Announcement of 2012 High School Scholarship Essay Contest
Open to High School Seniors in Sacramento and Surrounding Counties
Total Scholarship Awards $15,000
Sponsored by the Sacramento Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility
Download full-page and half-page flyers.
Essay Topic
- Students may enter the 2012 PSR/Sacramento Scholarship Essay Contest by submitting an original essay of 500 words or fewer describing their thoughts about the words of the 20th century U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, who said, "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."
Contest Eligibility and Rules
- Contestants must be high school seniors attending school in Sacramento County or in one of the surrounding counties (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, or Yuba).
- Contestants must be in good academic standing, and on track to graduate in 2012. (Students who entered high school on track to graduate in 2012, but who graduated early in 2012 are also eligible.)
- Contestants are encouraged to discuss the essay topic with teachers, parents, friends, and other mentors, but each contestant must write the essay himself or herself, in his or her own words.
- Essays may either be sent electronically via the PSR/Sacramento website (preferred method), by email to essaycontest@sacpsr.org, or by U.S. mail to PSR/Sacramento, 10 Dumfries Court, Sacramento, CA, 95831. Essays sent by email should be included either as an attachment in Microsoft Word format or in the text of the email. Essays sent by U.S. mail must be typewritten and single-spaced. Essays may include a title and footnotes, but these elements are not required. Include a word count with the essay, excluding any title or footnotes, which do not count toward the 500 word limit.
- All essays must be accompanied by an entry form which includes the contestant's name, address, phone number, email address, and high school; the name of a parent or guardian; a statement signed by the contestant documenting that the essay being submitted is the original work of the contestant; a statement signed by the parent or guardian indicating that the parent or guardian approves of the contestant's participation in the scholarship essay contest; and a statement by a school official confirming that the contestant is a student in good standing, on track for graduation from the 12th grade in 2012. The completed entry form may be scanned into PDF format and sent by email to essaycontest@sacpsr.org or it may be sent by U.S. mail to: PSR/Sacramento, 10 Dumfries Court, Sacramento, CA, 95831.
- Deadline for essay submission is midnight on Wednesday, March 7, 2012.
- Download full-page and half-page flyers.
Selection of Scholarship Winners
- The Steering Committee of the Sacramento Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR/Sacramento) will establish a panel of PSR members and other qualified individuals in the community to judge essays based on originality, clarity, cohesiveness, and overall impact. The panel will select 10 finalists and two alternates, to be announced by midnight on Monday, April 16, 2012.
- The top 10 finalists will be invited to present their essays orally at a dinner open to the public on the evening of Sunday, April 29, 2012 at the Dante Club, 2330 Fair Oaks Boulevard, in Sacramento. Dinner will begin at 6 PM, and essay presentations will follow.
- Finalists must participate in the April 29, 2012 finals dinner presentation to be eligible for scholarship awards. Finalists must confirm by midnight on Monday, April 23, that they will be participating in the May 1 finals event, or an alternate finalist may be assigned in their place.
- A panel of judges selected from the community will rate the essay presentations at the dinner and will ask one question of each finalist concerning his or her presentation. Finalists will be given up to 2 minutes to respond to the question. Following all presentations and questions, judges will choose first, second, and third place winners, based on the combined quality of the essay presentations and the responses to the judges' questions.
Contest Prizes (Total $15,000)
- First place winner will receive a $3,000 scholarship; second place a $2,500 scholarship; and third place a $2,000 scholarship
- The other seven contestants participating in April 29, 2012 final judging event will each receive $1,000 scholarships.
- If all of the top 10 finalists participate in the finals dinner presentation, the alternate finalists will both receive $250 scholarships. If one or more of the top 10 finalists cannot be present at the finals dinner and an alternate finalists takes his or her place, the alternate finalist will instead receive a minimum of a $1,000 scholarship and will be eligible for the first, second, or third place awards.
- Scholarship money may be applied toward any education-related expenses upon matriculation at an accredited college or university. Essay contest winners may also apply awards toward tuition for certain other post-high school educational programs, including trade schools, pending review and approval of the proposed curriculum by the PSR/Sacramento steering committee.
Scholarship finals dinner will be the evening of Sunday, April 29, 2012
For additional information or questions, email essaycontest@sacpsr.org or call (916) 955-6333. Download full-page and half-page flyers.
Past Contests
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