Share the competition across disciplines, not only with advanced writing classes.
For Teachers & Schools
Create the conditions for serious student thought.
Educators can introduce the questions, help students build sound habits of inquiry, and protect the independence that makes each essay meaningful.
In the classroom
Use the prize as a framework for inquiry.
01
Open the question
Use a prompt for seminar discussion before students choose a position. Ask what each key term could mean and what evidence would change a mind.
02
Teach argument, not an answer
Help students distinguish claims, reasons, evidence, assumptions, and counterarguments without directing them toward a preferred conclusion.
03
Make revision visible
Encourage outlines, annotated sources, peer questions, and successive drafts so students experience writing as an act of clarified thinking.
04
Protect authorship
Give feedback at the level of questions and reader response. Avoid rewriting language or restructuring the essay on a student’s behalf.
Institutional verification
A light-touch safeguard for trust.
A teacher or authorized school representative may be asked to confirm a shortlisted student’s age and current enrollment, and that the submitted work is consistent with the student’s authorship.
Verification is not a recommendation and does not ask educators to assess the essay’s merit. Home-educated students may nominate an appropriate adult who is not an immediate family member.
Nomination & support
Invite students who might not nominate themselves.
Nominate students whose questions, integrity, or perspective deserve a wider audience.
Offer time, library access, and encouragement without taking ownership of the work.