Stand for Racial Justice High School Essay Contest

Tri-C is asking Northeast Ohio teens to weigh in on a question society often struggles to answer: What is racism, and what should we do about it?

Who can enter:
High school students in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties are eligible. 

Essay Rules: 
Essays cannot exceed 500 words and are due by noon on Friday, Dec. 18. Essays must respond to the following prompt: What is racism, and what should we do about it? Do not include any personally-identifying information (such as your name or the name of your school) in the document.

Submit your essay here - Submission open Nov. 20 - Dec. 18. 

Submissions will be judged in two groups assigned by grade levels. One category is for seniors and juniors, while the other is for sophomores and freshmen. 

Winning Essays:
Winners in each category will be announced in January as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances.

Cash prizes:

• $1,000 for first place
• $500 for second place
• $250 for third place

Scholarships:
Authors of the top five senior/junior submissions will be guaranteed entry into Tri-C’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy if they enroll at the College. Admission into the academy includes a scholarship valued at more than $10,000.

Published Essays:
The six winning essays will be posted on cleveland.com, with the first-place winners also published in The Plain Dealer on Sunday, Jan. 17, through a partnership between the College and Advance Ohio.

Sponsors: 
The contest is part of Tri-C’s Stand for Racial Justice, which seeks to advance racial equity and healing in the community.

The College’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center is sponsoring the contest in partnership with cleveland.com, The Plain Dealer, and Sun News.