Do Internet filters – which are put in place in library and schools to protect young people from material deemed objectionable – help or hinder education?
Virginia high school students are invited to submit essays that address that question, for a chance of winning prize money and a trip to Virginia Beach, paid for by the Virginia State Bar (VSB) and its Litigation Section. For the first time since the Law In Society Award Competition’s inception in 1993, the bar will team with the Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Middle and High School Instruction, which will provide logistical support.
All Virginia students aged 19 or younger and enrolled in grades 9-12 or a home-school equivalent are eligible to submit an essay that addresses the contest hypothetical, “Safety or Censorship: Do Internet Filters Help or Hinder Education?” (posted at http://www.vsb.org/site/public/law-in-society-award-competition-hypothetical).
Essays are limited to 1,000 words, and are judged on how well they demonstrate the student’s understanding of the role and value of the legal system in everyday life. Entries will be judged by educators, attorneys, and judges. The purpose of the contest is to awaken an interest in law and appreciation of the U.S. Constitution.
The first place winner will receive a choice of a $3,500 U.S. Savings Bond or $1,750 cash and an expense-paid trip for the winner his or her family to the Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting in Virginia Beach for presentation of the award. The winning essay will be published on the VSB website. Other awards include a $3,000 bond or $1,500 cash (second place), a $2,500 bond or $1,250 cash (third place), and honorable mention of a $200 bond or $100 cash. Awards will be presented in May at the winners’ schools.
More information, including contest rules and last year’s winning essay, is posted at http://www.vsb.org/site/public/law-in-society-award-competition/.
The Virginia State Bar is a state agency that protects the public by educating and assisting lawyers to practice ethically and competently, and by disciplining those who violate the Supreme Court's Rules of Professional Conduct, all at no cost to Virginia taxpayers.
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