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Ninth Circuit HS civics contest to conclude April 8
SAN FRANCISCO—The 2018 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, an essay and video competition for high school students, has been extended to account for an early spring break in some school systems.
The new deadline for entries is 11:59pm Pacific Time on Sunday, April 8, 2018.
For more information, visit http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/civicscontest.
The contest is open to young people in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, the U.S. territory of Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Students in grades 9-12 in public, private and parochial schools or home-schooled students of equivalent grade status may enter.
The theme of the contest is “The 14th Amendment 150 Years After Ratification: What Does Equal Protection Mean to Students?”
Students are challenged to write an essay or produce a video focusing on how Congress and the federal courts have applied the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to public education, whether in admissions, classroom instruction or athletics.
Students may enter both the essay and video competitions. A student is allowed to submit one essay and to submit one video either as an individual or part of a team of up to three members.
The contest is cosponsored by the Courts and Community Committee of the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit and the federal courts in the 15 judicial districts that make up the circuit.
A total of $7,000 in cash prizes will be awarded with the top three finishers in both the essay and video competitions receiving $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place.
The first-place winners along with a parent or guardian also will be invited to attend the 2018 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference in Anaheim, California. The conference is an annual gathering of federal judges and lawyers practicing in the federal courts.
At least one U.S. Supreme Court justice typically participates in the conference and usually meets with the contest winners.
By entering the Ninth Circuit contest, students are automatically entered into any local contest taking place in their districts.
For more information about the Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, contact the Ninth Circuit Office of the Circuit Executive, (415) 355-8973 / civicscontest@ce9.uscourts.gov. (PR)
