Announcing the 2010 Excellence in Writing Scholarship Competition.
Co-sponsored by 3M, AMD and the Austin American-Statesman.
$13,000 in scholarships will be awarded to high school juniors and seniors in May, 2010.
Click here for complete details.
This year's topic: Should young people be allowed on social networking websites?
In the social media age, teenagers and young adults comprise an important demographic. According to the Pew Institute, 65 percent of online teenagers use social media. To many in this age group, sites like Facebook and Twitter are vehicles for modern self expression. However, in September 2009, President Obama advised a group of Virginia students to carefully use Facebook because "in the YouTube age, whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life." Is the President correct? Should minors heed his warning? Or do they understand the weight of having a permanent and detailed online record of their lives?
Is the solution to ban minors from social networking sites -- until they are of age and responsible for their own choices?
Take a Stand! After researching the topic, write an editorial or create an editorial cartoon voicing your opinion about restricting young people from using social media websites, such as Twitter, MySpace and Facebook.
Deadline for entry is March 2, 2010
