Below are instructions for the Constitution Day Essay Contest. The first-place winner will receive $500 for the best essay, as judged by a diverse panel of AVC instructors. The deadline to submit the essay is 8:00a.m. on Friday, November 3, 2023.

1st place: $500
2nd place: $300
3rd place: $100
4th place: $50
5th place: $25

The essay topic is:

Is it important for all Americans to know, study, and understand the Constitution, and, if so, how might that be achieved? Compose a well-structured and detailed analytical essay presenting your perspective on this issue, substantiating your position with specific evidence from the Constitution itself, history, legal precedent, and other pertinent academic research.

The essay requirements are:

• The essay should be no more than 1400-1800 words in length.
• You must use Times New Roman, 12-point font, and double space all lines.
• You must include a minimum of three citations from recent sources (five years old or less) to support your argument.
• Your citations must be in MLA format.
• You must include a Works Cited page.
• The title of your essay must reflect your answer to the topic question.
• You must be an AVC student enrolled in the Fall 2023 semester.

To enter the contest, you need to complete the essay by 8:00 a.m. on Friday, November 3, 2023.

• Go to www.turnitin.com (if you don’t have a Turnitin account, use your AVC email address to create one).
• Log in to Turnitin. The Class ID for the essay is: 40529474
• The enrollment password is: MARAUDER (the password is case-sensitive).
• Click on Constitution Day Essay and upload your paper.

Student winners will be recognized at the AVC Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, December 11, 2023.