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MLK2015 ESSAY CONTEST
The Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Foundation is very pleased to announce
the MLK2015 Essay Contest. We invite high school and middle school students from throughout the
region to participate in this exciting exercise, where awards will be offered, and you will have a chance
to read your work at the MLK2015 Celebration in San Francisco.
Here are your instructions! If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].
High School Writing Contest Details:
You are a high school student in 1965 who, from your television set, watched Dr. King lead thousands of
citizens on a march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama in a campaign for voting rights. In
500 words or less, write Dr. King a letter, giving him your thoughts on the recent activities you’ve just
witnessed. Read, listen to, and view the source material below for help.
Middle School Writing Contest Details:
In March of 1965, Dr. King led thousands of citizens on a march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery,
Alabama in a campaign for voting rights. With the help of the reference material provided below, in 350
words or less, what are two things these materials tell you about the life of Dr. King?
Deadline:
Midnight December 21st, 2014 PST
Results:
A list of finalists will be posted on the NorcalMLK website at
http://norcalmlkfoundation.org/Events.html at 6:00pm, January 9, 2015. Finalists and winners will be
formally announced on Monday, January 19, 2015, at the MLK2015 Celebration at Yerba Buena Gardens
in San Francisco, California.
Writing Contest Rules & Judging Criteria:
1) Rules for the MLK2015 High School and Middle School Writing Contest:
 Essay must be your original work.
 Essay can be no longer than:
o 500 words for high school contestants;
o 350 words for middle school contestants;
2) Once submitted, your essay, or sections of it, may be shown (with credit given to you as the writer)
on NorcalMLK Foundation’s various websites and at the MLK2015 Celebration events. Therefore,
entries with expletive language or publicly inappropriate material will be disqualified.
3) High school writing submissions must come from a current high school (grade 9-12) student.
4) Middle school writing submissions must come from a current middle school (grade 6-8) student.
3450 Sacramento Street, Suite 401
San Francisco, California 94118
P 415.691.6212 F 267.413.2359
[email protected]
NORCALMLKFOUNDATION.ORG
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MLK2015 ESSAY CONTEST
How to Submit:
 High school essays: must be submitted by email to [email protected]
 Middle school essays: must be submitted by email to [email protected]
Submission Guidelines:
Follow the essay format below:
Name
Grade
School
City
Essay Title
ESSAY
Submission Formats:
Essays may be submitted in either of the following formats:
 PDF (preferred);
 MSWord;
 txt (simple text file); or
 jpeg.
3450 Sacramento Street, Suite 401
San Francisco, California 94118
P 415.691.6212 F 267.413.2359
[email protected]
NORCALMLKFOUNDATION.ORG
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MLK2015 ESSAY CONTEST
Writing Contest - Judging Process:
1) An initial group of graduate students from a variety top programs will read each essay in the
high school and middle school sections.
2) The initial readers will mark the first round of essay finalists.
3) The finalist essays will then be read and voted on by the select pool of judges, which include
authors, educators, theologians, librarians, business professionals, and academics, and the
winner(s) and runner(s)-up will then be selected.
4) The names of the finalists will be posted on the NorcalMLK website at 6:00pm, January 9, 2015,
and the finalists and winner(s) will be formally announced at the 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Celebration in San Francisco, California on Monday, January 19, 2015.
Essay Criteria:
Finalists will be chosen based upon a combination of factors, including but not limited to the following:
 Original voice
 Unique style
 Creativity
 Descriptive language
 Good diction
 Inclusion of research material in the essay;
 Clarity of reasoning;
 Spelling/Grammar/Mechanics/Word Count
REFERENCE MATERIAL (High School Contestants)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Biography (Source: Martin Luther King, Jr. Research Institute at Stanford University)
Selma to Montgomery March (Source: Martin Luther King, Jr. Research Institute at Stanford University)
Dr. King Address at the Conclusion of Selma March (Source: Martin Luther King, Jr. Research Institute at Stanford
University)
Selma-Montgomery March Video #1 (BT Scharff) (Source: Columbia University Film Archive)
Selma-Montgomery March Video #2 (BT Scharff) (Source: Columbia University Film Archive)
Dr. King, The Right to Vote, 1965 (Source: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service-Service Learning Curriculum)
REFERENCE MATERIAL (Middle School Contestants)
Dr. King biography (Source: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service-Service Learning Curriculum, Corporation for National &
Community Service )
Selma to Montgomery March (Source: Martin Luther King, Jr. Research Institute at Stanford University)
Dr. King, The Right to Vote, 1965 (Source: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service-Service Learning Curriculum,
Corporation for National & Community Service)
3450 Sacramento Street, Suite 401
San Francisco, California 94118
P 415.691.6212 F 267.413.2359
[email protected]
NORCALMLKFOUNDATION.ORG