Profile in Courage High School Awards

Scholarship Sponsored by John F. Kennedy Library Foundation

This competition is available to high school students from grade nine to twelve across the United States, whether they attend public, private, parochial, or home schools. It also extends to U.S. students under twenty years old who are enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program anywhere in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or U.S. territories, as well as U.S. citizens studying abroad. However, previous winners and finalists are not permitted to enter. Additionally, John Hancock Financial Services employees and their family members are ineligible to participate.

Submission Guidelines

• The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM (EST) on January 17, 2025.
• Essays should be between 700 and 1,000 words. The word count does not include citations and bibliography.
• Submissions must be the student's own work. Any use of AI assistance will result in disqualification. Refer to Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism for guidance.
• A minimum of five sources must be cited in the essay.
• Authors should not include any personal identifying information in their essays.

Essay Topics

• Essays should focus on a U.S. elected official's act of political courage. The official must have served during or after 1917, the year of John F. Kennedy's birth, and could have addressed an issue at any level - local, state, or national. For more information, refer to Contest Topic and Information and Helpful Tips for Writing Your Essay.
• Originality is a key judging criterion, so writing on common essay topics may negatively impact your score.
• John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Edward M. Kennedy are not acceptable subjects for essays.
• Essays on past Profile in Courage Award recipients will be disqualified unless they discuss an act of political courage separate from the act that earned them the award.
• Essays on the senators featured in Profiles in Courage will be disqualified.
• Participants are advised against profiling frequently written about subjects. Check the list of common essay subjects before choosing your topic.
• Essays on subjects from past winning essays will receive a lower score.

Referencing

• Essays with less than five cited sources will be disqualified.
• Participants must reference all sources used in their research within the essay text. Footnote citations are not accepted.
• Essays must include a bibliography in APA, MLA, or Turabian format. Refer to Guidelines for Citations and Bibliographies for more information.

Teacher Nominations

• Students must provide the name of their nominating teacher on the registration form. This teacher's role is to guide and support students during the essay writing process, including reviewing the essay for syntax, grammatical, typographical and spelling errors, and ensuring it meets the contest requirements. The first place winner and their nominating teacher will be invited to the annual Profile in Courage Award ceremony at the Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.
• Nominating teachers can be current or former teachers, but they must still be teaching at the same high school as the participant. Typically, students nominate their English or History/Social Studies teachers. In rare cases, exceptions can be made if a student cannot nominate a teacher from their high school. Parents or legal guardians responsible for home-schooled students can also serve as nominating teachers.