$15,000 in Scholarships for High School Seniors

FIRE is offering $15,000 in college scholarships to high school seniors.

All interested and eligible students should write an essay of 700–1200 words explaining why freedom of expression is crucial to higher education and how infringements on these rights betray the purpose of a university education. The essay should be based upon two short FIRE documentaries: FIRE in Action: Valdosta State University and Think What We Think...Or Else: Thought Control on the American Campus. The videos demonstrate how university administrations at Valdosta State University and the University of Delaware abrogated the constitutional rights of their students to freedom of speech and freedom of conscience. Students should also watch some of FIRE's other documentaries and read FIRE's mission and posts on The Torch to get a good sense of FIRE's goals and activities.

Deadline for entry is November 6, 2009. Winners will be announced by December 11, 2009.

This year, FIRE will award twice as much money in scholarships as we awarded last year. One first-place winner will receive $5,000, two second-place winners will receive $2,500, and five runners-up will receive $1,000 each.

Essays should be submitted online here, via e-mail to scholarships@thefire.org, or via regular mail to:

FIRE
Attn: Essay Scholarship Contest
601 Walnut Street, Suite 510
Philadelphia, PA 19106

To view the complete rules and regulations for the contest, please click here. Good luck!