Question:

Prologue: The civil society is a composition of all the various groups, alliances, and organizations that form our society. With the exception of family groups, these are all voluntary-you actively consent to be a part of them. These groups are generally formed or joined to advance, in some way, the interests and life of the individual. The elements of the civil society are well grounded in American history and have had an immeasurable impact over the last two centuries.

That these groups are voluntary shows that if an individual has chosen to join, they have an important reason for doing so. The individual has a vested interest in seeing the group succeed and will likely expect the government to be supportive. This could possibly lead to pressure being placed on elected officials to ensure their actions—be they legislative, regulatory, or through any other means—do not hinder the activities of the group. It is also possible that the actions of the government itself will influence the civil society into forming groups, alliances, or organizations to respond in some way.

The question being posed asks what kind of impact each side, the elements of civil society and the government, have on each other. Are the two sides at all related and can a change in one affect the other? Does civil society influence government and cause it to expand? How influential is this governmental growth on the structure of civil society itself?

Judges:

Congressman James Lankford
Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb
Sen. Susan Paddack
Jane Jayroe
Dan Mahoney (invited)

Essay entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Grammar, spelling, and composition
• How well the student answers the question and provides supporting evidence
• Quality, clarity, and creativity of ideas

Rules:

All entrants must be postmarked or e-mailed as an attached PDF to OCPA (ocpa@ocpathink.org) by April 5, 2013.

• Essays must be typed and double spaced
• Essays must contain between 1,000 to 1,500 words
• All entrants must be Oklahoma high school seniors enrolled in a public, private, or home school
• Scholarship awards, which will be submitted to the university or college of your choice, must be claimed during the 2013-2014 school year
• Provide works cited page if applicable. Resources not required.
  
• Winners must attend the Citizenship Dinner to be held in Oklahoma City May 9, 2013
  
• All essays must include a completed entry form.
• Only one entry per student
• No names on essays

Sponsors Matching Scholarship Opportunities

Select Oklahoma colleges and universities have offered matching scholarships to the winners of the OCPA essay contest. This year, a number of schools are again offering matching opportunities.

	Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU) will offer a one-year (two semesters) double-occupany room scholarship for the top contest winner. This scholarship has a cash value of $1,300 and is good for the 2013-2014 academic year. This award is contingent upon the student's admission to NOSU.
	Oklahoma Christian University (OC) will match OCPA’s five prize amounts for winners who attend OC. Winners must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.
	Oklahoma Wesleyan University (OWU) will match OCPA’s five prize amounts for winners who attend OWU. Winners must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.
	Rose State College will offer a one-year (two semesters) tuition waiver for one contest winner. This scholarship has a cash value of $1,896 ($948 per semester) and is good for the 2013-2014 academic year. This award is contingent upon the student's admission to Rose State.
	Southwestern Christian University (SCU) in Bethany is offering $1,000 tuition waivers for the five essay contest winners. These are resident tuition waivers to students who enroll full-time for 2013-2014 school year. The winner must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.
	University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) will match OCPA’s five prize amounts for winners who attend UCO. Winners must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.