American Boys Preparatory Academy © 2021

INFORMATION  +1.908.516.4231

          American Boys​ Preparatory           Academy

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                                       A Private Middle School for Boys in Union County, NJ

National School Choice Week Essay Contest Rules 

1. The Essay 

• The topic for the 2018 American Boys Prep Essay Contest is “Your Dream School". Imagine your dream school. Describe its key features and explain why those features are important to you.
  
• Essays will be judged on the following criteria:
  
  • Creativity & originality
    
  • Persuasiveness
    
  • Grammar & spelling
    
  • Understanding of subject matter
    
  • Relevancy of response to topic question
    
• Essays must be 500 – 1,000 words.
  
• Essays must be hand-written using either black or blue ink.
  
• Contestants will be given a maximum of 90 minutes to compose their essays.
• Essays must be the original work of the applicant.  Essays must neither have been entered in another competition nor have been published previously in any form or sold for publication. Essays must not contain material that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others. Any essay that violates these rules will be disqualified and any awards made for such essay will be rescinded.  Essays will be checked for plagiarism by American Boys Prep.
• American Boys Prep will collect personally identifiable information about applicants as part of the application process. This information will be used to contact applicants in connection with the essay contest and in announcements, events, and press releases related to the essay contest and will be provided only to parties related to American Boys Preparatory Academy and the applicant’s legal guardians. No personally identifiable information about the applicants will be revealed to any member of the judging committee at any time during the judging process. Applicants should not include their name or personally identifiable information either within the content of the essay or on any pages on which the essay is printed. Personal information may only be included on the completed application form.

2. Awards

• The winning essays will be determined by a judging committee selected by American Boys Prep
  
• A first, second, and third place winner will be selected.
  
• The first place award will be a 100% scholarship to attend American Boys Prep for the 2018-19 school year. The second place award will be a 50% scholarship, and the third place award will be a 25% scholarship, also for the 2018-19 school year.
  
• All winners will be invited to attend a private awards ceremony in spring 2018 and will have their essays published on American Boys Prep’s website.
  
• Winners will be announced on www.abp-academy.org in February 2018. 
  

3. Who May Enter

• Applicant must be a student enrolled in the 5th or 6th grade on the date he enters the contest.
  
• Applicant must be a citizen or legal resident of New Jersey.
  
• Immediate family members of judging committee members are ineligible for this essay competition. Immediate family members of employees of American Boys Prep and the Board of Directors of American Boys Prep are also ineligible.
  
• Each applicant may enter only once and may only provide one essay on the topic.
  

4. How to Enter

• Applicant must come to American Boys Prep’s administrative office in Summit, NJ between January 25th and 31st to write his essay for the contest.
  
• To make an appointment to participate in the contest, applicants should contact American Boys Prep either by phone at 908-516-4231, or by email at admissions@abp-academy.org.
  

5. Conditions for Participation

• All submitted essays become the exclusive intellectual property of American Boys Prep, and American Boys Prep obtains all rights to use and republish all or any part of such essays upon submission.
  
• American Boys Prep may use prizewinners’ names, likeness, and other identifying information (such as hometown, school, or grade) in promotional materials relating to this essay competition.
  
• The winners’ parents or guardians will be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility, originality, and compliance with the official rules, a liability release, and a publicity release as a condition to receiving their scholarship.
  
• All taxes shall be the responsibility of the winners of the competition. Winners will be required to submit a completed IRS Form W-9 to American Boys Prep as a condition to receiving their scholarship.
  
• By submitting an application and/or essay to American Boys Prep, the applicant agrees to all of the terms and conditions set forth in these Official Rules and on American Boys Prep’s website governing the 2018 American Boys Prep Essay Contest.
  

6. Miscellaneous

• No essay will be given preference over any other essay on the basis of an applicant’s name, school, grade, race, ethnicity, geographic origin, or any legally protected status.
  
• No essay will be given preference over any other essay on the basis of an applicant’s ability or inability to attend the private awards ceremony in spring 2015.
  
• No essays will be returned to applicants.
  
• No notice will be given to applicants with non-winning or non-conforming essays.