Entries for Law Day Youth Civics Contest videos to be accepted through April 21

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association are sponsoring the 2nd annual Law Day Youth Civics Contest. Law Day is celebrated on May 1st each year.

To celebrate Law Day, students enrolled in 6th through 12th grades are invited to submit a video recording which answers the question, “why is judicial diversity important?” Videos may not exceed two and a half minutes and must be the original work of the student or students submitting.

Group entries are permitted, but if selected as a winning entry, only one prize will be awarded to the group. All members of the group must be in the same grade level cohort (6th - 8th or 9th - 12th), and each member must submit an entry form. The first completed form submitted by a group will be sent any award winnings.

Submissions will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Entries will be judged on how they demonstrate understanding of constitutional principles, clarity and effectiveness in expressing the theme, and originality/creativity.

A first ($500), second ($250), and third ($100) place winner will be awarded from each grade level cohort (6th-8th grade, 9th-12th grade). The teacher or organization leader (i.e. scout leader or club advisor) who referred winning students to the contest will receive a $50 Target gift card for classroom or club materials.

Winners will be announced the week of May 9, 2022.

Fillable entry form can be downloaded here.

Video entries and entry forms must be submitted via this link.

Missing the submission deadline, providing a false or incomplete entry information, or not residing within the district are all grounds for disqualification. Entries by children, step-children, grandchildren, siblings of employees of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois will not be considered.

The Northern District of Illinois includes the following counties: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, La Salle, Will, Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago.

Contest entries may be posted on court websites and materials, in the court history museum, and shared with outside organizations.

For questions, please contact education@ilnd.uscourts.gov.