We The Future Contest

High School Students

Grades 9 – 12

Contest Rules Summary – 2020

DEADLINE UPDATE: Students who attend one of Constituting America’s nine LIVE September 17 Constitution Day Workshops receive one extra week to turn in their contest entry! Click here for details and to sign up! Workshop attendee contest entries are now due September 24!

Sign up for the contest here.

Parent/Guardian must read “Constituting America’s Privacy Policy Guidelines and Notice to Parents,” approve of student entering, “check” parent statement on online form & sign hard copy contest entry form.

High School Students may submit: Essay, Song, STEM, Short film or PSA. All entries that utilize copyrighted music, film clips or photos MUST obtain the proper licensing permissions IN ADVANCE of submitting the entry, in order to be considered.

Submissions due no later than 11:59 p.m. September 17, 2020 to WeTheFuture2020@yahoo.com with subject line “HIGH SCHOOL (INSERT CATEGORY ENTERING) ENTRY” See Official Rules Section III for complete submission instructions

• Essay: Write a 500-1,000 word essay on one of the following two topics: (1)* research one amendment to the Constitution and explain how it is relevant today, (2) discuss the amendment process to the Constitution and how this process has preserved our governing document for over 250 years. Essay must be no shorter than 500 words and no longer than 1,000 words, typed or handwritten. Essay entry may be mailed or submitted electronically, but MUST include student’s name, age and grade on every page of the essay. If mailing, two copies of the essay and entry form must be included. *Your essay may also fall under the guidelines and expectations for the American Legion Oratory Competition Essay. See Official Rules Section III for details.

• Song: Write and compose an original song expressing the importance of the Constitution in your life today, being as specific as possible. The song must be an original pop, country, rock, or other popular genre, song composition, lyrics and music, written by the student, no longer than 3:20. Song submissions should be uploaded to YouTube (640 x 360 minimum, HD preferred) or Vimeo (download enabled) and must include a video recording of the performance or a still photo with audio in background. See Official Rules Section III for details.

• STEM: Get a pulse on what your peers know about the Constitution! Conduct a survey or focus group, create an online quiz or website, or design a smart-phone app containing information on the U.S. Constitution. Focus groups or surveys must poll fifteen or more of your peers; online quizzes and websites must be completed/viewed by at least ten people and submission must include a report of results; smart phone apps must be downloaded and tested by ten people and submission must include a report of results. See Official Rules for details.

• Short film: How does the Constitution make America and Americans’ way of life unique as compared to other countries? Must be an original film written and directed by the student. Up to two students may collaborate on and submit the short film. It must be no shorter than 5 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes in length. See Official Rules Section III for details.

• PSA (30 or 60-second): Choose one of the two topics to create a 30 or 60-second public service announcement: (1) Why are civil, civic conversations important in our society today?; (2) Why should students know the U.S. Constitution? It must be 30 or 60 seconds in length, originally written and directed by the student and recorded. Up to two students may collaborate on and submit the PSA. PSA submissions should be uploaded to YouTube (640 x 360 minimum, HD preferred) or Vimeo (download enabled), “black to black” should be 29.5 for a 30-second PSA and 59.5 for a 60-second PSA. See Official Rules Section III for details.

The above rules are a summary only. Please consult “Official Rules” for complete instructions and guidelines.

We the Future Contest Official Rules and Regulations

for High School Students (Grades 9-­-12)

Section I – General Rules for High School Students (Grades 9-12)

Section II – Qualifications

Section III – Instructions

Section IV – Judging Process

Section V – Awards and Prizes

Section VI – Notice and Privacy Policy

Section VII – Disclaimer

Section VIII – Nondiscrimination Policy

Section I – General Rules for High School Students (Grades 9-12)

From September 18, 2019 to September 17, 2020 (the “Contest Period”) Constituting America will conduct the “We the Future” essay, song, STEM, Short film and PSA contest (the “Contest”) in the 50 States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories and the American Armed Forces Schools Abroad.

The essay topic is: (1)* Research one Amendment to the Constitution and explain how it is relevant today, or (2) Discuss the amendment process to the Constitution and how this process has preserved our governing document for over 250 years

The song subject is: The importance of the Constitution in your life today

STEM subject is: Design applied technology that promotes the U.S. Constitution

The short film subject is: How does the Constitution make America and Americans’ way of life unique as compared to other countries?

The PSA subject is: (1) Why are civil, civic conversations important in our society today, or (2) Why should students know the U.S. Constitution?

