High School Essay & Video Contest
Photo by: Peter J. Mello
Change Our Name is sponsoring our
Third Annual Essay Contest
and
First Ever Video Contest
for Fort Bragg High School
and
Noyo High School students
$2,000 First Prize
and
$1,000 Second Prize
in each Contest
Essay Contest
Prompt:
Resolved- “The Name of Fort Bragg Should be Changed” or “The Name of Fort Bragg Should Not be Changed.”
Requirements:
An essay of 1000-1500 words
Limited to students in grades 9-12 in Fort Bragg and Noyo High Schools
Deadlines:
Submissions open: February 1, 2025 and close March 31, 2025. Winners will be announced in May 2025.
Must be received via email only to changeournamefortbragg@gmail.com no later than 5:00 PM on March 31, 2025.
Submissions:
Write and essay of 1000-1500 words that speaks to the question of the contest.
Essays should be emailed as an attachment in Word or Google Docs.
Submit your essay by emailing the following items to changeournamefortbragg@gmail.com
Your full name, grade and teacher’s name
Your email address and phone number
Your name should be in the email but not in the essay attached.
Evidence of any research, including footnotes or text references
Prizes:
First Place: $2,000
Second Place: $1,000
Criteria for judging:
Grammar & language mechanics
Writing fluency & style
Evidence of research, including footnotes or text references
A logical research-based well-defended argument for their position
Essays should be formatted using 12 point New Times Roman font with 1” margins on all sides.
To establish eligibility students will submit an additional signed statement affirming “I am a Fort Bragg High School student” or “ I am a Noyo High School student” and have it signed by a teacher at their school.
Winning essayists agree to allow Change Our Name to reproduce their winning essays and will make themselves available to read them at a public event organized by Change Our Name.
Judges:
3 community leaders, writers and educators, without affiliation with Change Our Name.
Video Contest
Prompt:
Resolved- “The Name of Fort Bragg Should be Changed” or “The Name of Fort Bragg Should Not be Changed.”
Requirements:
A video of less than 10 minutes in length
Limited to students in grades 9-12 in Fort Bragg and Noyo High Schools
Deadlines:
Submissions open: February 1, 2025 and close March 31, 2025. Winners will be announced in May 2025.
Videos must be posted to YouTube no later than 5:00 PM on March 31, 2025.
Submissions:
Create a 1 to 10 minute video that speaks to the question of the contest
Upload your video to YouTube
Submit your video by emailing the following items to changeournamefortbragg@gmail.com
Your full name, grade and teacher’s name
URL of your video
A brief description of your video, theme, and idea
Your email address and phone number
Evidence of any research, including footnotes or text references
Prizes:
First Place: $2,000
Second Place: $1,000
Criteria for judging:
Videos will be judged on how well they address the central question, the quality of production and student creativity. They may include interviews, debate, or historical materials found in the public domain. They may be in any format: music videos, skits, documentary, spoken poem, commercial, Public Service Announcement, etc.
To establish eligibility students will submit an additional signed statement affirming “I am a Fort Bragg High School student” or “ I am a Noyo High School student” and have it signed by a teacher at their school.
Submitters agree to allow Change Our Name to use their videos and will make themselves available to show them at a public event organized by Change Our Name.
Judges:
3 experienced film judges, without affiliation with Change Our Name.
Change Our Name is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit incorporated in the state of California with the goal of educating residents to the need to change the name of Fort Bragg as one step towards racial justice and a reckoning with American history.
This essay contest is solely a project of Change Our Name Fort Bragg, a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit incorporated in the state of California and is neither sponsored by nor affiliated with the Fort Bragg Unified School District nor with Fort Bragg High School or Noyo High School .
If you have further questions send us an email at changeournamefortbragg@gmail.com .