By Merritt Frey, Executive Director

Hey high school students — looking forward to your winter break? Sleeping in, catching up on your favorite series, maybe a little bit of time with friends? Let’s make it just a little more fruitful — work on your essay for our Make the Case for Caring Essay Contest.

The 2019 contest opens for entries on January 1, 2019! The contest is a forum for thoughtful high school thinkers to share their analysis on a different international development topic each year in a short (300-500 words) essay. National winners of this essay contest receive cash awards and recognition.

So get thinking on the 2019 Make the Case for Caring Essay Contest theme:

In 1948, the UN General Assembly included education as a basic human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Do you think education is a human right? Why or why not? What does your position mean for education in a country like Mali?

Learn more about the contest and its rules here.