To enter, students and/or parent/guardians are encouraged to fill out the online Contest Sign-up form, indicating their intent to enter the contest, including the line on the form giving parental consent. Contest updates and deadline reminders will be sent to the students signing up for the contest in advance.

Submissions due no later than 11:59 p.m. September 17, 2020 to WeTheFuture2020@yahoo.comwith subject line: HIGH SCHOOL ENTRY. See Official Rules Section III for complete submission instructions and guidelines.

• Essay: The completed Contest Sign-up form with signed parental consent and essay may be mailed as a PDF to

WeTheFuture2020@yahoo.com or mailed in hard copy form to the P.O. Box below. Student’s name, age and grade must appear on each page of the essay.

• Song: Submissions should be uploaded to YouTube (640 x 360 minimum, HD preferred) or Vimeo (download enabled), must include a video recording of the performance or still photo with audio in background. First line of song description in online submission must read: Submitted to Constituting America’s We The Future 2020 Contest www.constitutingamerica.org. Must email Entry/Permission form; YouTube or Vimeo link; lyrics and music.

• STEM: Using your creativity, develop some type of applied technology that can be used to promote the U.S. Constitution. Examples: a random survey of students to test constitutional knowledge, design a computer game tied to the Constitution or liberties it represents, construct an app or web site showcasing a particular aspect of the Constitution’s value in contemporary America, to your peers. The choice is yours.

• Short film & PSA: Submissions should be uploaded to YouTube (640 x 360 minimum, HD preferred) or Vimeo (download enabled). The first line of the video description in the online submission must read: Submitted to Constituting America’s We The Future 2020 Contest www.constitutingamerica.org. The following must be emailed to WeTheFuture2020@yahoo.com: Entry permission form; YouTube or Vimeo link; script. Pls include your name, age and grade on all pages of the entry package.

Entries must be received by email no later than 11:59 p.m., September 17, 2020 but may be submitted at any time from November 15, 2019 to September 17, 2020. Early entries are appreciated and encouraged.

As further detailed in Section VII entrants and parent/guardians agree to accept and be bound by all terms of these Official Rules and Regulations and the decisions of Constituting America, whose decisions are final with respect to all matters of the Contest.

Only one entry per student per category is permitted. Incomplete, late or entries which contain unrequested information, or otherwise fail to comply with these Official Rules and Regulations will not qualify for consideration for the Contest. By entering the Contest, entrants and their parent/guardians acknowledge and agree that the entry along with any and all documentation submitted therewith will become the sole property of Constituting America and will not be acknowledged or returned. Entrant and their parent/guardian represent and warrant that the entry is an original work and does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of any third party, is unpublished (in any form or medium) and has not won an award. Constituting America may edit any entries for grammar, modify for style only, and entrant and their parent/guardian hereby grant Constituting America a license to record the song, distribute submitted material to third parties for purposes of publication or production, to publicize the contest, with no additional notification or permission of the entrant or parent/guardian. Submitted material will only be used to further the educational mission and goals of Constituting America (please see Section VI for a Notice to Parents and Privacy Policy), including, but not limited to, featuring the song, essay, short film and PSA on the Constituting America website, and putting them on a DVD for promotional distribution for the contest. Constituting America also reserves the right to produce or sell any “app” submitted, and to incorporate any computer software into our existing website.

Section II – Qualifications

The High School Contest is open to all United States citizens or legal residents who are students in grades 9-12 and are 14 to 19 years old at the time of entry, attending public, private, religious, home school program and charter schools.

Students must attend school in one of the 50 States, District of Columbia, all U.S. Territories, or American Armed Forces Schools abroad.

“We The Future” Contest winners are limited to winning twice, and may not win more than once in the same category. We encourage all former “We The Future” Contest winners to join our Youth Advisory Board! Please email ConstitutingAmerica@yahoo.com for details and to join!

Section III – Essay, Song, STEM, Short film and PSA Instructions

All entries that utilize copyrighted music, film clips or photos MUST obtain the proper licensing permissions IN ADVANCE of submitting the entry, in order to be considered.

1. Essay Background: The Framers of the Constitution carefully constructed it to protect individual liberty and to restrain the power of the federal government. The Constitution is comprised of seven Articles which define and describe:

• the three branches of the federal government,

• the relationship between the federal government and the states,

• various other aspects of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and its preservation and amendment process.

Following the seven Articles are 27 Amendments to the United States Constitution.

Essay Topic: Write a 500-1,000 word essay on one of the following two topics:

(1)* research one Amendment to the Constitution and explain how it is relevant today. *Your essay may also fall under the guidelines and expectations for the American Legion Oratory Competition Essay.

