place winners will receive a special award for display at home or school. In addition, each first-place winner will receive a scholarship of $2,500 to be paid directly to the college or university of his or her choice.

TO APPLY
• All essays must be submitted by email in PDF format to [email protected] . Essays sent by mail, fax, or any other method will be disqualified.
• Applications must include the applicants full name, email address and contact telephone number in the email. Applicants should not include their name anywhere on any page of their essay.
• Every essay must include a Bibliography, Work Cited, or Reference Page.
• Essays should be comprised of no more than 1,200 words.

For more information, including additional instructions and guidelines, please visit the Holland and Knight Essay Contest website. Applicants may send any questions via email to [email protected].