2008 High School First Amendment Contest

The Center for First Amendment Rights, Inc. is proud to announce the 2008 essay contest winners:

First Place: Aaron Kiersh of Westport's Staples High School for "What the First Amendment means to me..."

Second Place: Ryan Baldassario of East Lyme High School for "Abridging the Freedom of Speech"

Third Place (tie): Vera Solimon of East Lyme High School for "The Most Inalienable and Sacred of All Human Rights: The Constitutional Freedom of Religion", and Jack Aldrich of Westport's Staples High School for "In Defense of Voltaire".

Honorable Mention: Alyssa Thomas of North Branford High School for "How the First Amendment Relates to My Life or World"

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"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government."-The First Amendment

CONTEST TOPIC: HOW THE FIRST AMENDMENT RELATES TO MY LIFE OR THE WORLD I LIVE IN. Imagine your life without the protection of the First Amendment. Would it be the same or different?

WHO CAN ENTER: All Connecticut high school students are eligible to participate.

CONTENTS: When preparing your entry, think about your own experiences, the experiences of those you know, or would like to know, or the world around you, or the world as you would like it to be. You are the expert on this contest topic. Feel free to address only one aspect of the First Amendment, if appropriate. Please do not simply recite the First Amendment and the freedoms it protects. All of the judges reading your entry will be familiar with the subject. We want to know what it means to you, how you feel it impacts your life or what circumstances in your life are affected by it.

FORMAT: Essay, Op-ed Piece, Research Paper, Play, Poem, Short Story. You choose.

DUE DATE: Monday, March 31, 2008. Entries post-marked after that date will not be considered.

PRIZES: $ 1,000 First Prize, $500 Second Prize, $250 Third Prize, and $150 Honorable Mention at the discretion of the Judges. Winners will be announced at the Annual Symposium, May 5, 2008.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Each entry must be type-written, double-spaced, on 8.5 x 11 paper.
• Cover page is to have your name, address, telephone number, email address, school name and teacher.
• Three copies must be submitted and postmarked by March 31, 2008.
• One entry per student.
• Student must be enrolled in a Connecticut high school.

MAIL TO: Center for First Amendment Rights, Inc.
90 State House Square,
Hartford, CT 06103-3708

Awards will be given at CFAR's annual symposium at UCONN School of Law on May 5, 2008. Winners will be notified by mail. Submissions are the property of CFAR. Entrants give permission to CFAR to take photos of winners for publicity purposes.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call contact CFAR at the addresses on the bottom of the page.

See also:

• Cover letter to teachers about 2008 contest [PDF]
• Flyer announcing the 2008 contest [PDF]
• 2007 Contest winning entries