Our 2019-2020 Student Contests Are Now Open!
We want to know what your students think about income inequality. That’s why we’re giving away $20,000 in cash prizes in this year’s student contests! And we have bonus prizes for teachers, too. Click the buttons below for more information.
Submission Deadline
11:59PM Eastern, February 17, 2020
Submission Deadline
11:59PM Eastern, February 20, 2020
ESSAY CONTEST RULES
All essays should specifically address the Essay Topic, which is:
Income inequality is a hot button issue in America today. The super rich are blamed for taking so much, leaving the rest of Americans with so little—but is that true? Do millionaires and billionaires hurt the rest of us, or do we all benefit from the wealth they create? Watch John Stossel’s video on the contest page and write a 500-1,000 word essay examining income inequality. Is it fair? How does it impact people’s lives? Should we do something about it?
Eligibility – The contest is open to writers aged 12-18 at some point during the contest period (Nov. 20, 2019-Feb. 17, 2020). No more than one submission will be accepted for each essay writer. Writers must be located in North America or Hawaii, and all submissions should be in English. Employees of Stossel in the Classroom, Stossel TV, and Center for Independent Thought, and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Previous winners of a Stossel in the Classroom first place prize are not eligible for prizes in our subsequent contests.
Essay Length – Essays must be 500-1,000 words in length. Submissions that do not meet this requirement, or that exceed it, will be disqualified.
Deadline – Essays must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time, February 17, 2020.
Plagiarism – All essays must be the original work of the student whose name is listed on the submission form. Plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
Taxes – Winners will be solely responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes on winnings.
Judges – Essays will be judged on their ability to answer the topic question in an articulate, clear, and organized manner. Stossel in the Classroom will evaluate essay submissions in a fair and unbiased four-round judging system, where judges will all use the same criteria. Judges will be selected by Stossel in the Classroom based on their backgrounds and expertise in education, writing, and the subject matter. Decisions of the judges are final.
Ownership and Use – The ownership of any submission remains the property of the writer, but entry into the competition constitutes the entrant’s permission and consent, without compensation, with or without attribution, for Stossel in the Classroom, Stossel TV, and Center for Independent Thought to use, reproduce, transmit, post, distribute, adapt, edit, and/or display the submission.
VIDEO CONTEST RULES
All videos should specifically address the Video Topic, which is:
Income inequality is a hot button issue in America today. The super rich are blamed for taking so much, leaving the rest of Americans with so little—but is that true? Do millionaires and billionaires hurt the rest of us, or do we all benefit from the wealth they create? Watch John Stossel’s video on the contest page and make your own 1-3 minute video examining income inequality. Is it fair? How does it impact people’s lives? Should we do something about it?
Eligibility – The contest is open to students aged 14-23 at some point during the contest period (Nov. 20, 2019-Feb. 20, 2020). No more than one submission will be accepted for each student. Students must be located in North America or Hawaii, and all submissions should be in English. Employees of Stossel in the Classroom, Stossel TV, and Center for Independent Thought, and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Previous winners of a Stossel in the Classroom first place prize are not eligible for prizes in our subsequent contests.
Video Length – Videos must be 1-3 minutes in length. Submissions that do not meet this requirement will be disqualified.
Deadline – Videos must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time, February 20, 2020.
Plagiarism – All videos must be the original work of the student whose name is listed on the submission form. Plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
Taxes – Winners will be solely responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes on winnings.
Judges – Videos will be judged on their ability to answer the topic question in an clear, entertaining, and organized manner. Stossel in the Classroom will evaluate video submissions in a fair and unbiased three-round judging system, where judges will all use the same criteria. Judges will be selected by Stossel in the Classroom based on their backgrounds and expertise in education, online videos, and the subject matter. Decisions of the judges are final.
Ownership and Use – The ownership of any submission remains the property of the filmmaker, but entry into the competition constitutes the entrant’s permission and consent, without compensation, with or without attribution, for Stossel in the Classroom, Stossel TV, and Center for Independent Thought to use, reproduce, transmit, post, distribute, adapt, edit, and/or display the submission.
