The Howard County Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission invites Howard County middle and high school students to participate in the Commission’s annual Student Essay Contest. The winners will be recognized at the Commission’s Annual Celebration on Sunday, January 20, 2019, at Howard High School, 8700 Old Annapolis Road, Ellicott City, MD 21043.
To be eligible for the contest, students must be a Howard County resident and in either middle or high school. Essays must be typed and double-spaced, in the Microsoft Word format, and it needs to include the following information: student’s name, address, telephone number, email address, name of school, and student grade. Middle school student essays are to be between 500 to 750 words in length, while high school student essays must be between 750 to 1,000 words. Essays will be judged on content, connection to Dr. King’s work, spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. Students with disabilities may submit entries that address the essay question through use of other media (posters, pictures, etc.). All submitted essays and entries become the property of the Commission.
The theme this year is “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Students are invited to write an essay describing a time when they spoke up for that which was right and tell us about their experience and how it relates to the teachings of Dr. King.
All completed nomination forms must be emailed or postmarked by 5:00 p.m., Friday, December 7, 2018, to Dr. MLK Student Essay Contest, c/o Howard County Office of Human Rights, 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 239, Columbia, MD 21046, or emailed to SubmissionsMLK@howardcountymd.gov.
Essay finalists and their respective school will be notified by email and phone. Their names will be posted on the Commission’s webpage, https://www.howardcountymd.gov/Departments/County-Administration/Human-Rights/Boards-and-Commissions , by January 5, 2018. First, second, and third place high school student winners will be awarded $250, $200, and $150, respectively. First, second and third place middle school student winners will be awarded $200, $150, and $100, respectively.
For more information or questions, contact Farheen Sheik in the Office of Human Rights at 410-313-6467 or email fsheik@howardcountymd.gov. Additional details are listed on the attached flier and letter.