Submissions Accepted Beginning December 1, 2010

Rules for Mailed Submissions / Rules for Electronic Submissions

MAILED APPLICATIONS:

1. Submit four numbered and collated copies of an original work in English on the designated topic, with title page, and including sources.

2. Submit one completed registration form signed by you. The teacher information is very important, as your teacher will be consulted should your essay be chosen as one of the top 25.

3. All submissions must include a word count, excluding the list of sources and the registration form.

4. Entries must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman or an equivalent font with a one-inch margin on all sides of the page. Standards of content and style from MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., will be expected for (1) documentation of sources in the text of your essay (see chapter 5); (2) the format of the list of works cited (see sample page at end of the MLA Handbook); and (3) margins and indentation (see sample page also at end of Handbook).

5. AT LEAST three of the sources you cite must be primary sources, i.e. books, periodicals or newspapers that you have physically researched. Other sources may be online-only materials, provided they are cited correctly as such. Note: Any essay using such sources as Wikipedia will be disqualified! Please make sure to also separate your primary source list from your Internet source list.

6. Do not place your name or your school's name on any of the pages of the essay. That information should only be on the registration form.

7. Your essay will be disqualified if it does not meet the requirements or is postmarked after the submission date of April 15, 2011.

Getting It There:

Mail your four copies plus registration form to:

National High School Essay Contest
American Foreign Service Association
2101 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20037

Your essay will become the property of the American Foreign Service Association once it is submitted, and will not be returned.

Deadline: Your entry MUST be postmarked no later than April 15, 2011.

The decisions of the judges are final.

Thank you for your essay submission and good luck!

ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS:

1. Fill out the registration form found in the right-hand side column with your digital signature or equivalent. The teacher information is very important, as your teacher will be consulted should your essay be chosen as one of the top 25.

2. Attach a copy of an original work in English on the designated topic, which should include a comprehensive list of sources consulted.

3. All submissions must include a word count, excluding the list of sources.

4. Entries must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman or an equivalent font with a one-inch margin on all sides of the page. Standards of content and style from MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., will be expected for (1) documentation of sources in the text of your essay (see chapter 5); (2) the format of the list of works cited (see sample page at end of the MLA Handbook); and (3) margins and indentation (see sample page also at end of Handbook).

5. AT LEAST three of the sources you cite must be primary sources, i.e. books, periodicals or newspapers that you have physically researched. Other sources may be online-only materials, provided they are cited correctly as such. Note: Any essay using such sources as Wikipedia will be disqualified! Please make sure to also separate your primary source list from your Internet source list.

6. Do not place your name or your school's name on any of the pages of the essay. Only the registration form should include this information.

7. Essays MUST be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc) format. Essays submitted in any other format will not be considered.

8. Your essay will be disqualified if it does not meet the requirements or is submitted after the submission date of April 15, 2011.

Your essay will become the property of the American Foreign Service Association once it is submitted, and will not be returned.

The decisions of the judges are final.

Thank you for your essay submission and good luck!