1st Prizes:
$750 for the best essay from an entrant aged 19 to 21
$500 for the best essay from an entrant aged 17 to 18
$200 for the best essay from an entrant aged 14 to 16
$100 for the best essay from an entrant aged 0 to 13

2nd Prizes:
$150 for age range 19-21
$100 for age range 17-18
$50 for age range 14-16
$25 for age range 0-13

3rd Prizes:
$50 for age range 19-21
$40 for age range 17-18
$25 for age range 14-16
$15 for age range 0-13

4th Prizes:
$25 for age range 19-21
$20 for age range 17-18
$15 for age range 14-16
$10 for age range 0-13

Honorable Mentions: $5 for each level "Hobbyt" Kudos (most humorous entry in whole contest): $100 "DLT" Kudos (personal favorites): recognition only (no cash prize)

Important Dates:
Deadline for entries: March 1, 2001
Prizes Awarded: May 1, 2001

It is vitally important that young people of all cultures around the world understand the nature of freedom, individual rights, and
responsibility. Sadly, these critical ideas seem to have fallen out of fashion in modern public 'education' and few young people anywhere understand them thoroughly. It is no surprise then that--even though they may feel an indignation they cannot explain at curfews, dress codes, mandatory 'volunteerism,' compulsory military service, and a host of other violations--young people are often the most docile victims of state aggression.

All of these aggressions against young people make for good essay topics. Here are some more: Should school attendance be compulsory? What is freedom? What are rights? What is adulthood? When should one be considered an adult? Should there be an age limit on the right to keep and bear arms (or on drinking, smoking, driving cars, etc.)? What is the relationship between freedom and happiness? What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility? Who is really free? Is it right for schools to suspend children's rights?

This is your chance let people know that you can and will stand up for yourself! Pick up your pen and fight!!!

You can choose your topic from those suggested here, or another one if you prefer--write on what is most important to you about your freedom, and show that you understand the importance of freedom for each individual.

For more information, follow the link to the rules:
http://home.utah-inter.net/don-tiggre/lrt.ec5.announcement.html 

Persons with questions can e-mail:
Don L. Tiggre, [email protected] or
Sunni Maravillosa, [email protected]. 

Hard-copy information is available by writing (include $0.78 SASE) to:
Don L. Tiggre, c/o The Liberty Round Table, 1101 Main Street, PMB 104-254, Evanston, WY 82930.

Your Help With the Contest is Welcome!

Our ongoing contest shows young people that freedom applies to them, that many adults care about them, and will stand up against tyranny with them. It will help spread many ideas and suggestions that can help overpower the unhealthy idea that any other person has a rightful claim to a person's time, body, and life.

You can help us accomplish all these things, in whatever way and to whatever degree works for you.

Publicity

It is crucial that we reach as many individuals as possible. Here are some ideas for doing so.

On the web: Mention our contest on your site, and provide a link to our home page to make it easy for your browsers to visit us. Don't have a site of your own? You can contact the web maintainer of any site you visit that seems ideologically similar, tell them about the contest and the Liberty Round Table (you could even compose a generic note and re-use it to save your fingers a lot of typing!), and encourage a link to us.

In e-mail: Distribute the contest announcement to anyone you know who'd be interested in it. Post the contest announcement to any newsgroups, discussion lists, and the like where it would be appropriate (children's issues, parenting groups, education groups, homeschooler's groups, and freedom/objectivist/libertarian/patriot/anarchist groups seem like natural starting points); encourage them to check us out and to help spread the word. Temporarily modify your sig file to include a contest tease and our URL, and say hi to every on-line person you know!

Hard copy tactics: Share flyers of the contest announcement (with URL and conventional contact info) with school administrators, teachers, aides, and the like. Post flyers in your local schools, grocery store bulletin boards, businesses that youths are likely to frequent, across your college campus, in any place students and parents might see it. Distribute flyers among like-minded/interested folks who aren't cyber-capable.

Speak with your local newspaper about running a brief article about the LRT contest (use a copy of our press release, if you like), encouraging local students to enter. If the local press isn't receptive to running an article about the contest, request that they run a brief blurb as a public service announcement.

If you have a state or regional LP publication, check with them about running an article. You can use your interest in the LRT contest as a local angle, if need be...

Straight from the horse's mouth: Many radio stations like to have offbeat guests, particularly in the morning "drive-time" slot. Anything related to the Internet seem to have great appeal right now, and this contest is focused on the demographics these stations want to attract the most... If you're comfortable doing this, why not contact local radio personalities/ station managers and tell them about the Liberty Round Table's contest, and offer to be a guest? (E-mail communications, if they're capable, might spark their interest more than a telephone call would.)

Along the same lines, see about getting yourself on radio and/or television talk shows as a guest speaker, or panel member for a debate, again, if you are comfortable being on a potentially hot seat.

Financial Support

This contest requires financial support to be ongoing, and relies upon voluntary donations from like-minded individuals. Any amount is welcome (no donation is too small!). We do not collect the money centrally and then re-distribute it (see our position on this); your pledge will go straight from your hand to whatever means of support you wish to give (i.e., to a winner, or to paid advertisements). When current prizes are funded, donors can go on a list of funders for the next round of the contest.

Pledges for prizes are always welcome, and in any amount you wish to name. Each pledge confers the right to be a judge in the contest. See rules for more details.

Pledges for major advertisements are welcome as well (these also confer judge status). "Major advertisements" are planned for Reason and Liberty magazines, the Libertarian Party News, the International Society for Individual Liberty newsletter, and others if funding permits. These will be professionally done, with graphics, and are estimated to cost in the hundreds of dollars, but will be worth it in terms of getting the word out.

Placing a paid advertisement in your own local newspaper is also a great idea, especially if the editor doesn't seem too interested in carrying the press release. (HINT: Work the story angle first, and only if the editor seems committed against running a [free] story should you then mention a [paid] advertisement. There's no reason to spend money if you don't absolutely have to...)

The same goes for state/regional LP publications, as well as other kinds of "alternative" news sources that seem to be springing up, and gaining popularity among the young.

Again, we welcome any suggestions you might have for making our contest as widely known and supported as possible. In addition to accomplishing our specific goals for this contest, by your effort you show that voluntary action works, and does not require central authority!! Thanks for your interest, and thank you very much for your support!