AFSA National High School Essay Contest
Direct application
Eligibility
About this scholarship
U.S. high school students in grades 9 through 12, including home-schooled students in any state, D.C., U.S. territories, or U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents attending high school overseas, may enter the AFSA National High School Essay Contest. Students whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible.
The winning essay receives $2,500 plus an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. One award is given annually.
Submit a 1,000 to 1,500 word essay on the annual prompt about U.S. diplomacy and foreign service. This year's topic asks you to select a country or region where the U.S. Foreign Service has been involved since 1924 and analyze how it advanced American foreign policy goals.
The contest is run by the American Foreign Service Association as part of its centennial celebration of professional diplomacy.
Essay question
What else to submit
- A typed 1,000- to 1,500-word essay submitted as a Microsoft Word .doc or .docx file
- Bibliography with proper MLA citations
- Word count must be between 1,000 and 1,500 words (sources/bibliography excluded from the count); essays not meeting the word count will not be considered.
- Include the word count on the submission.
- Entries must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font with one-inch margins on all sides.
- Must follow the latest edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and include a bibliography with proper citations.
- At least three sources must be primary sources; general encyclopedias (e.g., Wikipedia) are not acceptable.
- Submit as a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx); do not include the student's last name or school name on the essay pages.
- Eligibility: students in grades 9-12 attending school in the 50 states, D.C., U.S. territories, or U.S. citizens at overseas high schools (public, private, parochial, or homeschooled).
- Essay must use at least three primary sources; general encyclopedias are not acceptable.
- Use double spacing, 12-point font, one-inch margins, and include the word count.
- Do not include the student's last name or school name on essay pages.