BMe's Notice 2POTUS Essay Contest invites youth ages 14-24 to consider the concept of building a more caring and prosperous America by writing an essay that explore topics relevant to youth in the iGen generation. The contest challenges youth ages 14-24 to participate in the 2016 Presidential race by providing them with a platform for articulating their concerns and recommendations for addressing a targeted issue. Each BMe Notice To POTUS essay, poetry and spoken word submission must support expressed concerns and present proposed solutions for developing a more caring and prosperous America. 

Topic Areas

Youth ages 14 - 24 are asked to write an original and creative essays, poems and spoken word lyrics, that cover the following topic areas: 

• Public School Reform
• College Affordability/College for All
• Employment Opportunities
• Police Brutality/Justice Reform
• Black Lives Matter
• Immigration
• National Security 

AS OF JUNE 6, 2016, POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD CAN ALSO BE SUBMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION.

Participants will have the opportunity to compete for cash prizes, travel, and the opportunities to publish and participate in panel discussions in Akron OH, Baltimore MD, Detroit MI, Miami FL, Philadelphia PA, Pittsburgh PA and Washington DC. 

• 1st Place $1,000 + Trip to New York + Panel Presentation Opportunities + Publication
• 2nd Place $750 + Panel Presentation Opportunities + Publication
• 3rd Place $500 + Panel Presentation Opportunities + Publication

BMe Notice To POTUS essays, poems and spoken word lyrics must describe and analyze one of the above mentioned topic areas. Building on the framework that the elected topic area is intricately connected to the next President decision making relative to building a more caring and prosperous America, each submission must include an analysis of the obstacles, risks, and consequences associated with the topic area as well as proposed solutions. Essays, poems and spoken word lyrics may explore concerns at either the local, state, national, or international level. 

Eligibility

The contest is open to United States youth, ages 14- 24. Employees of BMe Network, its Champions, and sponsors and members of their families are not eligible to participate in the essay contest. 

Nominating Mentor

All youth ages 14 - 24 must list the name of their nominating mentor on the registration form. The role of a nominating mentor is to provide youth ages 14 - 24 with support and advice during the writing of their essays, poems and spoken word lyrics. Nominating mentors are also asked to read youth ages 14 - 24 essays, poems and spoken word lyrics to make suggestions for improvement before they are submitted to the essay contest. As part of this review process, the nominating mentor should review the essays, poems and spoken word lyrics for syntax, grammatical, typographical and spelling errors and ensures the essay meets the contest requirements listed. 

 The first, second and third place winners and their nominating mentors, will be invited to receive awards at BMe's Notice To POTUS Essay Contest at New York University in New York NY. Nominating mentors can include, but are not limited to BMe Leaders, educators, politicians, community developers, business leaders, faith leaders, and social workers.

Submissions

Youth ages 14 - 24 must submit their essays, poems and spoken word lyrics online no later than Friday, July 15, 2016.  All Youth ages 14 - 24 must complete and submit a registration form online for student background information. For instructions on how to submit essays, poems and spoken word lyrics, see Registration and Submission.

ESSAY CRITERIA

• Essays can be no more than 1,200 words but must be a minimum of 700 words. Citations and bibliography are not included in the word count.
• Essays must be the original work of the youth.
• Essays must have a minimum of three sources.

 Source Material

• Essays with fewer than three listed sources will be disqualified.
• All participants must cite sources they used to research their topic throughout their essay. Please use parenthetical citations within the text. We cannot accept citations in footnote form.
• Essays must include a bibliography. Accepted formats include APA, MLA, or Turabian. You must use a minimum of five selected sources. Please refer to Guidelines for Citations and Bibliographies.

POETRY CRITERIA

• Poems must respond to one or more of the topic areas: College Affordability/College for All, Employment Opportunities, Police Brutality/Justice Reform, Black Lives Matter, Immigration, and National Security.
• Poets must submit two (2) original poems.
• The total word count for each poem should range from 350 to 600 words.
• Must be free of profanity. 

SPOKEN WORD CRITERIA

• Presentations must focus on one or more of the topic areas: College Affordability/College for All, Employment Opportunities, Police Brutality/Justice Reform, Black Lives Matter, Immigration, and National Security.
• Performers must submit the lyrics along with their video performances. The total word count for the lyrics must range between 700 to 1,200 words.
• Video presentation must not exceed 3 minutes in length.
• Must be free of profanity.