Criteria

This year the Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation (khref.org) is offering prizes of $2000, $750 and $250 to high school students judged to have written the best answers to the question on the flyer below (and attached as a readily reproducible file).  Please inform your students about the contest described by the flyer and encourage them to participate in it. More information about KHREF and the essays of the winners of its contests over the past 20 years may be found on khref.org.

Essay Question:

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.  Yet António Gueterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has identified hate speech as a formidable threat to human rights.   Do you agree and if so, how do you think governments should deal with that threat?  If you disagree explain the reason you disagree.

Value

$1000, $2000, and $4000 prizes

Due Date

ONLINE or MAIL by December 10, 2024

Procedure

1. Essays are due on or before December 10, 2024. (Human Rights Day),
2.  Essays should be approximately 2500 words in length and be submitted as a Microsoft Word attachment to: kemperhumanrights@gmail.comor by regular mail to: KHREF, 184 Fillow Street, Norwalk, CT 06850.
3. Via footnotes and a bibliography indicate the names, titles, year of publication, and page numbers for all references on which it is based,
4. Include a cover page with:  i. the title, ii. author’s name and grade level, ii. name and address of author’s high school, iii.  name of a teacher at the high school and iv. the following statement signed by the teacher: “I teacher’s name, a teacher of [subject] at [name of the essay author’s school] am aware of [author’s name] participation in KHREF essay contest and to the best of my knowledge the essay [s/he] submitted represents [her/his] independent work, iv. the following statement signed by the essay’s author:   My essay is based on the research cited in its footnotes and bibliography and represents my own thoughts on the subject and prior to receiving a prize I agree to participate in a Zoom interview with members of KHREF’s board regarding my essay and, v. the following statement signed by the essay’s author and essay author’s parent or guardian: “I give the Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation permission to publish this essay.”