Area students invited to take part in civics contest
The United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the District of Idaho are pleased to announce that the theme for the 2022 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals/District of Idaho civics contest is “The First Amendment and the Schoolhouse Gate: Students’ Free Speech Rights.”
This annual competition solicits essay and video submissions by high school students regarding a topic of national interest identified each year by the Ninth Circuit. The District of Idaho conducts a contest annually to select finalists who are then entered in the Circuit-wide competition.
This year’s participants are asked to consider what rights the First Amendment provides to students engaging in free speech – both inside and outside of school. Participants should also consider the responsibilities, if any, that students, schools, or the government have with respect to speech by students, including whether it may cause harm to others.
To enter the District of Idaho contest, students must reside in the state of Idaho and be in 9th through 12th grades. Students are invited to write an essay of between 500 and 1,000 words to express their thoughts and ideas on the theme, and individuals or teams of up to three students can produce a 3–5-minute video on the theme. A student may submit both an essay and a video, but only one of each.
Submissions will be accepted now through March 18.
Local district winners in each category will receive prizes of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place, and be entered in the Ninth Circuit competition.
Winners of each category in the Ninth Circuit competition will receive prizes of $3,000 for 1st place, $1,700 for second place, and $1,000 for third place. In addition, first-place winners in both the essay and video portion of the Ninth Circuit contest will be invited to the 2022 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference in Big Sky, Montana.
For complete rules and contest information, go online to