Essay Contest

The Question: Why is entrepreneurship a foundation of our freedom?

Deadline:

All entries must be postmarked or e-mailed to OCPA by February 8, 2010. Prizes will be awarded to the winners at the OCPA Citizenship Dinner on March 31, 2010.

Click here to download an entry form!

Criteria:

Essay entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Grammar, spelling, and composition
• How well the student answers the question and provides supporting evidence (works cited page not required)
• Quality, clarity, and creativity of ideas 

Rules:

• All entrants must be postmarked or e-mailed to OCPA by February 8, 2010.
• All entrants must be Oklahoma high school seniors enrolled in a public, private, or home school.
• Essays must contain between 1,000 -1,250 words.
• Scholarship awards, which will be submitted to the university or college of your choice, must be claimed during the 2010-2011 school year.
• Only one entry per student
• No names on essays
• All essays must include a completed entry form.

Judges:

• Dr. Kathleen Wilcoxson, Former Oklahoma State Senator
  

• Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, Oklahoma House District 65 

• Dr. J. Rufus Fears, Professor of Classics, University of Oklahoma

• Mark Shannon, KTOK 1000-AM talk radio host
  

• Neva Hill, Founder of Neva Hill Company

Matching Scholarship Opportunities:

Tuition scholarships presented to the winners by OCPA are applicable to any college or university. Select schools in Oklahoma have offered to match the OCPA prizes at varying levels.  In order to claim the potential matching scholarships, winners must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements of that particular institution.

	Bacone College (BC) is offering a 35% tuition, room, and board scholarship to all five winners who attend Bacone College. This scholarship applies to students who live on campus and is renewable up to four years. Winners must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.
	Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU) is offering a $1,250 scholarship to the contest winner. The scholarship is good for one year. Winner must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.
	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 City Community College (OCCC) will match OCPA’s prize amounts, in the form of tuition assistance, for as many as five winners of the Citizenship Essay Contest who attend OCCC following high school graduation.  The scholarships are renewable each year, enabling a student to be awarded the tuition waiver annually.  Winners must meet all enrollment requirements and maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA and be enrolled in at least three credit hours each semester to maintain eligibility.
	Oklahoma City University's (OCU) Meinders School of Business will match OCPA’s five prize amounts for winners who enroll in the business school at OCU. 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 (RSC) will match OCPA’s five prize amounts for winners who attend RSC. Winners must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.
	Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) is offering to award the winners a resident tuition waiver scholarship which totals $1,000 to all five winners of the Essay Contest who attend that college. The winner must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.
	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 2010-2011 school year. The winner must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.
	Southern Nazarene University (SNU) will match OCPA’s five prize amounts for winners who attend SNU. Winners must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.
	University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) will match OCPA's five prize amounts for winners who attend USAO. The scholarships will be spread over four semesters. Winners must meet all enrollment and ongoing academic requirements for that institution.