26 April 2010
If you are a female High School junior or senior, class of 2010 or 2011, you are eligible to participate. The seven contest winners will receive: (1) a $3,000 unrestricted scholarship to use towards college tuition at any U.S. college or university; and (2) an all-expense-paid trip to NFWL’s 2010 Annual Conference, taking place November 18-22 at The Ritz – Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida. Here you will meet women lawmakers from across the United States, learn about public policy, and establish relationships that often grow into mentoring opportunities.
The mission of The National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) is to provide strategic resources to women leaders for leadership development and effective governance through conferences, seminars, education materials, and networking opportunities at both the state and federal levels. NFWL is a non-partisan 501c-3, educational foundation. Its membership consists of members of the National Order of Women Legislators (all current and former women elected officials) corporate leadership and association members.
The National Rifle Association, established in 1871, is a grassroots membership organization with more than four million members committed to defending our freedoms as they are enumerated in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Second Amendment states, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The NRA is proud to sponsor this annual essay contest with NFWL in order to enable young women committed to defending the Bill of Rights to attend college and advance women in leadership.
This year’s essay topic is “Freedom and Civic Virtues.” Each applicant must write a 400-600 word essay on how freedom, moral principles, the U.S Constitution and especially the U.S. Bill of Rights shape the foundation for the role of young adults in civic engagement and politics (please see essay topic document for complete details).
The Scholarship Committee will weigh five specific elements in submissions: (1) research, logic, and insight; (2) understanding of America’s founding documents, especially the Bill of Rights; (3) A clear thesis statement presented in the introduction, (4) stories and examples; and (5) inspiration regarding the debates about virtue ethics and law as it relates to our everyday lives. Errors in spelling and grammar can have a disqualifying effect.
Requirements:
Complete applications should include:
- Two (2) copies of your essay;
- Essay Contest Verification Form;
- Two (2) personal reference letters;
- The name of applicant’s sponsoring female state legislator*;
*All applicants must be sponsored by a woman state legislator for this contest. To find a woman legislator in your state, visit your state’s legislative website. The sponsoring legislator does not have to be from the applicant’s district, but she does have to be from the applicants’s state. Any applicants experiencing troublee locating a woman legislator in their state should contact the NFWL office for assistance.
IMPORTANT: In advance of the July 30th deadline applicants must send in a completed Essay Contest Verification Form to NFWL by fax or mail. This form should be sent in prior to the submission of your entire application so NFWL can communicate with the applicant and sponsoring legislator regarding any changes with the essay contest or Annual Conference arrangements before the deadline.
Eligibility: To be eligible for this year’s essay contest, applicants must be college-bound female high school juniors or seniors – Class of 2010 or Class of 2011. All applicants are required to secure a state legislator as a sponsor. The seven contest winners and their sponsoring legislators also must be able to attend the entire NFWL Annual Conference where students will be presented with the award. The Conference will take place November 18-22, 2010 at The Ritz – Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida. All travel and lodging expenses for the Annual Conference will be covered by the National Foundation for Women Legislators for the both winner and her sponsoring legislator.
Deadline for Essay Submission: Your essay must arrive or be postmarked to the NFWL office no later than Friday, July 30, 2010. Essays received after this date may not be considered for the contest.
Essay Submissions and Contact Information.
Send your completed essay application to:
National Foundation for Women Legislators, Inc.
ATTN: NFWL / NRA Bill of Rights Essay Contest
Questions may be directed to the NFWL office at 202-293-3040, ext. 1005
Fax: 202-293-5430 | E-mail: scholarships@womenlegislators.org
You may also visit our website, www.womenlegislators.org, to view scholarship FAQs.