We The Future Contest — Essay Category
Offered by Constituting America
- Award
- $200 – $2,000
- Deadline
- Level
- National
Who can apply
- Year in school
- hs junior, hs senior, college freshman, college sophomore, college junior, college senior
Conditions worth reading twice
Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident and a student attending school in one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, a U.S. Territory, or an American Armed Forces School abroad. Three student divisions for the essay category: Middle School (grades 6-8, ages 11-15 at time of entry, public/private/religious/homeschool/charter); High School (grades 9-12, ages 14-19 at time of entry, public/private/religious/homeschool/charter); College/University/Trade School (enrolled carrying 12 credit hours or more, ages 17-24 at time of entry). One entry per student per category. Parent/guardian must read Constituting America's Privacy Policy Guidelines and Notice to Parents, approve the student entering, check the parent statement on the online form, and sign the hard-copy entry permission form for entrants under 18. Essays must be original, unpublished, and must not have won an award; entries become the property of Constituting America and are not returned. AI tools may be used for technical purposes such as editing and design, but all original ideas, writing, and creative content must be the student's own work; entries are analyzed by third-party software. Past 'We The Future' Contest winners are limited to winning twice and may not win more than once in the same category (this limits repeat winning only, not eligibility to enter).
Essay prompts
Recorded from the provider's application. Read the prompt before you write anything — most rejected essays answer a different question.
- Write a 500-700 word essay expressing the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. Why are they both important? How different would our nation be without both documents? Thought starter: Explore Checks and Balances in the U.S. Constitution and how they were inspired by the Declaration as well the ground breaking concepts in the Declaration such as inalienable rights (among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) and the concept of “consent of the governed.”
- Option 1: Write a 500-700 word essay on the different powers vested in our three branches of government and why the concept of checks and balances, as guaranteed by our Constitution, is vital to the preservation of our government. Are there examples (recent or historical) of violations of these checks and balances?
- Option 2: Write a 500-700 word essay expressing the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. How did one impact the other?
- Write a 500-700 word essay explaining the following sentences from the Declaration of Independence and explore why it was a groundbreaking concept at the time – and how these words continue – 250 years later – to inspire our country and leaders, with special focus on “consent of the governed.” “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”
How to apply
Applications are handled by the provider, not by ScholarDuck. Check the deadline on their page before you start — deadlines move, and ours is only as fresh as our last check.
Common questions
When is the We The Future Contest — Essay Category deadline?
May 31, 2027. That is the date ScholarDuck recorded from Constituting America's own page. Providers move deadlines without notice, so confirm it on Constituting America's page before you plan around it.
How much is the We The Future Contest — Essay Category worth?
Awards range from $200 to $2,000. This is the figure listed on the page ScholarDuck checked, not an estimate of what any one applicant receives.
Does the We The Future Contest — Essay Category application require an essay?
ScholarDuck recorded 4 essay prompts on Constituting America's application. All of them are listed on this page. That is what we captured rather than their full instructions, so confirm on their page — and read the prompt itself before you write anything, because most rejected essays answer a different question.
Who is eligible for the We The Future Contest — Essay Category?
Year in school: hs junior, hs senior, college freshman, college sophomore, college junior, college senior. Those are the eligibility facts ScholarDuck recorded from Constituting America's page — a summary of what they publish, not their complete rules. Read their own page before you apply.
How do I apply for the We The Future Contest — Essay Category?
Through Constituting America. ScholarDuck does not accept or forward applications. This page links to the Constituting America page ScholarDuck checked, which is where their instructions live; open it, confirm the deadline and requirements there, and apply directly with them.
Writing the essay is the slow part
ScholarDuck matches you against the whole catalogue for free, then helps you adapt essays you have already written instead of starting each one from a blank page. See what you qualify for in four questions — no account needed.