Contest Rules and Prompt
Sponsors
The lawyers and judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Fort Myers Division ("Court" or "Division")—through the Middle District Bench Bar Fund—and the Southwest Florida Federal Court Bar Association ("Federal Bar").
Goal
Every American courthouse is a vital public building—it is where the People seek durable justice. Since these buildings belong to local citizens, courthouses should (if practicable) reflect the people they serve. To meet this goal, the Division and Federal Bar believe talented students are well-suited to create an ongoing art exhibit for the Fort Myers' United States Courthouse and Federal Building ("Courthouse"). As the Courthouse halls fill with art over the years, the exhibit will show the evolving student expressions of law-and justice-related themes. What's more, the Contest offers this community's most precious resources a chance to say how one of its most important buildings should look.
Eligibility
The Contest is open to all sixth- to twelfth-grade students currently enrolled (at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year) at any school within the borders Collier, Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties. Children, grandchildren, stepchildren, and members of the household of a federal judge, a federal court employee, or a member of the Federal Bar are excluded.
Submission Deadline
May 27, 2026, by 4:00 p.m. (local time).
Submission Requirements
To qualify for the Contest,
- Submissions must respond to the prompt (see below).
- Submissions must be on paper, canvas, or a similar surface. There is no size requirement, but given the size of the Courthouse walls, larger works are encouraged. Submissions need not be framed. Three-dimensional pieces are permitted only if they are submitted in a thin shadowbox or on paper, canvas, or a similar surface that would allow them to be easily hung on a wall.
- On the back of each submission, the student must include his or her
- name,
- grade,
- school,
- teacher, and
- title of their work.
This information may be printed directly on the work or otherwise attached to the back on paper or tape.
- name,
- Submissions must be accompanied by a fully completed entry and release form. The form can be found on the Court's website at https://www.flmd.uscourts.gov/student-contests. Please submit this online.
- Submissions may use any artistic medium (including—but not limited to—acrylic, oil, watercolor, charcoal, chalk, pencil, crayon, marker, ink, tempura, collage, mixed media, wood, metal, cloth, or fabric). Students may also submit original photographs, which will be judged in a separate category (see below for more details).
- Submissions must not use or depict substances or fluids that are illegal or hazardous. The judges reserve the right to refuse or disqualify any submission that violate this rule.
Contest Prompt
Title: Happy 250 Birthday, United States!
The Declaration of Independence & Bill of Rights
Theme: On July 4, 1776, the United States was born as a new country. That day, the leaders of the 13 colonies approved an important document called the Declaration of Independence. In it, they said that all people have rights — like the right to life, liberty (freedom), and the chance to be happy — and that governments are supposed to protect those rights. That’s why we celebrate the 4th of July as the United States’ birthday.
Once the United States became its own country, the people needed to decide how it would work. The United States Constitution is a set of rules and laws. It was written in 1787 and approved by the states in 1788. The Constitution allows for additions or alterations to its rules and laws. These additions are called “Amendments.”
The Bill of Rights are the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, added in 1791. These Amendments give people certain rights and protections, like the right to a speedy and public trial, the right to confront witnesses against you, and the right to a lawyer. You can find more information about the Bill of Rights and what each Amendment says on the National Archives website: www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights/what-does-it-say
Task: Create a work of art addressing the importance of the Declaration of Independence, at least one of the Bill of Rights, or the Bill of Rights as a whole
Responding to Prompt
As noted, submissions must respond to the prompt. It is not the intent to censure any artwork. But submissions must be appropriate for display in the Courthouse, where parties regularly file a variety of sensitive cases. So qualifying submissions must remain within the theme of the prompt. And the Division retains full authority to only display submissions in its aesthetic discretion. For that reason, the Division will not display overtly partisan, sensationalistic, gruesome, or obscene submissions.
How to Submit
Only one submission is allowed per student. All submissions must be made by the deadline above.
