OKLAHOMA CITY Cash prizes are available for students who enter and win
the Zach Taylor First Amendment Essay Contest, sponsored annually by
Freedom of Information Oklahoma.
Winners will be announced during FOI Oklahoma's annual First Amendment
Congress which will stream live on YouTube on Nov. 2. Students in grades 9
to 12 must pick one of the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment and
write about its importance to the American way of life. The freedoms are
speech, press, religion, assembly and government petition. First prize is
$300, second prize is $200 and third prize is $100. Seven students will
receive honorable mentions and will be awarded iTunes gift certificates.
The essays should be 500 words in length, fact-based, and written from a
creative, personal perspective. The deadline for entries is 5 p.m. Oct.
22. Essays can be submitted online at www.foioklahoma.org/fac or via email
to director@foioklahoma.org. Entires should include the name of the
student, school, teacher, and principal, as well as an email address for
both the student and teacher.
The essay contest is named in honor of the late Zach Taylor, executive
director of the Association of Central Oklahoma Government (ACOB) for
nearly 30 years. He was one of the
original organizers of the conference.
Additional details about the essay contest and the First Amendment
Congress are available online at www.FOIOklahoma.org/fac.
About Freedom of Information Oklahoma
Freedom of Information Oklahoma promotes open and transparent government
in Oklahoma. They envision a future where our government is transparent,
the public is actively engaged, and public information is easily
accessible. For more information, visit foioklahoma.org.
