ANNOUNCING COLLABORATE TO EDUCATE
OUR SONS (CEOS) 2015 ESSAY/POETRY
SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST
Eligibility
Entrants must be high school, college or seminary sophomore, junior or senior young men.
Contest Instructions:
In 750-1,000 words, discuss one of the following topics OR write an original poem addressing the theme
reflected in one of these topics:
1.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to be a young man, especially of color, in contemporary
society. How would you motivate a peer to live a life that counts and that is academically and
ethically fulfilling? What pitfalls would you counsel him to avoid and how would you steer him
away from them?
2.
One author has said, “The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be
bought or sold; men who in their inmost souls are true and honest; men who do not fear to call sin
by its right name; men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will
stand for the right though the heavens fall.” What qualities are required to produce such a man?
What steps would you take to become such a man and to influence your peers to take a similar
stance?
3.
“In the common walks of life there is many a toiler patiently treading the round of his daily tasks,
unconscious of latent powers that, roused to action, would place him among the world's great
leaders.” What would prevent the toilers mentioned above from performing to their potential?
How would you help them to see and achieve their potential? What will you do to prevent
yourself from being in the group of those toilers unconscious of their latent powers?
4.
What is it that motivates me as a young male living in this contemporary generation to work to
achieve my potential and to graduate from college. How can college education help me make the
world a better place?
Prizes
High School Winner
College Winner
Seminary Winner
-
$1500 for Tuition
$2000 for Tuition
$2500 for Tuition
How to enter
1. Fill out the registration form including the teacher information. If you do not include teacher
information, your essay will not be accepted.
2. The entrant’s name, address telephone number, email address school name grade and date of birth
must appear in the top right-hand corner of the first page. The entrant’s name must appear on all
subsequent pages.
3. All submissions must be original work, have a title and include a word count (word count does not
apply to the list of sources.) All sources, including articles you have written, must be cited.

Attach a copy of your original work (handwritten) in English on the designated topic, which
should include a comprehensive list of sources consulted. You must write on one of the topics
provided; essays on other topics will not be accepted. Please use the topic as the title of your
essay.
4. Entries must be typed, double-spaced, in 14-point Times New Roman font with a one-inch margin on
all sides of the page. Standards of content and style from MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers,
7th ed., will be expected for (1) documentation of sources in the text of your essay (see pages 123-212);
(2) the format of the list of works cited (see sample page at end of the MLA Handbook); and (3) margins
and indentation (see sample page also at end of Handbook).
5. A bibliography must be included. AT LEAST three of the sources you cite must be primary sources, i.e.
books, periodicals or newspapers that you have researched. (A primary source is a document, speech, or
other sort of evidence written, created or otherwise produced during the time under study. Primary
sources offer an inside view of a particular event. They may be accessed online.) Other sources may be
online-only materials, provided they are cited correctly as such. Any submissions lacking three primary
sources will be disqualified. Wikipedia and similar articles are not acceptable sources and if used will
disqualify your entry.
6. Do not place your name or your school's name on any of the pages of the essay. Only the registration
form should include this information.
7. Essays MUST be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format. Essays submitted in any other
format will not be considered.
8. Faxed submissions will not be accepted.
9. Your essay will be disqualified if it does not meet the requirements or is submitted after 11:59 pm EST
on September 1, 2015. Essays should be emailed to: essays@ceoscpr.org.
Winners will be notified in time for the awarding of the Scholarships on September 24, 2015.
Teacher or Sponsor: Student registration forms must have a teacher or sponsor name. That person may
review the submitted essay and act as the key contact between participants and CEOS. It is to the
applicant’s advantage to have a coordinator review the essay to make sure it is complete, contains all
the necessary forms, is free from typographical and grammatical errors, and addresses the topic.
Your essay will become the property of Collaborate to Educate Our Sons (CEOS) once it is submitted, and
will not be returned.
The decisions of the judges are final.
How did you find out about the Essay/Poem scholarship contest?
Release
At the end of your essay, please sign and include the following RELEASE:
I, _____________________________, the author of this work, grant permission to Collaborate to
Educate Our Sons to use my original entry as described in the competition announcement. I understand
that the winning articles become the sole property of CEOS and that by submitting a poem or essay I
relinquish all rights of ownership and copyright to CEOS and that CEOS may use the essay/poem in any
way it deems. I further represent and warrant that I am the sole creator of the work and have full power
and authority to grant permission and to make this agreement. I warrant that the work does not infringe
on any copyright or violate any property rights. I release any and all intellectual property rights to this
entry. I understand that I will not receive compensation for my work, but for the winning entries, as
described in the competition announcement.
Signature:______________________________________________ Date: _______________________
NB: If you are younger than 18 years of age, please ask your parent(s) or guardian to indicate their
permission for your participation in this contest by signing here:
Signature:______________________________________________ Date: _______________________
(Plagiarism disqualifies candidates from consideration.)
To submit your essay/poem, please complete the form below and follow all instructions.
Questions? Contact info@ceoscpr.org
APPLICANTION
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