WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST

As you look ahead to the years after high school, one of the biggest challenges is what kind of world will be waiting for you, especially as you enter the workplace or decide what sort of career to pursue.  What skills and knowledge are going to be most the valuable to you in a job or career?  What areas should you concentrate on in college?  What job areas will have the most opportunities in five years? In ten years? 

  The world around us is becoming an increasingly complex place, with changes occurring at an accelerating pace, but it is also an exciting one, especially when you begin to understand what is happening and why.  One way to make some sense of the dizzying environment we live in is to identify what have been called 'Trends' in the world around us. Another way to say this is to describe how a specific change or set of changes is occurring - how fast, in what direction, and with what consequences.   When we talk about consequences, we really mean:  What might the world look like as a result of this change?

  Of course, no one can really predict the future, but we can think about more and less likely possibilities (such as, it is very likely the sun will come up tomorrow) and prepare for the most likely.  Also, it is also likely that some changes might influence others(such as, the Internet might make it easier to do homework).  And what is most interesting about the future is how it might change your own life and the lives of others in your school, family, community or even country.

  Describe the trends you want to talk about in your essay in your own words, including what changes you expect to occur, and include your understanding of the consequences that might result in the lives of people affected by the trends you describe. Use as much detail as you feel is necessary to make the description easy to understand and meaningful it its readers. Remember that you are describing change in the real world and not a world of fiction, so do some research in the area or areas you have chosen about how change actually occurs and include your citations with the paper.

General contest rules are listed below and more detailed guidelines will be sent upon receipt of your signed application.

WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST RULES

1. Submit an original work in English on TRENDS IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SIX  sectors:  TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT, SOCIETY, ECONOMICS, GOVERNMENT, or DEMOGRAPICS.

2. Submit a comprehensive list of sources consulted, as well as one completed registration form signed by you and your teacher.  students name; address;  e-mail address; and, name and address of high school.

3.  essay must be no fewer than 600 and no more than 1,200 words in length, double spaced.  Only one entry per student is allowed.

4. All submissions must include a word count, excluding the list of sources and the registration form.

5. Entries must be in 12-point Times New Roman or an equivalent font with a one-inch margin on all sides of the page.

6. Do not place your name or your school's name on any of the pages of the essay, just on the cover sheet.

7. Your essay will be disqualified if it does not meet the requirements or is e-mailed after the submission date.

8. Send all submission (double spaced and no smaller than 12 font) to: Tim Mack at tmack@wfs.org by March 31^st 2009.

9. fax a copy of the Right to Publish Statement of Authenticity Form to 301-951-0394 by March 31st 2009. (This form is PDF)

GUIDELINES

For the purposes of this Essay Contest, an essay is a three-part paper that lays out and develops a position in response to the essay contest question. Although researching the topic to find examples that support your points is crucial to writing your essay, it should be more than a research paper, a narrative description of an event, or a statement of opinion.

Your essay should contain the following:

• An introduction, which introduces the subject and contains an explanation of your position. The objective is to demonstrate that you understand the essay contest question and have formed a response to it.
• A body, which develops your argument using research and analysis. The process of analysis may include comparing and contrasting, differentiating among several ideas or events, critiquing a variety of perspectives, interpreting results, or drawing inferences. In this section, you should analyze two case studies. Be sure to identify the sources of your information or ideas.
• A conclusion, which summarizes the research and analysis presented in the essay and sets forth your conclusions. Drawing on ideas already presented, you should demonstrate that your conclusions support the position you put forward in the opening paragraphs. Your aim is to convince the reader that your position is reasonable and valid.

Your essay should also include notes and a bibliography except when using APA style:

• Reference notes (footnotes or endnotes) give the sources of your information or ideas. Footnotes are placed at the bottom of the page where the information appears. Alternatively, you may gather all the notes at the end of the text as endnotes.
• A bibliography is a list of the works that you have referred to in your essay or have consulted in order to write it.

Essays that use a variety of sources—academic journals, news magazines, newspapers, books, government documents, publications from research organizations—fare better in the contest.

Citations in the reference notes or bibliography should follow rules given in a handbook such as the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or the Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Typically an entry will have at least the name of the author or editor, title of the work, and date and place of publication. The bibliography should be arranged alphabetically by the last names of the authors.

The Internet or World Wide Web should not be the only source for your essay. Be aware that you may encounter "republished" or "third generation" information on the Internet that is inaccurate or improperly attributed. When citing Internet sources, you must include the following information: author(s), title of work, Internet address, and date information was accessed. Detailed instructions can be obtained from the manuals listed above. For the purposes of this essay, Internet sources should be listed separately from non-electronic sources, such as books, magazines, and newspapers.

Again, send all submission (double spaced and no smaller than 12 font) to Tim Mack,  tmack@wfs.org, by March 31^st 2009.

Special Note to Parents and Teachers

Personal information is requested from students entering the contest so that the World Future Society can contact winners and recognize their achievement. This information is not shared with any other organizations.

The goal of this contest is to spark interest in foresight and to encourage students to explore the many ways that the study of the future has impacted our world. If you are interested in additional information and resources for helping your children or students in this endeavor please explore the WFS website at www.wfs.org  

If you have questions or concerns about our privacy statement or about this contest, please contact us at info@wfs.org