The Iowa State Bar Association Sesquicentennial Celebration Essay Contest

Submission deadline has passed

The Sesquicentennial Celebration Essay Contest is sponsored by the Iowa State Bar Foundation on behalf of The Iowa State Bar Association (ISBA) in recognition of its 150th year. The essay is designed to give Iowa high school students an opportunity to express creative ideas and concepts, conduct research, and think critically about the importance of the role of law in their personal lives, communities, and the State of Iowa.

Essay Contest Winners

District 1A
Sophia McGee—1st place
No 2nd place

District 1B
Coraliz Ortiz-Valentin—1st place
Molly McBride—2nd place

District 2B
Paul Peterson—1st place
Izaiah Wilder—2nd place

District 3A
Rachel Bare—1st place
No 2nd place

District 3B
Brigid Bonner—1st place
Billie Oxendale—Tied for 2nd place
Caitlin Todd—Tied for 2nd place

District 4
Emily Townsend—1st place
No 2nd place

District 5A
Haylie Zinkula—1st place
Pete Gunkel—2nd place

District 5B
Natalia Zimmerman—1st place
Ella Waske—2nd place

District 5C
Edie Lenig—1st place
Aravind Balaji—2nd place

District 6
Killian Simanek—1st place
Katie Hubbs—2nd place

District 7
Amelia Reicks—1st place
No 2nd place

District 8
Giorgi Natchkebia—1st place
Kathryn Taylor—2nd place

The Law in My Life, My Community and My State: Celebrating Iowa’s Legal Past, Present, and Future

Students are free to select any law-related person, place, event, or document identified with the 150-year history of the ISBA. Students may profile a local attorney or law firm, history of their county courthouse, structure of the Iowa court system, important Iowa Supreme Court decisions, the role of law in their personal development, or their vision of the role of law in Iowa's future. Write about what is important to you!

Scope and Deadline

The Iowa State Bar Foundation will award two cash awards to high school students in each of Iowa’s 14 judicial districts.

• First prize in each district is $1,000
• Second prize in each district is $500

Submission deadline has passed.

Eligibility

The essay contest is open to all students in Iowa enrolled in grades 9-12, and public, private, or homeschool students are all eligible.

Rules and Guidelines

All entrants must be classified as a high school student (grades 9-12) during the 2024-2025 school year. Judicial district is determined by the location of the school attended. Although this is meant to be a personal, rather than an academic essay, attention should be given to content, organization, style, and correctness. Essays must be original. However, consultation with teachers or other resources is encouraged. Plagiarism is not acceptable. AI created entries shall be considered plagiarism. Credit must clearly be given to any source where borrowed material is directly used or quoted. Essays should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words in length.

Submission

• Fill out the online registration form (no longer available). All fields on the online form are required, including uploading a PDF file of your original work in English which should include a comprehensive list of sources consulted. (These bibliographic entries are not considered part of the word limit.) 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.
   
• Teacher or Sponsor: Student registration forms must have a teacher, sponsor, or school administrator name. That person may review the submitted essay and act as the key contact between participants and ISBA. It is to the student’s advantage to have a coordinator review the essay to make sure it is complete, contains all the necessary forms, is free from typographical and grammatical errors, and addresses the topic.
   
• Do not place your last name or your school's name on any of the pages of the essay. Only the registration form should include this information.
   
• Your essay will be disqualified if it does not meet the requirements or is submitted after the submission date of 4 p.m. CST on Nov. 1, 2024.

Judging

The winners will be selected by a panel of judges chosen by the ISBA. All essays will be judged blind within their respective judicial districts. Criteria for judging the essays will include quality of the written essay, accuracy of facts, demonstrated mastery of the topic, effective communication of concepts, thoughts, ideas, and originality. The decisions of the judges are final.

Upon submission, your essay becomes the property of the ISBA and may be used in whole or in part for use in future promotional materials. The original works will not be returned. (We encourage you to keep a copy of your work.)