Science Essay Contest: Middle School

+ Deadline is November 1, 2026

Entry Guidelines

  • The Middle School Essay Contest is open to all students in grades 7 through 9 in our 8 state region, which includes PA, WV, OH, VA, DE, MD, NY and NJ.
  • Supply all information requested on the front of this form.
  • The essay should have no more than 2500 characters. The essay is to be in prose (no poetry please), and be the independent work of the student. Any essay containing plagiarized material will result in rejection of the essay.
  • To be fair to all contestants, the use of artificial intelligence software, including ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or similar tools, is not permitted. Any essay found to contain AI-generated material will result in rejection of the essay.
  • Student essays must be submitted by a faculty member of the student’s school.
  • No individual school may submit more than two essays in the middle school contest.
  • Failure to comply with these instructions may result in a scoring penalty or rejection of the essay.

Essay Topics:

Select ONE topic for submission. Cite all references in MLA format.

1) Jurassic Park or Conservation Breakthrough: Should We Bring Back the Extinct?
Write an essay exploring whether humans should try to bring an extinct species back.
Some things to consider and help get you started with this prompt: Use scientific evidence to explain how genetics and biotechnology might make this possible. Investigate what could happen to ecosystems and food webs if an extinct species were reintroduced. Consider both the possible benefits and risks, including questions about animal welfare, biodiversity, human responsibility, and whether we could truly recreate an extinct species.

2) The Journey of a Plastic Bottle: Can We Stop Plastic from Becoming Trash?
Write an essay exploring the life of plastic and if there are any improvements we can make to prevent waste.
Some things to consider and help get you started with this prompt: Think about something plastic you used once today… What happened to it after you were finished with it? Most plastic products begin with raw materials and eventually become waste. Recycling can give some plastics a second life, but much of the world’s plastic is still thrown away, burned, or lost into the environment. Investigate whether changes in materials, product design, manufacturing, recycling, or consumer behavior could keep that item in use instead of turning it into waste.

Judging Guidelines

Judging will be based on the following criteria:
 + Content (40%)
 + Creativity (20%)
 + Composition (30%)
 + Following Directions (10%)

Awards

1st Place: $150
2nd Place: $100
3rd Place: $50
Honorable Mentions (10 each): $25

Student home address(Required)
 
 
 
List all resources used in MLA format. When Internet resources are cited, they should also utilize the MLA format. Simply listing a search engine is not an acceptable citation.
I hereby certify that the above statements are true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that a false statement may disqualify me.(Required)