SIFE at Susquehanna
Changing the World

Ethics Essay Contest

Our prompts for the fall contest are now available online! Please click on the links below to view the promt for the applicable grade level. Please also note that the cover sheet and teacher letter are applicable for each grade level. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!

In 2003 SU SIFE conducted our first essay contest with the theme of entrepreneurship. We received 4 entries, and continued the contest the next year, doubling our entries to 8.

In the contest's third year we decided to shift topics for the contest and focused on business ethics instead. In an effort to expand the contest, we distributed flyers and bookmarks to over 200 schools in 7 surrounding counties. We also tied the judging criteria to PSSA standards so that teachers could incorporate our contest into their curriculum.

We received 278 entries in total and awarded savings bonds to the winners during an awards ceremony held at SU. In its fourth year, the contest again grew to 296 entries. We incorporated teacher evaluation sheets into the project that provided positive feedback on the impact our contest had in their classrooms. Teachers told us about classroom discussion that was generated because of our age appropriate prompts and praised our awards ceremony where parents, teachers, and students were able to join us to congratulate the winners.

We are very excited about the potential for this year's sixth annual contest. The Fall 2009 essay contest is coming along great. This fall we received 455 essay submissions among all age groups. The committe is currently reviewing all of the essays in hopes to have the winner chosen by early November. Every student who entered an essay will receive a participation certificate, and the winners will be invited to SU's campus for an awards ceremony on Saturday, December 5th at 2 p.m. in Apfelbaum Hall, Room 319. At the ceremony, the winners will read their essays and receive a prize for their hard work.

If you or someone you know would like further information or the necessary entry sheets, please contact Kati Frantz at frantzk@susqu.edu. We are looking forward to another successful contest!

Teacher Letter
Cover Sheet
4th & 5th Grade Prompt
6th through 8th Grade Prompt
9th through 12th Grade Prompt

Last updated Eric Stahlnecker, Webmaster, SIFE Team. ©2005 Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA 17870.