Thank you to all of you that submitted entries for the 2011-2012 contest.  Students moving on to the final round of judging will be notified by April.

Question:
Much has been written about the diverse and unique background of President Ronald Reagan.  From his humble childhood in Illinois, Reagan began a unique path to American politics, often citing his own life experiences as having shaped his political philosophy.  

What life experience do you think most dramatically impacted President Reagan's public policy and why? 

Deadline:
Entries must be submitted online at FreedomFoundationofMinnesota.com, or emailed to Reagan@freedomfoundationofminnesota.com by 11:59pm on February 29, 2012.

 Rules:

1. All current Minnesota high school students (i.e. public, private, charter, home school) in grades 9-12 can apply.
2. Essays must be the original and sole work of one entrant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification.
3. There is a limit of one entry per student.
4. All entries must be submitted in English.
5. All entries become the property of the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota.
6. No staff member or relative of a staff or board member of the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota is eligible to win.
7. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on the date of the submission deadline.
8. Failure to comply with these rules may lead to disqualification from the essay contest.
9. Grand prizes come in the form of scholarships, payable to a U.S. accredited college or university of the each winner’s choice. No cash awards will be given-only scholarships as outlined above.
10. Past scholarship winners of this contest are not eligible to enter.

Submission Guidelines:

1. Entries must be in written essay form only. Submissions should not exceed 1,200 words and should be submitted as Microsoft Word files.
2. Essays must be in 12 point New Times Roman font, double spaced, with 1 inch margins on all sides.
3. A cover page must be included with each submission. Each cover must have the entrants’ full name, high school graduation year, email address, mailing address, and phone number. Entries submitted without this information will be considered incomplete.
4. Citations can be done in any recognized academic citation style, but you must be consistent.
5. Late and/or incomplete entries will not be accepted. You will receive an email confirmation within 1 day of us receiving your essay.
6. Essays must be submitted to FreedomFoundationofMinnesota.com, or emailed as Microsoft Word attachments to Reagan@freedomfoundationofminnesota.com[.]
7. Students that qualify for the final round of round of judging will be emailed.
8. Grand prize scholarship winners will be announced at the Spring Awards Banquet.
9. Winning essays will be selected by a panel of judges complied by the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota. The list of judges will be made public after grand prizes are awarded. Decisions of the judges are final.

Judging Criteria:
Essays will be evaluated on the basis of (1) intellectual cogency of original argumentation, (2) imagination, (3) quality of writing, and (4) relevance of the thesis to contemporary political concerns.

A few additional pieces of advice:

• Stick to the subject and topic. Submitting your essay in the proper format is essential, but the substance of your essay is the most important part. If you write a fantastic essay that doesn’t address the central question, you won’t win.
• Submit a professional document. Double check grammar and spelling and try to make rambling sentences more concise.
• Follow and demonstrate a clear vision. This contest leaves lots of room to address the subject in a variety of ways. Students should attempt to be creative, clear, and persuasive in their approach.

Additional Information:
All semifinalists will be invited to attend the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota’s Spring Awards Banquet where the grand prize winners will be announced. We will email you if you are a semifinalist, and we will send a press release to your local paper.