Stossel in the Classroom Scholarship
Scholarship Sponsored by Stossel in the Classroom
Intro
Each year middle and high school students get an opportunity to argue big ideas and compete for cash awards. This year’s contest will distribute over $12,000 in student prizes. Beyond the money, participating strengthens research, critical thinking, and persuasive writing — skills useful in school and beyond. Students may enter individually, or teachers can run the contest in class and receive rewards based on participation.
Eligibility & divisions
- Middle School Division: grades 5–8
- High School Division: grades 9–12
- Residency: entrants must live in the U.S., Canada, or at a U.S. military address
- Note: entrants in the AI Challenge are not eligible to submit to this Essay Contest
Important dates
- Submission deadline: March 13, 2026, by 11:59 PM ET
- Winners announced: May 31, 2026
- Finalist interviews: finalists must be available for short remote interviews during the week of May 17–23, 2026
Student awards (per division)
- 1st place: $2,500
- 2nd place: $1,000
- 3rd place: $500
- Five finalists: $200 each
- Five semi-finalists: $100 each
- Honorable mentions: $50 each
Teacher rewards
Guaranteed rewards
- Submit 30 or more student entries: receive a $50 Amazon gift card
- Teacher with the most submissions overall: $150 Amazon gift card
Opportunity drawing
- Each student entry submitted by a teacher earns that teacher one entry in a drawing for ten $50 Amazon gift cards
Essay requirements
- Length: 500–1,000 words
- Topic: essay must respond to one of the four provided prompts
- Originality: work must be the student’s own. Plagiarism or essays produced by AI will be disqualified.
- Interview: students whose essays advance to the final judging round must participate in a brief remote interview during May 17–23, 2026; finalists should have some availability that week
If you need the prompts, submission instructions, or judging criteria rewritten or formatted differently, tell me which section and I’ll update it.