Voice for Animals High School Scholarship

The A Voice for Animals contest is now open. The competition has sections for 14-15-year-old students and sections for 16-18-year-old students.

The contest is also open to ESL (English as a Second Language) students.

We accept submissions from countries worldwide.

Eligibility

Participants must currently be enrolled in middle or high school, or be home-schooled and less than 19 years of age on March 1, 2025 (the date the contest opened for entries). No exceptions!

The contest is open to all otherwise eligible students worldwide, regardless of nationality, citizenship, or country of residence.

You are strongly advised to read all the rules and advice for participants!

For 2025, there is a special topic category, "Protecting Marine Life from Human Impact", which may be applied across all eligible age groups and submission types. This is option is in addition to the standard categories: Companion Animals, Farm Animals, Wildlife on Land, Wildlife in the Oceans. See below for details on this topic.

Protecting Marine Life from Human Impact

Many marine species face threats due to human activities such as pollution, overfishing, gear entanglement, ship strikes, and habitat destruction. Think about a marine species that is affected by these challenges—either one in your area or one that interests you.

The following questions may be helpful to consider as you work on your submission:

• What human activities pose a threat to this species?
• Are there existing laws or regulations to protect them? Have any new policies been proposed?
• Are there any technological advancements that could help reduce harm to this species?
• What solutions been attempted? Were they successful?
• Have past protections been weakened or removed? What impact does this have?
• If no action is taken, what could happen to the species in the future?
• How can people (including students like you) contribute to solutions and advocate for change?

Your essay can focus on policy solutions, scientific advancements, or a combination of both. Be sure to support your ideas with research and examples!

Remember to review all the rules for your chosen entry type (essay, photo essay, or video) and ensure your work meets the requirements prior to submission.

Sixteen through Eighteen Year Old Essay Submissions

Entrants in the 16-18 year old essay section are invited to write an essay that addresses either the mistreatment of one animal species or one cause of animal suffering; or the preservation of one endangered species, occurring anywhere in the world, and potential solutions to alleviate animal suffering. Essays should fall into one of the following categories: Companion Animals, Farm Animals, Wildlife on Land, Wildlife in the Oceans, or this year's special category: Protecting Marine Life from Human Activity. You will need to choose one of these when you submit your entry.

Your submission must:

• be the original work of the author or authors;
• show clearly which animal issue you chose to address and why;
• include accurate citations of any quotes or references used to support your essay.

Submission format

All submissions must be made using the form, which will appear below only while the contest is open for entries. Please note: essays submitted any other way (e.g. via e-mail or the postal service) will not be accepted.

1. Essay files will be uploaded directly to our website via the entry form. Your essay must be no less than 1400 words and no more than 1500 words excluding citations, page headers and footers (if used). Essays with a word count outside this range will be automatically disqualified.
2. Your essay must be written in English.
3. You must include a bibliography of your sources. You may use either APA or MLA style. Please choose whichever you are most comfortable with. For help with these styles, visit Purdue's online writing lab, The Owl.
4. You must include your name and essay title at the top of each page. Do not include any contact information (e.g. e-mail address or telephone number) in your essay.
5. All pages of an essay must be numbered.
6. All pages of an essay must be double-spaced.
7. You must use a legible font style and size such as 12-point Times New Roman
8. We will only accept essays in PDF format. If you need help creating a PDF file, see below.
9. The size of your file must be less than 2MB.