Checked Nov 10, 2026Nationalmerit
JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest (2027)
John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
- Amount
- First place $10,000; second place $3,000; three finalists $1,000 each
- Deadline
- Monday, January 11, 2027
- Application opens
- Sep 1, 2026
- Number of awards
- 5 cash awards plus 15 honorable mentions
Who can apply
U.S. high school students in grades 9-12 (public, private, parochial or home school), U.S. students under 20 in a correspondence/GED program, and U.S. citizens attending school overseas.
What you will need
- Essay of 700-1,000 words on an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served in or after 1917
- Minimum five sources
- Parenthetical citations and bibliography
- Nominating teacher named on the submission
- Original work; AI assistance disqualifies