free speech essay scholarship

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Table of contents, free speech essay contest.

The Details

The contest may return in 2024. Check back for updates.

Eligibility

Open to juniors and seniors in U.S. high schools, including home-schooled students, as well as U.S. citizens attending high school overseas. Additional questions regarding eligibility may be emailed to [email protected] .

Word Length

Students must submit an essay between 700 and 900 words on the provided topic below.

FIRE must receive all entries by 11:59 EST, December 31, 2021. Winners will be announced by February 15, 2022.

Scholarship Prizes

One $10,000 first prize, one $5,000 second prize, three $1,000 third place prizes and four $500 prizes will be awarded.

Before You Start

Get to know us! The mission of FIRE is to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech , legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience—the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. In addition to defending the rights of students and faculty, FIRE works to educate students and the general public on the necessity of free speech and its importance to a thriving democratic society.

The freedom of speech, enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution, is a foundational American right. Nowhere is that right more important than on our college campuses, where the free flow of ideas and the clash of opposing views advance knowledge and promote human progress. It is on our college campuses, however, where some of the most serious violations of free speech occur, and where students are regularly censored simply because their expression might offend others.

We also encourage you to take advantage of our other educational resources , including our First Amendment Library , our continually-updated Newsdesk , our K-12 Video Library , and our many publications , including our Guide to Free Speech on Campus .

In a persuasive letter or essay, convince your peers that free speech is a better idea than censorship.

Your letter or essay must be between 700-900 words. We encourage you to draw from current events, historical examples, our free speech comic , other resources on FIRE’s website , and/or your own personal experiences.

Note: While there is no required format for your submission, many entrants use MLA guidelines. Successful entries will show an understanding of the importance of free speech and the pitfalls of censorship. You may use in-text citations, and do not need to include a References or Works Cited page. Essays that do not address the prompt question or fail to meet the word-count requirements will not be considered. View the essays of some of our past winners here !

Entering this essay contest constitutes agreement to having your name and essay published on FIRE's website if you are selected as a winner. FIRE reserves the right to make minor edits to winning essays before publication on our website.

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Free Speech Essay Contest

Offered by Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

7 awards worth up to

Grade level.

High School Juniors & Seniors

Expected deadline: This scholarship might not currently be accepting applications. Most scholarship programs only accept applications a few months ahead of their annual deadline. We’ve estimated this deadline based on last year’s deadline in order to help you plan out your scholarship applications.

December 2022

Scholarship Overview

Are you attending a U.S. high school or are a U.S. citizen attending high school elsewhere? Further, are you a junior or senior who’s passionate about free speech? If so, consider applying for the Free Speech Essay Contest! Each year, the contest awards between $500 and $10,000 to nine applicants who submit the best 700 – 900 word essays on the year’s prompt, which almost always revolve around the importance of free speech. The contest is run by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, an organization with a mission to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought.

If you value free speech and want to express that right through writing, we encourage you to apply for the Free Speech Essay Contest!

Eligibility information

This scholarship is open to high school juniors and seniors attending a high school in the U.S. (or abroad if you’re a U.S. citizen). Applicants must also meet the below eligibility requirements.

U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, Canadian Citizens, DACA, Other

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Application information.

To apply for this scholarship, students must submit an online application in addition to the below application materials.

900-word essay

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Scholarship FAQ

Is this scholarship open to international students, when will the winner of this scholarship be announced, who should i contact with any questions about this scholarship, is this scholarship renewable, where can i find help writing my scholarship essay.

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Academic Liberty & Free Speech Scholarship

Free speech is a cornerstone of democracy and equality, fundamental principles upon which the American higher education system was founded.

It is important to support students whose studies highlight the crucial role that free speech plays in encouraging intellectual diversity and critical thinking. Liberal arts education, social sciences, and other interdisciplinary studies foster a broad base of knowledge, demonstrating diversity of thought and critical thinking. The Academic Liberty & Free Speech Scholarship will support students who work to further the values of free speech and critical thought.

All undergraduate students are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to those who demonstrate an openness to diversity of thought, demonstrated by, for example, majoring in liberal arts, social sciences, or interdisciplinary studies or serving on the mock trial or debate team. To apply, write about how free speech contributes to intellectual and personal development.

How does free speech contribute to the intellectual and personal development of American college students? Why is it essential to preserve this fundamental right, and how does your field of study or extracurricular activities advance diversity of thought and critical thinking, preserving free speech on campus?

Winners and Finalists

September 2023.

Winning Application

Explore all kinds of scholarships for all kinds of students.

The application deadline is Apr 17, 2024. Winners will be announced on May 17, 2024.

Your privacy is a top priority on the Bold.org platform, and you can find our privacy policy in full here . You may opt out of communications from Bold.org at any time, and unless we’ve first notified you and gotten your consent, you’ll never receive communication from any third parties related to personal information you give us.

