The Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California (SCLC-SC)

EMERGING LEADERS 2016-17

TOPIC: Who is your President? What issues matter most to you and why in the 2016 Presidential Election?

Guidelines and Rules

A B O U T T H E C O M P E T I T I O N

Each year, The Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California Emerging Leaders Committee sponsors

an essay/oratory competition. Junior and High school students in Southern California are invited to write an original essay

or create on the topic: Who is your President? What issues matter most to you and why in the 2016 Presidential Election?

Choose 3 issues for which a candidate’s position would determine your vote for if you were voting age? Choose from this list: Women’s Issues, the Economy, Education, Criminal/Federal Justice System, Defense, Veteran’s Issues, Americans w/

Disabilities, Climate Change or Immigration. Essays must be between 1,000 and 1,500 words. Essays must be submitted as a .doc (Microsoft Word 2003), .docx (Microsoft Word 2007/2010/2013),. odt (OpenOffice.org), or .txt (plain text) file. Essays submitted in an alternate file format and essays that contain corrupted data which cannot be opened will not qualify and will not be considered. The file must be under 1.0 MB in size. Essays submitted with an incomplete or non-conforming application form or essay format or by an applicant who does not meet the qualifications of the essay competition will not qualify and will not be considered for any award. A maximum of twenty (20) entries (10 entries from each age group) will be selected from each age group to participate in the live Essay & Oratorical Finals on Tuesday, January 10, 2017. Semi-finalists and finalists will read their essays at the semi-final and final round. Essays should not be longer than 5 minutes when read.

A first, second, and third place winner will be selected from each age group and will win $500, $375 and $125 respectively in each contest. In addition, the school with the most qualifying applications will receive a grant for $500.00.

For more information regarding the SCLC-SC Emerging Leaders Youth Essay & Oratorical and Original Contest and send an email to: EML@sclc-sc.org.

A B O U T S C L C - S C

In 1964 The Southern Christian Leadership Conference West got its beginnings in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Martin

Luther King Jr, Dr. Thomas Kilgore, Jr. and Douglas Dollarhide, the first Black Mayor of Compton, opened the Los Angeles

office, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Los Angeles was formed. SCLC-SC of Southern California is a community resource, which works to improve the condition of the impoverished. Through wealth development,

community and employment empowerment, technology literacy and access, as well as youth educational advocacy, we

seek to close the economic gap between minorities and mainstream majority. Through the implementation of Christian

ethics, we strive to end hunger and its origin, resulting from economic disenfranchisement. We employ our skills to meet

the fundamental needs of the under-served populations in Southern California. We at SCLC-SC challenge all people of

good will, of every persuasion, who believe in the principles espoused by Martin Luther King, Jr. to join us in our mission.

A B O U T T H E S C L C - S C E M E R G I N G L E A D E R S C O M M I T T E E

Founded in 2013, the Emerging Leaders Committee of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California is an opportunity for young adults ages 21-36 to engage in social activism to enrich their community. The

Emerging Leaders Committee of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California is focused on

embodying Dr. Martin Luther King's concept of "reversing the default on the promissory note" by ensuring every American

has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness by promoting economic empowerment, higher education, and civic

engagement. The Committee utilizes their collective voices to draw attention to the unique struggles of African Americans,

by engaging in strategic outreach and social justice activism to create permanent systematic change to benefit the

underserved and disenfranchised. The Committee is actively engaged in the Southern California community by hosting job

fairs, oratorical contests, and community forums on issues relating to social reform and justice.

mailto:SCLCsocal@gmail.com

Guidelines and Rules ( C O N T I N U E D )

W H O C A N A P P L Y :

Any student enrolled in 6th - 8th grade and 9th-12th grade in Southern California

A W A R D S :

The first place winner will receive a $500.00 cash prize.

The second place winner $375.00 cash prize.

The third place winner $125.00 cash prize.

For the School and Church with the greatest overall of eligible applications a $500.00 grant.

A Grand Prize winner will be selected from both the art and essay categories and will receive a bonus of $100.00

upon the judges discretion.

D E A D L I N E F O R A L L E N T R I E S :

Friday, December 16, 2016 11:59PM | EXTENDED

ON LINE AT OUR WEBSITE: SCLC-SC.ORG OR THE DIRECT LINK: TINYURL.COM/SCLCSC-ESSAY

Entries will be accepted beginning October 31, 2016

2 0 1 6 - 1 7 T H E M E : Who is your President? What issues matter most to you

and why in the 2016 Presidential Election?

T H E M E B A C K G R O U N D :

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a pivotal figure in shifting the economic as well as the political landscape for African

Americans. He broke many barriers during his lifetime, and continuously fought for the advancement of African Americans every

time he witnessed an injustice. During his lifetime he lobbied elected officials, such as President Lyndon Baines Johnson to support

legislation that would promote the advancement of African Americans. And while his life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet in

1968, his legacy of pushing for legislation and political activism still survives through laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

African Americans have come a long way since the time of Dr. King, but there is much more work to be done. 2017 is another

pivotal year, as there is a presidential election that will take place to decide who will be the next leader of the free world. The

tragedies of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, Philando Castille and the prominence of the

#blacklivesmatter movement have caused a shift in how African Americans are engaged in politics and civic activism. There is still

uncertainty about how the next President will engage the African American community in 2016 and beyond. The possibility of the

1st female president is believed to have an impact, as well.

Building on the legacy of Dr. King and his political activism, how do you think the next President should engage the African

American community in order to break more barriers on issues concerning Women, the Economy, Education, Criminal/Federal

Justice System, Defense, Veteran’s Issues, Americans w/Disabilities, Climate Change or Immigration. If you could, vote what 3

issues (from the aforementioned list) would a presidential candidate’s position on matter most to you and why when you cast

your vote?

