—Sponsors—
The lawyers and judges of the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, through the Middle District Bench Bar Fund, and the Jacksonville Federal Court Bar Association.
—Eligibility—
The contest is open to high school students in counties in the Jacksonville Division of the Middle District of Florida: Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union. Students in the 9th through 12th grades attending public, private, parochial, or charter schools, and home-school or virtual students of equivalent grade status are invited to participate. Children, grandchildren, stepchildren, and members of the household of a federal judge, a federal court employee, or a member of the Jacksonville Federal Court Bar Association are excluded.
—Submission Deadline—
September 23, 2026, by 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST.
—Essay Requirements—
- Essays must respond to the Essay Prompt.
- Essays must be typed and submitted as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) or PDF.
- Essays may not exceed 1,000 words not including citations.
- Essays must represent the student's original, authored work, as certified by checking the appropriate box on the Entry Form.
—Essay Submission—
Only one essay may be submitted per student. All essays must be submitted online on or before the submission deadline. Hard-copy or late submissions will not be accepted. Please complete your essay before starting the online contest Entry Form, which includes instructions for its completion.
To submit an essay, a student must:
- Complete and submit the online contest Entry Form; and
- Upload an essay that complies with the "Essay Requirements."
—Grounds for Disqualification—
Submitting an essay that (1) does not comply with these Contest Rules, (2) is not the student’s original, authored work, or is the product of an AI program such as ChatGPT, (3) provides fake entry information, or (4) plagiarizes content. Contest sponsors reserve the right to use AI detection tools in reviewing submissions. All decisions of disqualification will be final.
Contest sponsors reserve the right to use AI detection tools in reviewing submissions. All decisions of disqualification will be final.
—Scoring of Qualifying Submissions—
The essays will be scored by lawyers, law students, and judges in the Jacksonville Division. Their decisions will be final.
Qualifying essays will be scored to assess whether the student:
- Identifies a goal sought to be achieved collectively by a group with varying and diverse interests (15%);
- Explains how the collective goal was or could have been achieved by bringing together the varying and diverse interests of those involved (30%);
- Reflects on the likely reasons for the success or failure and offers advice to others who are seeking to achieve a collective goal that requires the consideration of varying and diverse interests (45%);
- Adheres to proper writing style conventions and has few to no errors (10%).
—Announcement of Winners—
The top ten finalists will be announced on the Middle District’s website no later than November 12, 2026. Winners will be announced and prizes distributed at a special ceremony at the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse on December 2, 2026. The first-place winner will be invited to shadow a Jacksonville Division United States District Judge at a mutually agreeable weekday and time.
—Submission of IRS Form W-9—
To comply with the Internal Revenue Code, the first and second place winners will be required to complete and provide the Court with an IRS Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, prior to receipt of their prize monies.
—License to Use Essays, Names, and Photographs—
Winners will be asked to submit a Work and Photo Release allowing the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the Jacksonville Federal Court Bar Association to publish their essays in print or on their websites and to use their photographs in contest-related promotional materials, which may include photographs taken at the courthouse.