(2) discuss the amendment process to the Constitution and how this process has preserved our governing document for over 250 years.

Essay must be no shorter than 500 words and no longer than 1,000 words, typed or handwritten. Essay entry may be mailed or submitted electronically, but MUST include student’s name, age and grade on every page of the essay. If mailing, two copies of the essay and entry form must be included. If submitted electronically, essay should be saved as a PDF and submitted via email to WeTheFuture2020@yahoo.com with the subject line: HIGH SCHOOL ENTRY. If mailing, two copies of the essay and entry form must be included.

2. Song: Theme: Write and compose an original song expressing the importance of the Constitution in your life today, being as specific as possible.

The song must be an original pop, country, rock, or other popular genre, song composition, lyrics and music, written by the student, no longer than 3:20. Song submissions should be uploaded to YouTube (640 x 360 minimum, HD preferred) or Vimeo (download enabled) and must include a video recording of the performance or a still photo with audio in background. It must be sung by the student. The song may be written, performed and submitted by a team of not more than two people. The first line of the song description in the online submission must read: Submitted to Constituting America’s We The Future 2020 Contest www.constitutingamerica.org. The following must be emailed to WeTheFuture2020@yahoo.com: The completed Entry/Permission form with signed parental consent (if under 18); YouTube or Vimeo link; and lyrics and music. The completed Entry/Permission form with signed parental consent, must be emailed, with subject line: HIGH SCHOOL ENTRY. The student’s name, grade and age must be on each page of the song submission.

3. STEM: Get a pulse on what your peers know about the Constitution! Conduct a survey or focus group, create an online quiz or website, or design a smart-phone app containing information on the U.S. Constitution. Focus groups or surveys must poll fifteen or more of your peers; online quizzes and websites must be completed/viewed by at least ten people and submission must include a report of results; smart phone apps must be downloaded and tested by ten people and submission must include a report of results.

Using your creativity, develop some type of applied technology that can be used to promote the U.S. Constitution. It can be as simple as a random survey of students in your school testing their constitutional knowledge, to something a little more complex like designing an interactive computer game tied to some part of the Constitution or liberties it represents. Or you can construct an app or even a web site showcasing a particular aspect of the Constitution’s value in contemporary America, to your peers. The choice is yours. Please email us a summary of your project to WeTheFuture2020@yahoo.com, with the subject line, and depending on what you have developed/created, we will work with you on the best way to submit your project.

4. Short film subject is: How does the Constitution make America and Americans’ way of life unique as compared to other countries? Must be an original film written and directed by the student. Up to two students may collaborate on and submit the short film. It must be no shorter than 5 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes in length.

Short film submissions should be uploaded to YouTube (640 x 360 minimum, HD preferred) or Vimeo (download enabled). The first line of the video description in the online submission must read: Submitted to Constituting America’s We The Future 2020 Contest www.constitutingamerica.org. The completed Entry/Permission form with signed parental consent (if under 18), must be emailed, with You Tube or Vimeo link, and script to WeTheFuture2020@yahoo.com with subject line: COLLEGE ENTRY. The student’s name, grade and age must be on each page of the short film script.

5. Public Service Announcement (PSA) subject is: (30-second or 60 second): Choose one of the two topics to create a 30-second or 60-second public service announcement: (1) Why are civil, civic conversations important in our society today; (2) Why should students know the U.S. Constitution? It must be 30 seconds in length, originally written and directed by the student and recorded. Up to two students may collaborate on and submit the PSA.

PSA submissions should be uploaded to YouTube (640 x 360 minimum, HD preferred) or Vimeo (download enabled). The first line of the video description in the online submission must read: Submitted to Constituting America’s We The Future 2020 Contest www.constitutingamerica.org. The completed Entry/Permission form with signed parental consent (if under 18), must be emailed, with YouTube or Vimeo link, and script to WeTheFuture2020@yahoo.com with subject line: HIGH SCHOOL ENTRY. The student’s name, grade and age must be on each page of the PSA script and submission.

Section IV– Judging Process

After the expiration of the Contest Period, the judges selected by Constituting America will review all entries and submissions which comply with these Official Rules and Regulations and select one (1) winning essay, one (1) winning song, one (1) winning STEM, one (1) winning short film and one (1) winning public service announcement. Judges reserve the right to not make an award in any category and/or make multiple awards per category. Entries will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Adherence to instructions stated in Section III

2. Essay: originality, neatness, spelling, grammar and form

3. Song: original song appealing to broad base of youth

4. STEM: originality, and usefulness in aiding students to learn about the U.S. Constitution

5. Short film: originality, appeal to college age group

6. PSA: originality, appeal to high school age group, likeliness to be aired by a television station

The odds of winning are proportional to the amount of entries received. Winners will be notified sometime after September 17, 2020.

