We The Future High School Scholarship

AI tools may be used for technical purposes such as editing, design, and transitions, but all original ideas, writing, and creative content must be the student’s own work. Entries will be analyzed by third-party software.

Parent/Guardian must read Constituting America’s Privacy Policy Guidelines and Notice to Parents,” approve of student entering, “check” parent statement on online form & sign hard copy contest entry form.

High School Students may submit the following: Essay, Song, STEM, Short film, Social Media Video, or PSA. All entries that utilize copyrighted music, film clips, or photos MUST obtain the proper licensing permissions IN ADVANCE of submitting the entry, in order to be considered.

The winner will also be invited to attend the Winner Mentor Trip tentatively scheduled for September 2026 (all costs fully covered).

Submissions due no later than 11:59 p.m. ET May 31, 2026, through the online portal on this site. See Official Rules Section III for complete submission instructions

Essay:

Please choose from the following prompts.

Option 1: Write a 500-700 word essay on the different powers vested in our three branches of government and why the concept of checks and balances, as guaranteed by our Constitution, is vital to the preservation of our government. Are there examples (recent or historical) of violations of these checks and balances?

OR

Option 2: Write a 500-700 word essay expressing the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. How did one impact the other?

Essay entry may be mailed or submitted electronically, but MUST include student’s name, age, and grade on every page of the essay. If mailing, the essay and entry form must be included. See Official Rules Section III for details.

Song:

Create an original song with the theme of our Country’s 250th birthday, and what it means to be celebrating this milestone birthday of the Declaration of Independence, with special focus on the Declaration’s words, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The song must be an original pop, country, rock, or other popular genre song composition with lyrics and music written by the student, no longer than 3:20. Song submissions should be uploaded to YouTube (640 x 360 minimum, HD preferred) or Vimeo (download enabled) and must include a video recording of the live performance. The song title must be in the title of the uploaded video and the song lyrics must be in the description of the video. See Official Rules Section III for details.

STEM:

Get a pulse on what your peers know about the Declaration of Independence! Conduct a survey or focus group, create an online quiz or website, or design a smartphone app highlighting the celebration of America’s birthday on July 4, 2026.

Focus groups or surveys must poll twenty or more of your peers; online quizzes and websites must be completed/viewed by at least fifteen people and submission must include a report of results; smartphone apps must be downloaded and tested by fifteen people and submission must include a report of results. Please include two paragraphs as to how you would market your project. Up to two students may collaborate on and submit the STEM project.

See Official Rules for details.

Short film:

Create an original short film, 5-8 minutes in length, with a theme of celebrating the rights represented in the Declaration of Independence and their significance, with special focus on “consent of the governed”:

Thought starter: What does this sentence mean? We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Must be an original film written and directed by the student. Up to two students may collaborate on and submit the short film. It must be no shorter than 5 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes in length. See Official Rules Section III for details.

Social Media Video (60 second maximum):

Please create a 60-second maximum video (Instagram reel, YouTube short) using the following prompt:

Express how the Declaration of Independence created a foundation for a government based on individual rights, liberty, and the consent of the governed, as opposed to “consent of the government.”

It must be no longer than 60 seconds in length, originally written and directed by the student and recorded. Up to two students may collaborate on and submit the Social Media Video. Social Media Video submissions should be uploaded as 1080×1920 (9:16 aspect ratio) with the highest resolution possible to YouTube or Vimeo (download enabled). See Official Rules Section III for details.

PSA:

Please create a commercial suitable for airing on radio or TV that is exactly 25 seconds long, using the following prompt:

Why should Americans celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States and the signing of the Declaration of Independence with great festivities? Why should it be commemorated, as John Adams once said, with “’Pomp and Parade… Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other”?

Thought starter: What does Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness and consent of the governed mean in this sentence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

It must be 25 seconds in length, originally written and directed by the student and recorded. Up to two students may collaborate on and submit the PSA. PSA submissions should be uploaded to YouTube (640 x 360 minimum, HD preferred) or Vimeo (download enabled), “black to black.” See Official Rules Section III for details.

The above rules are a summary only. Please consult Official Rules for complete instructions and guidelines.