Rules & Regulations
Being an American Essay Contest Official Rules and Regulations
Effective August 31, 2009
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Section II – Eligibility
Section III – Essay Guidelines
Section IV – Judging and Timing
Section V – Awards
Section VI – Privacy Statement
Section VII – Availability Disclaimer
Section VIII – Nondiscrimination Policy
Section I – General Rules
From Thursday, September 17, 2009 through Tuesday, December 1, 2009 (the “Contest Period”), the Bill of Rights Institute will conduct an essay contest in the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia; the U.S. Territories; and American Armed Forces Schools Abroad, (focusing on what it means to be an American (the “Contest”). To enter, teachers of eligible students (see Section II for eligibility requirements) must log on to the website http://www.beinganamerican.org/ and submit an essay that follows the Essay Guidelines as detailed in Section III. Only teacher-submitted essays will be accepted and judged: no individual student submissions and no mailed-in essays will be accepted or considered. As further detailed in Section VII, entrants agree to accept and be bound by all terms of these Official Rules and Regulations and to accept and be bound by the decisions of the Bill of Rights Institute, whose decisions are final with respect to all matters of the Contest.
Only one entry per student is permitted. Entries that are incomplete, are submitted late, contain information other than as requested, or otherwise do not comply with these Official Rules and Regulations will not be accepted. By entering the Contest, entrants and their sponsoring teachers agree that the Bill of Rights Institute will own and administer 100% of the copyright in all essays submitted, with the perpetual right to use such essays and that said essays are solely the work of the entrant for whom they are submitting an essay. The Bill of Rights Institute may edit for grammar, modify for style only, and distribute the submitted essays with no additional notification or permission of the entrant or submitting teacher. Essays will only be used to further the educational mission and goals of the Bill of Rights Institute (please see Section VI for a Privacy Statement).
The Contest is open to all United States citizens or legal residents who are students (1) in Grades 9-12 attending public, private, religious, and charter schools but who are no older than 19 as of the end of the Contest Period (December 1, 2009), (2) enrolled in a GED or correspondence school program but who are no older than 19 as of the end of the Contest Period, or (3) attending a homeschool program who are no younger than 13 as of the beginning of the contest period and no older than 19 as of the end of the Contest Period.
Students must attend school in one of the following states, territories, or district, regardless of their state of residence: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, all U.S. Territories, and American Armed Forces Schools Abroad.
Section III – Essay Guidelines
Each essay must adhere to the topic “Being an American: Explore the Values that Unite Us” and should fully answer the question:
What civic value do you believe is most important to being an American? Trace the enduring importance of this value throughout the American story by discussing: a Founding document that reflects this value; a figure from American history who embodies this value; and examples of how you have and/or could put this value into practice.
Essays may be no longer than 750 words, and must be submitted by a teacher sponsor online by 11:59 pm EST on December 1, 2009. Only online submissions made at http://www.beinganamerican.org/ will be accepted for the Contest. A teacher may submit up to five (5) essays during the Contest Period. Teachers submitting more than five essays during a Contest period will have all his or her essays disqualified for that Contest.
Section IV – Judging and Timing
After the Contest Period, the judges selected by the Bill of Rights Institute will review and select finalist essays from all the eligible entries received. The judges will then select the prize-winning essays in each contest region. Entries will be evaluated based upon the following criteria: adherence to the Essay Guidelines (as stated in Section III), originality, organization, writing style, and depth of analysis. Judging will be completed on or around February 1, 2010, at which time all winners will be notified. Winners will be announced on the http://www.beinganamerican.org/ website in late March.
The Bill of Rights Institute reserves the right in their sole administration of the Contest to disqualify any individual they find or believe to: (i) be tampering with the entry process or the administration of the Contest, (ii) be acting in violation of these Official Rules and Regulations, or (iii) plagiarizing content in any form.
The selection of the judges is within the sole and absolute discretion of the Bill of Rights Institute. The judges who are selected by the Bill of Rights Institute will not have a direct connection to the student who has written the essay or be in a position to affect the objectivity and impartiality of any judge with respect to a submitted essay.
