The Baltimore Ravens are proud to announce the 3rd Annual Black History Month Essay Contest, which is open to all middle and high school students in Baltimore and its surrounding areas. The theme for this year's essay is "An Event in Black History." Students are encouraged to submit an essay between 250-500 words describing an event that happened in the Black community, either recent or historical, that has had a powerful impact on their lives. The impact can be positive, negative, educational, eye-opening, or anything that sparks emotion and understanding.

Essays must be the author's original, unpublished work and is not to be a detailed report on the historical event itself. The bulk of the essay should focus on the impact the event has made on the student.

All entries are due on February 17, 2023 and four winners (two grand prize, two runner-ups) will be identified in March 2023.

Details:

• Essays should be between 250-500 words
• Two divisions – Middle School (6th – 8th) and High School (9th – 12th)
• One grand prize winner will be selected from each division
• One runner-up winner will be selected from each division
• Essays should be uploaded as an attachment to BaltimoreRavens.com/BlackHistoryMonth no later than Friday, February 17, 2023 at 11:59 PM

All documents should include:

• Student's first name
• School name
• Current grade
• Guardian's name
• Guardian's e-mail
• Guardian and/or Student's Mailing Address

A panel of judges from the Baltimore Ravens will review the essays

Rules: The Panel will judge, and "score," each eligible entry by assigning a point value to each eligible entry for each of the following, respective criteria: (a) degree to which the student applied the theme of "An Event in Black History" (0-5 points); (b) degree to which the chosen event has impacted the life of the student/author (0-5 points); and (c) the originality of the story (0-5 points).

Prizes:

Grand Prize (2 total: 1 High School, 1 Middle School Winner):

• Four (4) tickets to a Ravens game in 2023
• One (1) Ravens Jersey

Runner-Up (Two total: One High School, One Middle School Winner):

• One (1) Autographed Football

All Submissions: All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion/Participation