Students beginning their research for the 2025 National High School Essay Contest may wish to consider the following resources. Be sure to view past winners’ essays, rules and guidelines, and a helpful writer’s checklist.

Study Guide

  1. AFSA has developed a comprehensive study guide for this year's contest. Click here for the guide.

“Basics” of Peacebuilding and Diplomacy

  1. What diplomats do, why it matters http://chqdaily.com/2018/08/what-diplomats-do-why-it-matters/
  2. Economic Diplomacy: What U.S. Diplomats Do and Why It Matters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTxlzaG7JVU
  3. AFSA’s book: Inside a U.S. Embassy: Diplomacy at Work.
    Note: Although you can purchase this publication online, it is also available in many libraries.
  4. Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the Foreign Service by John K. Naland and Harry W. Kopp
  5. The Department of State’s website: www.state.gov
  6. The U.S. Agency for International Development’s website: www.usaid.gov
  7. AFSA’s Foreign Service Journal: www.afsa.org/fsj-archives
  8. Information about the Foreign Service: careers.state.gov/work/foreign-service
  9. Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training: adst.org/
  10. The Wilson Center publications: www.wilsoncenter.org/publications
  11. The Wilson Center research: www.wilsoncenter.org/research
  12. Brookings Institute research: www.brookings.edu/research#iran/topics/
  13. The Center for Strategic and International Studies publications: www.csis.org/programs/strategic-technologies-program/publications
  14. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace publications: carnegieendowment.org
  15. American Enterprise Institute: www.aei.org
  16. Writing, research, and bibliography guide: owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
  17. Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training: www.loc.gov/collection/foreign-affairs-oral-history/?q