Scholarship
AFSA National High School Essay Contest
American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)
Award
$2,500
Deadline
~Mar 1, 2027
Estimated; confirm on sponsor site
The AFSA National High School Essay Contest, sponsored by the American Foreign Service Association, invites U.S. students in grades 9-12 to write an essay on a current U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy topic. The first-place winner receives $2,500, an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and a Semester at Sea scholarship; the runner-up receives $1,250 and a National Student Leadership Conference scholarship.
Eligibility
- Grade levels
- High school freshman, High school sophomore, High school junior, High school senior
- Citizenship
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Fields of study
- Social sciences, Communications
- Essay
- Required
Special eligibility to verify
- 1,000-1,500 word essay on assigned foreign policy topic: Essay must be 1,000-1,500 words (excluding sources), double-spaced, 12-pt font, one-inch margins, MLA style, citing at least three primary sources; general encyclopedias like Wikipedia are not acceptable. Previous first-place winners and immediate relatives of AFSA/NSLC/Semester at Sea staff are ineligible.
Application requirements
- Complete the online registration form: All fields are mandatory and the registration form must include a teacher or sponsor name.
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Write a 1,000-1,500 word essay on the assigned foreign policy topic: Word count excludes the source list. Essay must argue one of two specified positions on the current year's topic.
Essay prompt
- The Fragile Front Line: U.S. Diplomacy and the Future of Soft Power. In 2025, those tools took a significant hit. The U.S. Agency for International Development was dismantled; the U.S. Agency for Global Media (home to Voice of America) was effectively closed; most exchange programs, including Fulbright, were suspended; and the Foreign Service itself was cut by about 25 percent. How can the United States build and sustain relationships without these efforts? In 1,000 to 1,500 words, make a case for one of two positions: either explain how the United States can maintain global leadership without these tools, or argue that it cannot—and why. In either direction, focus on the role of the U.S. Foreign Service with fewer people and fewer tools. If you believe leadership can be sustained, lay out clear, realistic steps diplomats could take to achieve their goals. If you believe it cannot, show where capacity would fall short, which risks would rise, and what costs would follow. 1,000 to 1,500 words
- Support the essay with at least three primary sources and a bibliography: Sources should include academic journals, news magazines, newspapers, books, government documents, and research publications; general encyclopedias (e.g. Wikipedia) are not acceptable.
- Format the essay per contest guidelines: Double-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch margins, following MLA Handbook style with a bibliography; do not include the student's or school's name on the essay pages.
- Upload the essay as a Word document via the official submission portal by the deadline: Submit at afsascholarships.communityforce.com by March 1 at 11:59 p.m. EDT; late submissions are automatically disqualified.
Verified Jul 8, 2026 · View official source