FREE SPEECH ESSAY CONTEST in USA: One $10,000 first prize, one $5,000 second prize, three $1,000 third place prizes and four $500 prizes will be awarded.
The purpose of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is to protect and defend the rights of students and faculty members at America's colleges and institutions. These rights encompass the basic elements of liberty: freedom of expression, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience.
FIRE informs students, faculty, alumni, trustees, and the general public about the dangers to fundamental rights on our campuses, as well as the resources available to protect them.
Learn more about us! FIRE's purpose is to protect and promote individual rights at colleges and institutions across the United States. These rights encompass the basic aspects of individual liberty and dignity: freedom of expression, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience.
FIRE strives to educate students and the broader public about the significance of free speech in a healthy democratic society, in addition to defending the rights of students and teachers.
The right to free expression is established in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. That right is more vital than ever on our college campuses, where the free exchange of ideas and clashes of opposing viewpoints improve knowledge and human development.
However, it is on our college campuses where some of the most egregious abuses of free speech take place, and where students are routinely silenced merely because their words may upset others.
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 essaycontest@thefire.org.
Word Length
Students must submit an essay between 700 and 900 words on the provided topic below.
The Prompt
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.
All Nationalities
While there is no set structure for your contribution, many participants use the MLA rules. Successful submissions will demonstrate a grasp of the value of free expression as well as the dangers of censorship. You do not need to provide a References or Works Cited page if you employ in-text citations. Essays that do not respond to the prompt or do not satisfy the word count criteria will be disqualified. View the essays of some of our past winners here!