Student Contests

Student Contests

2024-2025 Letters About Literature Statewide Writing Contest Grades 4-12 - Due January 21, 2025

Letters About Literature is a letter-writing contest for Indiana students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the author (living or deceased) about how the book affected how they see themselves or how they see the world. Indiana students in grades 4-12 are eligible to enter the Indiana Letters About Literature reading and writing contest.  Watch our promotional video! 

• 2025 Call for Entries

• 2025 Official Rules

• 2025 Group Entry Form

• 2025 Individual Entry Form

2025 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest - Due by February 25, 2025 (grades 6-12)

Students are being asked to write their essays based on the following quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."

More specific contest information can be found on the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest website, https://iasp.org/students/mlk-jr-essay/. The online submission deadline is February 28, 2025. 

Junior Library Guild's Annual Bookmark Design Contest - Due by March 6, 2025

Bookmark Design Handout

Rules

1.  All designs must be submitted by an adult (librarian, media specialist, teacher, etc.) to be considered

2. Each bookmark must depict a JLG Selection book(past, present, or upcoming titles)

3. Only one entry per reader

4. ANY reader can submit an entry

Contest Winners

Designs will be judged by members of the JLG Team—as this is a staff favorite! — and while artistic skill will be considered, we are more interested in what your readers have to say. Encourage your readers to let their ideas flow and interpret the book however they find it meaningful!

Win books for your school library.  3 winners will be chosen from each age group: elementary, middle, and high school.

• 1st place winners from each age group will receive a $300 JLG backlist credit PLUS their design professionally printed on bookmarks for their entire school! 

• 2nd place winners from each age group will receive a $200 JLG backlist credit with their framed bookmark.

• 3rd place winners from each age group will receive a $100 JLG backlist credit with their framed bookmark.

Winning libraries will be contacted via email in April. 

Stossel in the Classroom 2024-2025 SITC Student Contest - Due March 21, 2025

The Stossel in the Classroom 2024-2025 student essay and video contests are here—offering cash prizes for students & teachers! The essay and video contests are open to secondary schoolers, and undergrads can participate in the video contest. Students can choose from multiple topics, with various divisions for different grade levels. Check out the prizes, program updates, and entry details.

Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes Discovery Award -Due by July 1, 2025 (Grades 4-12)

• Student or students enrolled in a U.S. or international school as of September 24, 2024. Homeschooled students may also enter.

• Students in the United States or an international school in grades 4-12.

• Projects may be completed by an individual student or a group of students (limit of 5 students per group). 

• Project developed during the current school year.

• Project developed specifically for or tailored for the Discovery Award.

• All areas of project development must be completed by the student(s), including but not limited to voiceovers, camera work, filming, etc.

• We suggest having your project topic pre-approved in February. To do so, email your topic to nconard@lowellmilkencenter.org. (This step is NOT a requirement; you may choose to enter the competition without having your topic approved.) Projects are due July 1, 2025.

• If the project appears to be developed for another competition, it will not be considered for a Discovery Award prize. For further information, email Norm Conard at nconard@lowellmilkencenter.org. 

Project Topics

To be considered for a Discovery Award, project topics must:

• Be about one Unsung Hero whose action made a profound and positive impact on history but is largely unrecognized by contemporary generations

• The actions that define the Unsung Hero's legacy as a role model must have occurred a minimum of 20 years in the past

• Demonstrate the impact made over time as a result of the Unsung Hero's actions

• We encourage Discovery Award projects to focus on topics that students discover independently. We suggest that students avoid using the preapproved Unsung Heroes list created specifically for the ARTEFFECT Competition.

Project Categories

The project must be in one of the following categories:

• Documentary film or multimedia (Example – Jacob Valentine). It cannot exceed 12 minutes and must include:

  • Primary source photographs

  • A 500-word max. process paper

  • An annotated bibliography separating primary and secondary sources

• Performance (Example – Walk with Me). It cannot exceed 12 minutes and must include:

  • A 500-word max. process paper

  • An annotated bibliography separating primary and secondary sources

• Website (Example – We Are Newspapermen). Cannot exceed 1,200 student-composed words and 100 MB of file space. Must include:

  • A continuous theme through every page

  • A 500-word max. process paper

  • An annotated bibliography separating primary and secondary sources 

Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes ARTEFFECT Award- Due by April 27, 2025 (Grades 6-12)

Who is eligible?

The 2025 ARTEFFECT annual competition is open to all U.S. and international students in grades 6-12. Students may develop their projects independently (outside the classroom) with the confirmation of an instructor or parent or legal guardian. 

Submitted projects must be entirely student-produced. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools by students is prohibited at any stage of the creative process for artworks and Impact Statements. Be advised that submitted artworks and Impact Statements will be scanned for AI usage.

Students who have won two top awards in previous ARTEFFECT competitions are no longer eligible. No submissions to the 2025 ARTEFFECT competition can win more than one award or prize.

See our FAQ page for more information about eligibility. 

What are the guidelines to participate?

All projects submitted to the competition should have the following components: 

Unsung Hero Focus

Student artworks must focus on an Unsung Hero chosen from the pre-approved list of LMC Unsung Heroes. The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes has an expanding list of over 130 individuals spanning time and various disciplines. Students choosing an Unsung Hero not on the pre-approved list must seek approval for their topic from ARTEFFECT prior to submitting their entry.

Unsung Heroes are individuals who took extraordinary actions in service to others and society yet are not widely recognized for their contributions. They demonstrated traits including courage, compassion, humility, perseverance, responsibility, vision and valor. Unsung Heroes positively and profoundly made a difference in the lives of others and had an impact on the course of history. Explore the stories of these individuals as inspiring role models!

Visual Artwork

Students must create an original work of art for their entry. The ARTEFFECT competition accepts visual artworks of various mediums including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, collage, mixed media, digital art, installation, and textiles. Students may create artworks using varied media including:

• 2D dry media such as graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, pastels.

• 2D wet media such as acrylic, oil, watercolor, gouache, ink wash, printmaking.

• 2D digital media. Digital art files should be at least 300 dpi. Multimedia films and photography are not eligible.

• Various mixed media incorporating photography, digital art, textiles, collage, paper, and other materials.

• 3D media such as ceramic, pottery, porcelain, fibers, metals, wood, glass, etc.

There is no size limit. Artwork media and dimensions must be listed on the competition submission form. 

Impact Statement

In developing an ARTEFFECT project, the student prepares a written Impact Statement (500-1000 words) to accompany the visual artwork. In this essay, the student should address the following prompts:

• Introduce your Unsung Hero. Explain how and why you chose this individual. What do you find inspirational or most admire about this individual as a role model (e.g., character traits, heroic actions, area of expertise)?

• Discuss your Unsung Hero’s impact. Share about this Unsung Hero’s story. How did your Unsung Hero contribute to a positive change in the course of history or have an impact on the lives of others?

• Describe your artistic vision and process. What is the vision behind your creative interpretation of this story? How does your artwork express your Unsung Hero’s character traits, heroic actions, or impact? Discuss your choices of materials and techniques and any research used to develop your project.

• Share the impact of your artwork. How will your Unsung Hero’s story influence your actions or outlook on life? Discuss any hopes and plans for sharing your artwork with others. List any links that illustrate the extended reach of your project into your community

The National Civics Bee - Due by February 4, 2025 (Grades 6-8)

Students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades residing in participating states may apply. Students from public, private, charter, and homeschools are all eligible.  Students may use the Essay Guide to access the essay prompt, judging rubric, and support materials to help craft their essays.  Essays must be submitted by February 4, 2025. Students should use the online application portal to submit their essays.