Section V – Awards and Prizes

The four high school winners will be contacted directly through contact information provided on the Contest Signup Form. Winners will also be announced on www.constitutingamerica.org. As a condition to receiving any awards, the winner must:

Provide publicity photos and short bio

Agree to attend the Winner Mentor Trip tentatively scheduled for September 15 – 17, 2021

Agree to participate in a Skype/Google Hangout Constitution Education virtual session with Constituting America Founder & Co-President Janine Turner

Return the signed Winner Agreement, liability release and publicity release

Winners Recieve:

BEST ESSAY – 1 Entry Chosen

1. Worldwide exposure on the Constituting America website as Best Essay, High School 2020

2. Public Appearances (to be determined)

3. Certificate for winning Best Essay, High School 2020

4. $1000 Scholarship Prize

BEST SONG – 1 Entry Chosen

1. Worldwide exposure on the Constituting America website as official Constituting America High School Song, 2020

2. Television Appearances (to be determined)

3. Certificate for winning Best Song, High School 2020

4. $1000 Scholarship Prize (If team submission, prize is split)

BEST STEM – 1 Entry Chosen

1. Worldwide exposure on the Constituting America website as Best STEM, High School 2020

2. Public Appearances (to be determined)

3. Certificate for winning Best STEM, High School 2020

4. $1000 Scholarship Prize

BEST SHORT FILM – 1 Entry Chosen

1. Worldwide exposure on the Constituting America website as official Constituting America College Short Film, 2020

2. Television Appearances(to be determined)

3. Certificate for winning Best Short Film, College 2020

4. $2000 Scholarship Prize(If team submission, prize is split)

BEST PSA – 1 Entry Chosen

1. Worldwide exposure on the Constituting America website as official Constituting America High School PSA, 2020

2. Television Appearances (to be determined)

3. Certificate for winning Best PSA, High School 2020

4. $1000 Scholarship Prize (If team submission, prize is split

All entrants and their parents/guardians are solely responsible for understanding and complying with any and all federal, state, and local laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances that may apply to the entrants and the activities or business in which such entrants may engage. Tax consequences may be associated with the prizes received by a Contest winner, which may include, without limitation, an obligation to report as income and to pay taxes on such income to federal, state, or local authorities. It is the responsibility of each Contest winner to determine the tax consequences of the prizes received and to comply with all applicable laws in all respects.

Section VI – Notice and Privacy Policy

Upon submission of entry, the material entered becomes the property of Constituting America. By entering the Contest, entrants and their parent/guardians grant Constituting America the right, unless prohibited by law, to use their names, cities and states of residence, pictures and likenesses without compensation, for the express purpose of advertising and publicity of the Contest in any and all media, now or after. Entrants and their parent/guardian also grant Constituting America permission to use their name and materials submitted to further its mission as stated on www.constitutingamerica.org. Privacy Policy and Notice to Parents are posted on www.constitutingamerica.org. Entrant and his or her parent/guardian hereby agree and acknowledge the provisions set forth in the Privacy Policy and Notice to Parents.

To receive further information about Constituting America, students, parents or guardians must click “Sign Up for Email Updates” on the front page of the website at www.constitutingamerica.org.

Section VII – Disclaimer

Constituting America will administer any and all aspects of the Contest, including, without limitation, evaluating a student’s qualification or material submission, judge selection, review of entry documents and information, determination of prize winners, all of which is in the sole and absolute discretion of Constituting America. Any and all decisions of Constituting America relating to the administration of the Contest are final in all respects and no student, parent /guardian or person or organization related thereto, has a right to appeal, contest, and dispute or otherwise challenge such administration.

Constituting America is not responsible for (i) incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized by this contest or by any human error which may occur in the processing of entries into this contest; or (ii) for lost, late, misdirected or delayed entries or electronic transmission errors or technical malfunctions.

If for any reason, the Contest is interrupted, delayed or negatively affected by any causes beyond the control of Constituting America, Constituting America reserves the right to cancel, modify or delay the Contest.

Section VIII – Nondiscrimination Policy

Constituting America will not discriminate in any manner, including on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in its administration of the Contest. Each eligible entry submitted will be evaluated upon the merit of its contents and the criteria described in Section IV.

This Contest is governed by the internal laws of the state of Texas without regard to principles of conflict of laws. If any provision of these Official Rules and Regulations is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such determination shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision herein.