Matters of Life and Death Essay Contest

MATTERS OF LIFE & DEATH SCHOLARSHIP
WRITING CONTEST 2009-2010

Please note: The contest's deadline is now June 1, 2010.

WRITING CONTEST OBJECTIVES
The goals of the Matters of Life & Death Scholarship Writing Contest are to expose students to the issues surrounding aid in dying and to financially assist college-bound scholars. This contest is designed to help students develop awareness of the aid in dying movement. The contest is open to California college-bound students in grades 11 and 12 during the 2009-2010 academic year.

While some terminally-ill individuals experience their last days of life with relative ease, others face prolonged suffering. Aid in dying is a process used to improve comfort care and pain management so that terminally-ill individuals can die in comfort, dignity, and control.

WRITING CONTEST PROMPT
Each student participant must answer the question:

Why should California pass a law to establish aid in dying for terminally-ill patients who are suffering at the end of their lives?

Familiarize yourself with the issue of aid in dying, including the appropriate terminology, in the “Students’ Guide to Aid in Dying."
You are welcome to include a personal story to illustrate your ideas, but please make sure that it ties directly to your answer.

Prizes to be awarded – $1,000 for First Place, $500 for Second Place, and $250 for Honorable Mention – will be judged on quality and clarity of presentation, correct use of terminology, familiarity with the issues, original application of research, and potential shown by the author. Winners will be featured in our newsletter and on our Web site. The first-place winner will be invited to present the winning essay at one of our open meetings.

WRITING CONTEST GUIDELINES
Please follow these guidelines when submitting your entry:

Submit a typewritten essay, no more than 1,000 words, preferably using Microsoft Word. (You may also send it in PDF.) The essay must be in 12-point Times New Roman font and single-spaced.
Provide a cover letter with the following information: Your name, address, phone number, email address, school’s name, and your grade level.

This contest is open to California college-bound students in grades 11 and 12 during the 2009-2010 academic year.
All entries must be submitted by June 1, 2010. (If you are using US mail, all entries must be postmarked by that date.)
a. Email your entries to admin@compassionandchoicesnca.org and in the subject line, write: Your Last Name, Your First Name.
b. Or you may mail your entries to: Matters of Life & Death Scholarship Writing Contest, Compassion & Choices of Northern California, 3701 Sacramento Street #439, San Francisco, CA 94118

For more information about the Matters of Life & Death Scholarship Writing Contest, please contact Compassion & Choices of Northern California at (866) 825-8967 or send email to admin@compassionandchoicesnca.org.

All entries submitted to the Matters of Life & Death Scholarship Writing Contest become the property of Compassion & Choices of Northern California. Compassion & Choices of Northern California reserves the right not to award prizes.

About Compassion & Choices of Northern California

Compassion & Choices of Northern California seeks to educate terminally-ill individuals and their families about their rights to a dignified, humane, and peaceful death. We provide services appropriate to a diverse community with a focus on comfort care and pain management. Additionally, we strive to increase awareness of, and access to, the full range of end-of-life choices by educating the public at large and by advocating for change to existing laws. For more information please visit www.compassionandchoicesnca.org.