The Baltimore Ravens are proud to announce the 4th Annual Black History Month Essay Contest.

The theme for this year's essay is "Black in the Arts." Students are encouraged to submit an essay between 250-500 words describing the impact that the Black Community has had in the arts. The arts can be described as any expression or application of creative skill, including music, photography, dance, painting, sculpting and much more. The impact can be positive, negative, educational, eye-opening, or anything that sparks emotion and understanding. This contest is open to all middle and high school students in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.

Essays must be the author's original, unpublished work.

All entries are due on February 13, 2024 and four winners (two grand prize, two runner-ups) will be identified by the end of the month.

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 Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 11:59 PM
• One essay per submission. All essays must be submitted individually for consideration.

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 "Black in the Arts" (0-5 points); (b) degree to which the chosen subject has impacted the life of the student and/or society (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
• One (1) Autographed Photo
• Ravens Swag

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

• One (1) Autographed Football
• Ravens Swag

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