ESSAY CONTEST OVERVIEW

Hyattsville, Maryland – Celebrating 46 Years of serving Prince George’s County, MD as the “Anchor of the East”, The Hyattsville/Landover (MD) Alumni Chapter proudly presents our 38th Annual Essay Writing Contest.

The purpose of the contest is to provide high school students in Prince George’s County an opportunity to strengthen their literary skills and increase their knowledge of local and national issues.

The contest will run from February 3rd to March 14th, 2025. A panel of independent judges will select the top finalists, who will be notified in April 2025.

ESSAY CONTEST PRIZES

– 1st Place: $500

– 2nd Place: Laptop

– Other exciting prizes

ESSAY CONTEST QUESTIONS

Choose one of the following topics:

1. Will America Ever Elect a Female President? Discuss the challenges women face in politics and whether you think the country is ready for a female president.

2. Is spending large amounts of time on technology, including gaming and social media, a beneficial or detrimental factor in maintaining good mental wellness for teenagers?

3. If the Washington Commanders were to leave Landover, how would you redevelop the site to benefit Prince George’s County residents?

4. What’s the most significant experience or lesson you’ve learned as a member of Generation Alpha that you’d like to pass on to Generation Beta?

5. How do standardized tests impact African American students’ access to higher education, and should these tests be reformed or eliminated to promote greater equity?

IMPORTANT NOTES:

– Essays must be original work. AI-generated content (e.g. ChatGPT) is prohibited and will be disqualified.

– Please use a personal email address for contact information, as school email addresses may reject emails from non-school entities.

– Do not lock your documents or use fancy formatting. For an example of a professional essay submission, consider looking at MLA format guidelines.

ESSAY CONTEST REQUIREMENTS:

– Eligibility: High school students and residents of Prince George’s County, Maryland, or members of the Hyattsville/Landover Kappa League Program

– Only one topic and entry per participant

– Essays must be 1000 words or less, double-spaced, and in 12-point Times Roman font

– Must be saved as MS Word Document or Adobe PDF file

– Include a cover page with the required information

By entering the contest, entrants grant permission for sponsors to publish all or part of their submitted essay and to use the entrant’s name and photograph to publicize the successful entries.

Essays must be received by 11:59 p.m. on March 14th, 2025. Contest finalists will be notified in April 2025.

*Prince George’s County Public Schools is not sponsoring, endorsing, or recommending the activities announced in this flyer/material.

Check out the winning essay from our 2024 contest, written by Oluwatomi Fadele from Eleanor Roosevelt High School!