Award amounts per winner are designated by the donor. Check the award amount for a detailed breakdown.

The winner will be publicly announced on May 17, 2024. Prior to the announcement date, we may contact finalists with additional questions about their application. We will work with donors to review all applications according to the scholarship criteria. Winners will be chosen based on the merit of their application.

Award checks will be sent to the financial aid office of the winner's academic institution in their name to be applied to their tuition, and in the name of their institution (depending on the school's requirements). If the award is for a qualified educational non-tuition expense, we will work with the winner directly to distribute the award and make sure it goes towards qualified expenses.

Before we award the scholarship, the winner will be required to confirm their academic enrollment status. Depending on the circumstances, verification of Student ID and/or their most recent transcript will be required.

If you have any questions about this scholarship or the Bold.org platform, just email [email protected] and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.

Yes. The terms and conditions for this scholarship can be found here .

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Free Speech Essay Contest

Sponsored by: Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

Apply Online

Applicants must be juniors or seniors in U.S. high schools including home-schools and U.S. citizens attending overseas schools. Students must submit an essay pertaining to the topic of free speech and censorship.

Contact Information

Scholarship Administrator Foundation for Individual Rights in Education 170 South Independence Mall West, Suite 510 Philadelphia, PA 19106 United States

Official website

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Want to know what is on our minds? Find blog posts written here, by the City Club staff, members, and partners. Every week you can find a new edition of #FreeSpeech in the News — a collection of related stories, commentary, and opinions on free speech in the 21st century that’s making the news. You’ll also find takes on current events, past forums, and issues surrounding Northeast Ohio. Read on for all things City Club.

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Tuesday, January 19, 2021

2021 Free Speech Essay Contest

Vinay Bodapoti, 2017 Grade 11/12 Free Speech Essay Contest Winner

Every year since 2013, The Hope and Stanley Adelstein Free Speech Essay Contest challenges high school students to examine the role of free speech in the 21st century. The essay contest was established by Hope and Stanley as part of the City Club’s Centennial celebration. The Adelsteins were longtime City Club members, philanthropists, and environmental activists. Stanley joined the City Club in 1941 and remained an active member until his death in 2014. Hope’s hallmark was civic involvement, and she was active in the Cleveland community until her death in 2016.

All high school students in Northeastern 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.

2021 Essay Contest Details

2021 Prompt:

The recent insurrection at the United States capitol, enabled by free speech on social media platforms, has amplified the conflict between public interest and unfettered freedom of speech in American society.

Other countries have made efforts to resolve this conflict through restricting hate speech. For example, Germany has outlawed speech that disturbs public peace. Additionally, social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter have taken new action to censor speech that may be dangerous or untrue.

Freedom of speech is a bedrock of American democracy. But the proliferation of misinformation, conspiracy theories, extremist views, and violence now being spread on social media platforms threatens the balance of free speech and democracy. If you were given the opportunity to testify before the Senate, what would you recommend be done?

Eligibility and details:

• All Northeast Ohio high school students are eligible to participate
• There are two categories of judging – 9/10 grade and 11/12 grade
• Essays must be 500-1,000 words
• Please use 3 to 5 articles from reliable, valid sources in your essay.
• Each entry is assigned a number. Essays are blind-scored by number only; no student or school names are identified. Do not include student name or school name within the body of your essay. Failure to comply may result in disqualification.
• All first-place winners of each category are invited to read their winning essays at the start of a City Club virtual forum.
• Deadline: Wednesday, March 31
• To submit your essay, visit here .

Example sources:

• Have Trump’s Lies Wrecked Free Speech? , The New York Times
• Keynote by Susanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America , 2020 City Club Annual Meeting
• At Hearing, Republicans Accuse Zuckerberg and Dorsey of Censorship , The New York Times
• Legal Shield for Social Media is Targeted by Lawmakers , The New York Times
• How Germany Deals With Neo-Nazis , The New York Times
• The Ongoing Challenge to Define Free Speech , American Bar Association
• Why America needs a hate speech law , The Washington Post
• “Hate Speech” Laws Undermine Free Speech and Equality , Cato Institute
• Hate Speech Laws Are Unconstitutional and Harmful to Democracy , Cato Institute
• Unfettered Free Speech Is A Threat To Democracy, Journalist Says , NPR
• Don’t Let Trump’s Second Trial Change the First Amendment , The New York Times
• The Scary Power of the Companies That Finally Shut Trump Up , The New York Times

See here for full scoring rubric.

11/12 Grade

• First Place: $1,000
• Second Place: $750
• Third Place: $500
• Honorable Mention: $250
• First Place: $500
• Second Place: $250
• Third Place: $150
• Honorable Mention: $100

You can view the winning essays from 2020 here: Grade 11/12 Grade 9/10

For any questions regarding the Essay Contest, please contact Tiffany France, Program and Community Engagement Coordinator, [email protected].

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