Deadline: February 1, 2017 at 6 p.m. EST
Level: Boys and girls in grades 3-12

“Engineering and Animals” is the theme for the National Academy of Engineering’s 2017 EngineerGirl! Essay Contest. Students in grades 3 to 12 are asked to choose an animal that is ranked by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as either vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered – like the black footed ferret in the photo below – and consider how engineering might improve life for that species.

Prizes range from $100 to $500.

The contest is open to individual girls and boys in the following three competition categories :

1. Elementary School Students (grades 3-5); Essays must be 400 to 700 words.
2. Middle School Students in (grades 6-8); Essays must be 600 to 1,100 words.
3. High School Students (grades 9-12); Essays must be 1,000 to 1,500 words.

How to Enter

Write an essay which addresses the requirements in the contest description. Essays should be written clearly. They may be shorter than, but should not exceed, the word limit. Submit the essay through the Online Submission Form on the EngineerGirl! website, and include all required information.

Entries must be received by 6:00 p.m. (EST) on February 1, 2017. Click HERE for the contest rules.

What are the Awards?

All winning entries will be published on the EngineerGirl! website. (Please review the publication agreement before you submit your essay.) In addition, all winners will receive the prizes listed below:

• First-place winners will be awarded $500.
• Second-place entries will be awarded $250.
• Third-place entries will be awarded $100.

Honorable Mention entries will not receive a cash reward but will be published on the EngineerGirl! website.

Additional Rules

• Essays will be judged on the basis of design content, research, expression, and originality. You may wish to preview the 2013 Contest Scorecord.
• All essays must be the original work of the author submitting the entry and must not have been published anywhere else.
• A contestant may enter only one essay.
• All entries will be read by a panel of judges, whose selections will be final.

For more information and to apply, click here.

Learn more about how engineers are rescuing the endangered Ganges River Dolphin in the April 2016 issues of IEEE Spectrum.

Filed under: Competitions and Contests, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features

Tags: animals, communications, Competitions for Students, Conservation, Contest, Engineering Girl Essay Contest 2017, Environmental Engineering, girls in STEM, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, literacy, wildlife, writing