FIRE’s Free Speech Essay Contest

Award Amount
Award Amount

$20,000

Application deadline
Application deadline

December 31

Awarded By:

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)

Number of Awards & Eligibility: Nine awards offered annually.
In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
  1. This award is for U.S. students.
  2. Must be a U.S. citizen.
  3. Must be a high school junior or senior at the time of application.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

Description: This scholarship is open to juniors and seniors in U.S. high schools, including home-schooled students, as well as U.S. citizens attending schools overseas. Additional questions regarding eligibility may be emailed to essaycontest@thefire.org. Click to learn more and apply today!

Application requirements for the FIRE’s Free Speech Essay Contest are:

  • Application form
  • Essay
Additional Information: NOW OPEN - FIRE’s 2020 Free Speech Essay Contest for high schoolers As high schools across the country figure out how to safely resume operations amid the Coronavirus pandemic, one constant remains: FIRE’s annual Free Speech Essay Contest! To say 2020 has been a tumultuous year would be an understatement. In disruptive times like these, we’re reminded about the significance of our essential and reliable civil liberties—especially free speech. This year, we’re calling on students to share their thoughts about the First Amendment with this new prompt: In a persuasive letter or essay, convince your peers that free speech is a better idea than censorship. If you are a high school junior or senior who values your constitutional rights, we want to hear from you and encourage you to express yourself creatively in your entry. As always, we’re putting up $20,000 in scholarship money for the top essay writers. The first place winner will earn $10,000, the second place winner will earn $5,000, three third place winners will earn $1,000, and four runner-ups will earn $500. For inspiration, you can check out past years’ winners here. Make sure your submission is between 700-900 words and is received by December 31. Students who send in an essay and opt-in to the FIRE Student Newsletter on the submission form can count on receiving some choice FIRE swag in the mail, too, while supplies last. We look forward to reading your submission!

Award Amount: One $10,000 first prize, one $5,000 second prize, three $1,000 third place prizes and four $500 prizes will be awarded.  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $20,000.

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Thursday, December 31

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Thursday, December 31

Essays must be submitted through the online form located on the FIRE website by the deadline date.
About Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE):
Contact Information: Jaclyn A. Hall, Associate Director, Campus Freedom Network
Address: 601 Walnut Street, Suite 510 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
Email: fire@thefire.org , fire@thefire.org
Apply Now

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