Education
America’s 250th Anniversary Youth Essay Contest
Stars and Stripes
December 2, 2025
Enter now for the Stars and Stripes’ 250th Anniversary of America Youth Essay Contest (Illustration by Stars and Stripes)
Join Stars and Stripes in celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America by entering our youth essay contest for a chance to win $100 and get published.
Share your experiences and insight as a member of a military family, salute our country’s anniversary and win!
First place winners in each age category win a $100 AAFES gift card, will have their essay published on our community websites and inside the Stars and Stripes newspaper Month of the Military Child special insert in April.
The top three essays in each age category will be published on our community websites.
Essay Question:
Category Guidelines:
High School youth currently in grades 9-12 may submit an essay up to 600 words.
Middle School youth currently in grades 6-8 may submit an essay up to 400 words.
Elementary School youth currently in grades 5 and below may submit an essay up to 200 words.
Eligibility:
The Stars and Stripes America 250 Youth Essay Contest is open to all youth dependents of DOD ID card holders. Entrants must be under the age of 19. Entry categories are defined by school grade level. Youth who are not currently enrolled in school (ie: homeschoolers, early graduates, those PCing) will be considered in the equivalent age-appropriate category.
How to Enter:
DOWNLOAD the entry form and fill it out. Type or copy and paste your essay into the field and fill in the other form details. A guardian must sign the form.
Email the filled entry form to: america250essay@stripes.com
Winners will be notified via email. They will then be announced on Stars and Stripes community websites on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
RULES:
One essay may be sent per youth entrant.
Essays must solely be the work of the youth entrant. Group entries are not accepted.
Plagiarism, copying or using the written or artistic work of someone else, or including copyrighted material is unacceptable.
If you are quoting other people’s sayings or writing, proper quotations are expected.
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), including, but not limited to, ChatGPT or Copilot, for writing, content creation, editing or other uses that directly create or change your written words is unacceptable.
Basic in-app grammar and spell-checking tools are permitted.
Entries that include defamatory or disrespectful content, including, but not limited to hate speech, racism, discrimination, or encouraging illegal actions will be disqualified.
There is no purchase required for entry.
JUDGING:
Judging will be done by a panel of Stars and Stripes staff that can include active-duty military members, civilian employees, former military children, journalists, historians, writers and editors.
Content: (50%) Does it answer the question?
Essay discusses one or more ways life as a military-connected child has influenced the way they think of the USA.
Connections are made between experience(s) and view(s) on the USA.
Specific, personal examples are used.
Clarity: (40%) Does the writing enhance the message?
Essay expresses the authentic voice and cohesive opinion of the writer.
A consistent message and point of view are used.
A compelling, thoughtful or unique writing style is used.
Essay is easy to read and has a well-organized structure.
Mechanics: (10%) Is it a polished piece?
There are no grammatical, punctuation or spelling errors.