Coming up very soon is the 9th Circuit Civics Contest, which is an essay and video competition for high school students in the western United States. It will host a local essay and video contest, and the top three finishers in each category will receive cash prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250, and also advance to the next level of the competition before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where they will compete for additional cash prizes like $3,000, $1,700, and $1,000. This competition seems very fun and is definitely something you should sign up for to get all your creative juices flowing.

The first-place winners in the essay and video competitions at the circuit level of the competition will receive a fun trip to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference in July 2022 in Big Sky, Montana depending on COVID restrictions. The winning essay and video will also be presented at the Judicial Conference and the students will be invited to a special reception. The theme for this year’s contest is going to be “The first amendment and the schoolhouse Gate: Student’s free speech rights.” Students must follow this prompt, “What are students’ free speech rights/responsibilities on and off-campus?” You can learn more information about that on the Knightly update.

It says on the Knightly update that students are asked to consider what writes the first amendment provides to students engaging in free speech, both inside and outside of school. Students wanting to enter the contest should also consider the responsibilities if any, that students, schools, or the government have with respect to speech by students, including whether it may cause harm to others. This contest is a great way for students to express their thoughts and ideas on this topic in an essay that has between 500 to 1000 words. Students can also produce a 3-5 minute video about the topic.

This contest is made so that students can voice their opinions on a certain topic and say what they believe in. I would encourage you to sign up for the contest if writing is something that you enjoy doing, and if you just want to get your opinions heard. The contest sure does come with benefits if you win, and even if you don’t, the experience will be great as well so try it out, you’ll never know what might happen!