Guidelines and Rules ( C O N T I N U E D )

I . A . Q U A L I F I C AT I O N S - E S S AY: Applicant must be a student enrolled in the 6th – 12th grade at an accredited junior or high school or accredited

home school program in Southern California on the date on which he or she submits a conforming essay and

application.

Applicant must be a citizen or legal resident of the United States. Each applicant may enter only once and may only

provide one essay on the topic.

Applicants must submit an application form and essay (1000—1500 words) This year all applications must be

completed online at the www.sclc-sc.org website (Direct link: TINYURL.COM/SCLCSC-ESSAY. Your essays must be uploaded as part of your application.

Essays submitted by mail, courier, fax, or any means other than the competition’s website will not qualify and will not

be considered.

A maximum of Twenty 20 entries (10 from each age group) will be selected from each age group to participate in the live finals on Saturday, January 10th (time and location TBA).

SCLC-SC will collect personally identifiable information about applicants as part of the application process. This

information will be used to contact applicants in connection with the essay competition and in announcements,

events, and press releases related to the essay competition and will be provided only to parties related to SCLC-SC

Emerging Leaders, and the applicant’s school and legal guardians.

No personally identifiable information about the applicants will be revealed to any member of the judging committee

at any time during the judging process. Applicants should not include their name, their school’s name, or personally

identifiable information either within the content of the essay or on any pages on which the essay is printed.

Personal information may only be included on the completed application form.

I I . A . C O N T E S T R U L E S - E S S AY Essays must be 1000 to 1500 words. Footnotes, citations, endnotes, and essay titles will not be counted as part of

the 1,000 – 1,500 words allotted to the applicant.

Applicants must use proper grammar and spelling in the essay and will be penalized for use of improper grammar or

spelling.

Applicants are not permitted to include any forms of media other than plain text in their essays, such as photos,

diagrams, or charts.

Essays must be typed in 12 point Arial font, double spaced.

Applicants may opt to cite external references in their essays, such as statistics or quotes. All external references

must be properly cited as parenthetical citations, footnotes, or endnotes.

Essays must be the original work of the applicant. Essays must neither have been entered in another competition

nor have been published previously in any form or sold for publication.

Essays must not contain material that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others. Any essay that violates

these rules will be disqualified and any awards made for such essay will be rescinded and must be returned to SCLC

-SC..

Guidelines and Rules

( C O N T I N U E D )

I I I . A . A W A R D S & J U D G I N G - E S S A Y

Essays will be judged on the following criteria: Creativity & originality, Persuasiveness, Grammar & spelling,

Understanding of the Issue, Relevancy of response to topic question.

The essays will be judged by a committee selected by SCLC-SC Emerging Leaders. 10 from each age group will

advance to Semi-finals held Jan. 10th, 2017

A first, second, and third place winner will be selected from each group (6 thru 8 grades and 9 thru 12 grades) after

oral presentation at the finals.

The first place winner will receive a $500.00 cash prize. The second $375.00, and third $125.00 cash prizes.

All finalists will be invited to attend the SCLC-SC Gala Awards Benefit January 17, 2017, and will have their essays

published on the SCLC Website.

The School and Church with the greatest number of eligible applications will receive a $500.00 grant, for a total of

(1) winning School and (1) winning Church.

I V . H O W T O E N T E R

1. Submit your essay or artwork on the topic of Who is your President? What issues matter most to you and why in the 2016

Presidential Election no less that 1,000 - and no more than 1,500 words. Please read the Official Rules for more

information. Semi-finalists will read their essays at the final round. Your essay should not be longer than 5 minutes

when read.

2. Essays must be submitted as a .doc (Microsoft Word 2003), .docx (Microsoft Word 2007/2010/2013), .odt

(OpenOffice.org), or .txt (plain text) file. Essays submitted in an alternate file format and essays that contain

corrupted data which cannot be opened will not qualify and will not be considered. The file must be under 1.0 MB.

Applicants must submit an application form and essay (1000—1500 words). This year all applications must be

completed online at the www.sclc-sc.org website (Direct link: TINYURL.COM/SCLCSC-ESSAY. Your essays must be uploaded as part of your application.

Essays submitted by mail, courier, fax, or any means other than the competition’s website will not qualify and will not

be considered.

5. For questions or assistance: Email: Danna Kiel djdannak@gmail.com or: EML@sclc-sc.org

6. Essays submitted with an incomplete or non-conforming application form or essay, art or bio format or by an

applicant who does not meet the qualifications of the essay competition will not qualify and will not be considered for

any award.

V. C O N D I T I O N S F O R PA R T I C I PAT I O N All submitted essays become the exclusive intellectual property of SCLC-SC Emerging Leaders, and SCLC-SC

obtains all rights to use and republish all or any part of such essays upon submission.

SCLC-SC may use prizewinners’ names, likeness, and other identifying information (such as hometown, school, or

grade) in promotional materials relating to this essay competition.

Winners (or their parents or guardians) will be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility, originality, and compliance

with the official rules, a liability release, and a publicity release as a condition to receiving their Prize.

Winners will be required to have an educator, guidance counselor or other official at his or her accredited school or

accredited home school program submit verification of the winner’s school enrollment on the date of submission.

All taxes shall be the responsibility of the winners of the competition. Winners will be required to submit a completed

IRS Form W-9 to SCLC-SC as a condition to receiving their scholarship.

The Prize will be disbursed to each winner by check or cashiers check by March 1, 2017.

http://www.myja.org/essay/rulesmailto:djdannak@gmail.com