2025 High School Essay Contest
The Anne Arundel County Bar Foundation invites all high school students in Anne Arundel County to enter its annual high school essay contest. The contest is open to all public, private, and home-schooled high school students in grades 9-12. This year’s contest is focused on the current Supreme Court case involving a group of Maryland parents who sued the Montgomery County School District for not allowing them to opt out of elementary school classes that used LGBTQ-themed storybooks. These parents, from Muslim, Jewish, and Christian backgrounds, argued that the school district's policy violated their First Amendment rights to freely exercise their religion.
Prizes: 1st place: $500 2nd place: $250 3rd place: $100
The winners will be honored at a special ceremony at the Circuit Court. All participants will receive a certificate. College admissions offices look favorably upon applications of students who have received writing awards.
How to Enter:
Write an essay on this topic: How should the U.S. Supreme Court should rule on this case and why? Students should submit an essay of up to 1,200 words on the stated topic (see details below). Entries should be double-spaced, typewritten and printed.
The essay must be accompanied by a cover sheet that includes the following information: the student’s name, address, phone number and e-mail address; school’s name (if applicable), address and phone number; and the name of the teacher sponsor (if applicable, or parent if home-schooled). All portions of the essay that are not expressly identified as quotations must be the original work product of the student submitting the essay. Each contestant is required to include a statement of certification stating that their essay is their original work product, other than statements in quotations within quotation marks.
Essays must be received by June 6, 2025 and e- mailed to: info@aabar.org
Essay Topic
The case under consideration: Mahmoud v. Taylor
This case asks the Supreme Court to resolve a dispute whether public schools burden parents “religious exercise when they compel elementary school children to participate in instruction on gender and sexuality against their parents" religious convictions and without notice or opportunity to opt out.
Questions? Please contact us at 410-222-6860 or info@aabar.org.