Students, parents, teachers, or school administrators are encouraged to coordinate submissions with their school and school district. Schools or school districts are encouraged to collect and arrange for a single bulk submission of all entries from that school or district. To make those arrangements, contact Laura Ferro at (239) 334-0397 or laura_ferro@fd.org.
Alternatively, if participants prefer to make submissions directly, they must do so in person at the following address:
United States Courthouse and Federal Building
Attn: Brigette Willauer
2110 First Street
Fort Myers, Florida 33901
Grounds for Disqualification
Judges may disqualify submissions that
- do not comply with these Contest Rules;
- are not the submitting student's original work;
- provide fake entry information; or
- plagiarize another artwork.
All decisions of disqualification are final and in the judges' discretion.
250th Celebration
On July 1, 2026, at 4pm the Federal Courthouse in Fort Myers and the SW Florida Federal Court Bar Association will host a celebration for this special year, where the Declaration of Independence is 250 years old. It is separate from the Contest, and all are welcome to attend. The Court and Federal Bar may—in their discretion—display qualifying Contest submissions at that event (either this year or in the future at the annual Bill of Rights Day). It will not impact the Contest at all, but students, parents, teachers, family, friends, and anyone else are encouraged to submit early and attend the celebration.
Judging Process
After the Contest submission due date, the judges will take all qualifying submissions under advisement, review them, and decide the winners. All federal judges who sit in this Division (and are available to do so) will judge the submissions. Their decisions will be final.
The judges will evaluate qualifying submissions using these criteria:
- Did the submission respond to the prompt? (15%)
- Was the submission original? (20%)
- Did the submission have strong artistic design? (50%)
- Was the submission appealing, inspiring, moving, or provoking? (15%)
Winning Submissions
Winners will be decided in two stages.
First, all qualifying submissions will be split by grade level. Judges will determine one winner for each grade level with a qualifying submission. Each grade-level winner will receive $100.
Second, judges will consider all qualifying submissions together regardless of grade level. The judges will then select overall first-, second-, and third-place submissions. Of those qualifying submissions, the first-place winner will receive $800; the second-place winner will receive $500; and the third-place winner will receive $300.
If any overall first-, second-, or third-place winners also won their respective grade-level prize, the judges may—in their discretion—distribute that $100 grade-level prize to the student with the judges' second choice in that grade. This rule is intended to encourage sportsmanship, expand participation, and increase recognition of other submissions. The judges' decisions will be final.
Recognition
Winners will be announced and recognized at a special ceremony at the Federal Courthouse in Fort Myers in the summer of 2026. All participants will be invited to this ceremony and an ice cream party reception.
License to Use and Display Submissions, Names, and Photographs
Participants must acknowledge that they have read and agree to a release allowing the Court to display their qualifying submissions at the Courthouse. The release is available online and there is a checkbox to acknowledge that participants have read and agree to it as part of the entry form. All submissions become the Court’s property and may be used, reproduced, published, and displayed in publications and materials promoting the judicial branch. Entries will not be returned. At any time, the Division may exercise its discretion to return any submission to a student (by sending it to the student’s school) or dispose of a work. And the Division retains full discretion to decide which qualifying submissions to keep for display, along with how they will be displayed in the Courthouse. The Division may—for no more than subjective aesthetic reasons—decide not to display a qualifying submission. By accepting a qualifying submission, the Division does not promise it will display the work for any length of time. Nor does the decision to display a qualifying submission indicate it will remain displayed for any length of time.
Participants must acknowledge that they have read and agree to the release allowing the Court to publish their submissions in print publications and on the Court’s public website. In addition, winners will be asked to authorize use of photographs of themselves in contest-related promotional materials, which may include photographs taken at events.
Even if a participant fails to submit a release, submission of an entry will be construed as acceptance of all Contest terms, conditions, and requirements.
Questions?
Contact Laura Ferro at (239) 334-0397 or laura_ferro@fd.org.