Competition
Profile in Courage Essay Contest
John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
Recognition
First place: $10,000 cash award plus an invitation (with paid travel) to the Profile in Courage Award ceremony in Boston; second place: $3,000; three finalists: $1,000 each; fifteen honorable mentions; all participants receive a Certificate of Participation.
Deadline
~Jan 12, 2027
Estimated; confirm on sponsor site
An annual contest in which US high school students write an original 700-1,000 word essay (with at least five cited sources) describing and analyzing an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1917.
Eligibility
- Grade levels
- High school
- Fields of study
- Humanities, Social sciences
- Essay
- Required
Application requirements
- Review the contest topic and choose an eligible elected U.S. official (served during/after 1917, not JFK, not a president)
-
Research and write a 700-1,000 word essay analyzing a single act of political courage: Must cite at least 5 sources with a full bibliography; citations/bibliography don't count toward the word limit.
Essay prompt
- Describe and analyze an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917, the year John F. Kennedy was born. Include an analysis of the obstacles, risks, and consequences associated with the act. The essay may concern an issue at the local, state, national, or international level. 700-1,000 words
- Have a nominating teacher (or, for homeschoolers, a parent/guardian) read the essay before submission
- Submit the essay through the official online contest portal by the deadline: 2026 deadline was January 12, 2026 (11:59 PM ET); the next cycle's date is not yet posted.
Verified Jul 6, 2026 · View official source