NDNY-FCBA Constitutional Scholars Program

Annual Constitution Contest for Students in Grades 9-12

Subject

The origin and nature of an aspect of the U.S. Constitution, specifically, one of the four topics listed on this website’s Topics page.

Who Is Eligible

All students in grades 9 through 12 (whether in public, private, parochial, charter, or home schools) located in the 32 counties that constitute the Northern District of New York.* There is no entry fee but each student may submit only one entry per annual contest.

Rules

1. Each entry must regard one of the four topics listed on the Topics page, and answer ALL of the questions posed by that topic.
2. Each entry must be the entrant’s original work.
3. Each entry must be submitted in one of two categories:
   (a) the Poster Category; or
   (b) the Video Essay Category.
4. Posters may be in any medium (paper or digital) but must be submitted in PDF format.
5. Video Essays may be up to ten (10) minutes in duration but must be posted on YouTube.

Method of Submission

A PDF of the poster or a link to the YouTube video must be emailed to the Program Director, Michael G. Langan, Esq., at [email protected]. The body of the email MUST include the following seven pieces of information: the entrant’s (1) name, (2) school, (3) grade, (4) email address, (5) mailing address, (6) telephone number, and (7) topic number. The entrant’s name may not appear anywhere on the poster or in the video.

Due Date

Entries are due by the end of Friday, July 4, 2025. No entries will be accepted after midnight.

Judging

By a panel of at least three federal court judges based on the extent that the entry’s answers to the questions posed in the topic are complete, clear, and cogent. All decisions are final. Results will be announced by the end of Wednesday, September 17, 2025 (“Constitution Day”).

Prizes

In each category, First Place will receive $1,000, Second Place will receive $400, Third Place will receive $100, and Honorable Mention will receive $25. Winning entries become the non-exclusive property of the Program for one year following submission, and videos must remain posted on YouTube during the judging period.

* These are the 32 counties that constitute the Northern District of New York: Albany, Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren and Washington.