Winners will be announced on the http://www.beinganamerican.org/ website in late March. Winners must provide publicity photos and Social Security numbers in order to receive prize money. Social Security numbers are only requested from winners for tax purposes. The Bill of Rights Institute does not sell, nor use student Social Security numbers for any reason other than the required reporting for Federal tax purposes. Regional winners will receive the following prizes based upon the judges’ evaluations as outlined in Section IV.
An all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. in the spring of 2010!
The top 27 student winners will get an all-expenses paid trip (transportation/food/lodging) to our nation's capital in the spring of 2010 along with the teacher that submitted their essays and a parent. The date and length of the Awards Program remains to be determined. Winners will be notified with ample notice in order to make travel arrangements to attend the program. The Bill of Rights Institute will only cover expenses for the student winner, one parent, and one teacher.
Cash prizes for Students in the 2009-2010 Competition
- First place - $5,000
- Second place -$2,500
- Third place - $1,250
- Honorable Mentions (7 in each of 9 regions) - $250
Cash prizes for Teachers in the 2009-2010 Competition
If you are the teacher-submitter of the essay, you will win a cash prize if your student wins First, Second, Third place, or an Honorable Mention.
- First place - $5,000
- Second place - $2,500
- Third place - $1,250
- Honorable Mentions (7 in each of 9 regions) - $250
The Bill of Rights Institute reserves the right to determine how many prizes will actually be awarded.
Participation prizes of a Bill of Rights wallet card for each eligible student participant will be mailed to teachers who signify that 50 or more of their students participated in the contest at the classroom level. The number of student participants must be listed by the teacher by the end of the Contest Period (December 1, 2009) at the time of an essay submission. The approximate retail value of this prize will not exceed $50 per teacher.
Two school participation prizes will be awarded this year. One full set of Bill of Rights Institute curriculum will be awarded to the school with the highest percentage of eligible students participating, and with fewer than 1,000 students enrolled ("small school" prize). Another full set of curriculum will be awarded to the school with the highest percentage of eligible students participating, and with more than 1,000 students enrolled ("large school" prize). The retail value of this prize will not exceed $600.
All entrants are solely responsible for understanding and complying with any and all federal, state, and local laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances that may apply to the entrants and the activities or business in which such entrants may engage. There may be tax consequences associated with the prizes and income received by a Contest winner, which may include, without limitation, an obligation to report as income and to pay taxes on such income to federal, state, or local authorities. Each Contest winner is responsible to determine the tax consequences of the income received and to comply with all applicable laws in all respects.
Section VI – Privacy Statement
Upon submission of an essay, the essay becomes the property of the Bill of Rights Institute. By entering the Contest, entrants and their submitting teachers grant the Bill of Rights Institute the right, unless prohibited by law, to use their names, cities and states of residence, pictures, and likenesses without compensation, for the express purpose of advertising and publicity of the Contest in any and all media, now or after. Entrants and their submitting teachers also grant the Bill of Rights Institute permission to use their name and essay to further its educational mission as stated at http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/About/History/.
Section VII – Availability Disclaimer
The administration of the Contest, including, without limitation, determining the eligibility of a student or essay, selecting of a judge, evaluating any submitted essay, and awarding of the prizes, is within the sole and absolute discretion of the Bill of Rights Institute. No student or teacher, or person or organization related thereto, has a right to appeal, contest, dispute, or otherwise challenge any aspect of the administration of the Contest, and any decision of the Bill of Rights Institute is final in all respects.
No responsibility is assumed for incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized by this contest or by any human error which may occur in the processing of entries into this contest. The Bill of Rights Institute is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, or delayed entries or any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of players on account of technical problems, or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof.
If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the Bill of Rights Institute, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this contest or for any reason the Bill of Rights Institute deems it necessary, the Bill of Rights Institute reserves the right to cancel, modify, or delay the Contest.
Section VIII – Nondiscrimination Policy
In administering the Contest, the Bill of Rights Institute will not discriminate in any manner, including on the basis of race, color, national, or ethnic origin, and each eligible essay submitted will be evaluated upon the merit of its contents as further described in Section IV.
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