2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, extending the right to vote to women and expanding on the principle of equality.
What barriers remain today in exercising the right to vote?
What changes, if any, would you make to protect or expand voting rights?
The deadline for the 2020 Essay Contest sponsored by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has been extended to
June 1, 2020.
Students are invited to consider and share their thoughts on the question: “What barriers remain today in exercising the right to vote? What changes, if any, would you make to protect or expand voting rights?"
The contest is open to all students currently in grades 9 through 12 from Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Essays are limited to 1,000 words, and the new deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, June 1, 2020.
Students have the opportunity to win one of three cash prizes: first place, $2,000; second place, $1,500; and third place, $1,000.
Winners will be announced in the summer, and travel will be provided to the court’s Essay Awards Program in September 2020.
For additional information and instructions on how to submit an essay, visit www.ca4.uscourts.gov/essay-contest.
For questions, contact the Fourth Circuit Clerk’s Office at essaycontest@ca4.uscourts.gov or (804) 916-2706.
Please note: Children, grandchildren, stepchildren, or members of the household of a federal judge or federal judiciary employee are excluded from the competition.