The Hartwick Institute of Public Service High School Essay/Video Competition
The Hartwick Institute of Public Service is proud to invite any high school student in Chenango, Delaware, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Otsego and Schoharie Counties to submit a short essay or video suggesting creative ways to better engage young people in democracy.
Competition Prompt
In the 2022 midterm elections, only 20.7% of eligible young voters in New York cast a ballot.
That means that more than two million eligible young people in New York did not vote, a total that would have easily changed the outcome in any of the statewide political races.
In a 3-5 page typed essay or 3-5 minute video, describe some of the reasons why you believe that young voters are dissatisfied with the political process and suggest some creative ways to better engage young people in democracy.
2023 - Essay Competition Award Recipients
Cooper Cohen – 1st Prize – Delaware Academy
Chase Birdsall – 2nd Prize – Unatego High School
Martha Dolan – 3rd Prize – Unatego High School
Victoria Heilveil – 4th Prize Tie – Oneonta High School
Grace Shultz & Bastin Lee Dudley – 4th Prize Tie – Oneonta High School
Elias Howe – 5th Prize – Oneonta High School
Honorable Mentions
Peyton Zenner – Unatego High School
Hudson Pasternak – Oneonta High School
Miley Strutton – Unatego High School
Competition Panel Discussion
Hartwick students Amelia Williams ’26, Brynn Illies ’25, and Shanel Dixion ’24 joined the award recipients in the discussion. In closing remarks, while reflecting on the inspirational words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado congratulated the students on their dedication to public service and encouraged them to continue to use their power for the benefit of our communities, state, and country.
Cash Prizes
$500 in cash prizes will be awarded to the top five contestants.
First place: $200
Second place: $150
Third place: $75
Fourth place: $50
Fifth place: $25
To be announced on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.
Student Led Panel Discussion
The top five contestants will be invited to participate in a panel discussion following Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Tuesday, January 17, 2024 at Hartwick College.
Every student who submits an essay/video will be invited to attend the panel discussion followed by a complimentary luncheon.
Eligibility Criteria
Any high school student in Chenango, Delaware, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Otsego and Schoharie Counties is eligible to participate in the competition.
Submission Guidelines
Students should submit their essay or a video to instituteofpublicservice@hartwick.edu by midnight on December 15, 2023.
Essays should be submitted as either a Microsoft Word or PDF file.
Videos should be submitted as an MP4 file.
In the body of your email, please be sure to include your name, school, and contact information.
Judging Criteria
The criteria that the judges will be using to assess the essay/video include the following:
- Does the essay/video fully address all parts of the prompt?
- Is the essay/video creative, compelling, and persuasive?
- Is the essay/video well written/well narrated? Submissions do not need to use outside sources but if they do use ideas from others, they need to be accurately attributed in the essay/video.
- Does the essay/video have a clear central argument stated in the introduction, supported throughout the essay/video, and restated in the conclusion?
Please note that, especially in regard to video submissions, the judges will NOT be assessing the production quality. We encourage video submissions to be as creative as possible, but we will be judging the strength of your ideas rather than the strength of your editing abilities.
HARTWICK COLLEGE INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC SERVICE
Hartwick College
Departments of
Political Science & Sociology, Criminology, and Human Services
If you have any questions about the essay/video competition, contact us at instituteofpublicservice@hartwick.edu.
Funding for this competition was made possible through a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Otsego County.