Thank you for your interest. The deadline for the 2013 contest has passed. Check back in November for information on the 2014 contest.
The AFSA High School Essay Contest is an outreach initiative of the American Foreign Service Association. Established in 1999, the annual contest encourages students to think critically about a topic of global significance and the key role diplomacy plays in connecting people and ideas. In an era of rapid change, today’s youth are essential to shaping the future of foreign relations and to promoting a culture of peace and sustainability.
The AFSA High School Essay Contest is an opportunity for high school students to research international issues in hopes of inspiring and empowering the next generation of Foreign Service workers. In 2013, students across the nation submitted well over 400 essays from 42 states - the most ever!
This year’s contest topic focuses on diplomatic relations, with a remarkable series of prizes for the winning entry. In partnership with the Semester at Sea study abroad program, the 2013 winning essayist will receive a $2,500 cash prize, an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to meet the U.S. Secretary of State, and full tuition for a Semester at Sea voyage (once the student is enrolled at university). The runner-up will win a full scholarship to participate in the International Diplomacy program of the National Student Leadership Conference.
Eligibility: Must be a U.S citizen. "High school" refers to grades 9-12. Students whose parents are in the American Foreign Service are not eligible (click here to explore other scholarship opportunities). Submission deadline was April 15, 2013 - we are no longer accepting submissions.
For more information about AFSA's National High School Essay Contest, please contact Coordinator for Special Awards and Outreach Perri Green at green@afsa.org or 202-719-9700.
PRIVACY POLICY: AFSA collects your information for this contest and for AFSA partners. You may be signed up to receive updates or information from AFSA and our partners. You will receive confirmation from AFSA that your submission has been received and a notification if you are the winner or an honorable mention in June 2013. You may also receive a message from our sponsor regarding their program offerings.
Students whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible to participate if they are in grades nine through twelve in any of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, or if they are U.S. citizens attending high school overseas. Students may be attending a public, private, or parochial school. Entries from home-schooled students are also accepted. Previous first-place winners and immediate relatives of directors or staff of the AFSA and Semester at Sea are not eligible to participate. Previous honorable mention recipients are eligible to enter.
$2,500 to the writer of the winning essay, in addition to an all-expense paid trip to the nation’s capital from anywhere in the U.S. for the winner and his or her parents
An all-expense paid educational voyage courtesy of Semester at Sea
The winner's school also receives a donation of 10 copies of AFSA's
Inside a U.S. Embassy: Diplomacy at Work
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