The Clinton County Alliance for Compassion and Truth (A.C.T.) announces its first essay contest for high school students in Clinton County.
The contest focuses on the responsibilities of citizenship in democracies, as presented in “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century,” the number one national bestseller by Timothy Snyder, Yale history professor and renowned expert on authoritarianism in Central and Western Europe and the rise of anti-democratic movements in the United States.
Application requests, including the student’s full name and home mailing address, should be sent to [email protected] or to A.C.T., P.O. Box 538, Wilmington, OH 45177, before Oct. 31.
On receipt of a completed application, A.C.T. will mail the student a complimentary copy of “On Tyranny” and essay guidelines. There is no entry fee.
Essayists are asked to read “On Tyranny” and focus their research and reflections on the chapter of their choice. Submissions should be between 500 and 750 words and will be judged on precision of argument, use of additional primary and secondary sources, and quality of writing.
Essay entries must be emailed or postmarked by January 4, 2022, and winners will be announced on Jan. 20, 2022.
First prize is $250, second prize is $150, and third prize is $100. The three winners will also receive signed copies of the newly published illustrated edition of Dr. Snyder’s book, which documentary filmmaker Ken Burns calls “a must read, a clear-eyed guidebook for anyone seeking to learn from history to help us understand the present.”
Snyder is a regular contributor to major American and international newspapers, magazines, and radio and television programs, and is a popular lecturer both here and in Europe.
A.C.T. is a women-led coalition that endeavors to make a positive difference by encouraging political engagement on critical local, national, and global issues that affect the lives of people in their community and beyond.
