Every year since 2012, the City Club has used this essay contest to invite students to consider different aspects of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, specifically, Freedom of Speech.
All high school students in Northeast Ohio are eligible to apply for scholarship prizes. Essays should pull from personal experience, current events, history, politics, art, anything really so long as they are backed up with evidence. Essays will be judged on their clarity, content, originality, and significance.
2024 Prompt:
In an era of advancing artificial intelligence and digital communication, we have transformed the way we share information. These new technological advancements, especially AI, present complex challenges for freedom of speech.
Discuss the potential impacts of AI and how society can uphold the principles of the First Amendment while navigating this changing technological terrain.
The 2024 Hope and Stanley Adelstein Essay Contest is officially open for submissions.
Click here to submit your essay.
Submission Deadline: DEADLINE EXTENDED - Friday, March 1st
Eligibility and details:
Example sources:
https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/artificial-intelligence-free-speech-and-first-amendment
https://time.com/6278220/protecting-ai-generated-speech-first-amendment
See here for full scoring rubric
Awards:
11/12 Grade
9/10 Grade
You can view the winning essays from 2023 here: Grade 11/12 | Grade 9/10
For any questions regarding the Essay Contest, please contact Ariana Smith at asmith@cityclub.org
Vinay Bodapoti, 2017 Grade 11/12 Free Speech Essay Contest Winner
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