Education Programs

National Judges

Click on yellow buttons below to preview next school year's First Freedom Student Competition!

 The First Freedom Student Competition is a national essay contest, offering high-school students an opportunity to compete for a $3,000, $1,500 and $750 award, as they examine religious freedom, its history, current importance, and relevance in their lives.  The competition is open to students in the United States and U.S. territories, and to American schools and American home-schooled students worldwide.  We invite 9th - 12th grade students at all levels of academic placement to participate.

The right to religious freedom is set forth in constitutional and international human rights law.  Today’s youth play an important role in upholding and strengthening this liberty; therefore, the First Freedom Student Competition has been developed to:

• Help high-school students better understand religious freedom - its history and current significance;

• Encourage high-school students to explore their individual and civic rights to and responsibilities for religious freedom;

• Engage high-school teachers and students in the study of American history and the First Amendment; and

• Challenge high-school students to strengthen their analytic writing skills.

Other links:

Click here for a classroom poster (PDF)

Click here for student flyer (PDF)

Click here for National Judges (PDF)

Click here for 2006/2007 National Winners (PDF)

Click here for 2005/2006 National Winners (PDF)