Recurring Events
Civil Liberties & the Constitution Day: Diversity in Our Community
Civil Liberties & the Constitution Day in Hawai‘i honors individuals committed to protecting the civil rights and liberties.
Federal Bar Association Civics Essay Contest
We encourage all those eligible to enter the 2025 contest! The prompt will be announced later this year.
Each year, the Federal Bar Association invites high school students to address current topics in civics. Scholarships are awarded for first, second, and third place in grades 9-12. (The contest has included a middle school component in the past, but not in 2024.)
High school students in public, private, parochial, and charter schools and home-schooled students of equivalent grade status in the United States and Territories can enter the contest. High school students are those in grades 9-12.
Students are provided a detailed prompt with summaries of applicable court cases to consider. The maximum essay length is 1,000 words.
First Circuit Law Day Art Contest
First Circuit judges graded entries based on originality, creativity, and visual impact.
First-, second-, and third-place winners received a Law Day certificate, gift card, and medal. Their artwork will also be displayed in one of Oahu’s courthouses during the following year.
HSBA Mock Trial Program
The Hawai‘i High School Mock Trials culminate on April 1, with the semi-finals and finals taking place at the Hawai‘i Supreme Court. Volunteer attorneys coach high school mock trial teams as they prepare to take a case from start to finish. The program culminates in mock trial competitions between schools and a State Championship at the Hawaii Supreme Court.
Junior Judges
Volunteer attorneys visit 3rd, 4th & 5th-grade classrooms statewide and help students to think about the challenges they face each day and how they can make ethical decisions when “feeling the pressure.”
National Center for State Courts Civics Essay Contest
NCSC’s Civics Education Essay Contest allows 3rd-12th grade students to understand and explain the importance and the role of the United States government.
Ninth Circuit Civics Contest
An annual essay and video contest for high school students in the western United States and the Pacific Islands.
O’Connor Institute for American Democracy Civics Challenge
The Civics Challenge is an online civics competition for grades 6 through 12. Participants are challenged to choose one civics topic and express their knowledge through various art forms. In past years, finalists in two categories, middle school (6th-8th grade) and high school (9th-12th grade), were awarded $1,000 for first-place winners, followed by $500 and $250 for second-and third-place winners, respectively.
The Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement Citizenship Challenge
The Challenge is open to 4th and 5th grade classes enrolled in public, private, or parochial school or home study programs from Philadelphia to the Capitol Region.
Individuals and our Classroom teams are asked to write an essay addressing their viewpoint on the assigned issue. Teams take one position and defend their argument in a concise written document of at least 300 words.
The contest is drawn from PA Civics standards relating to principles and documents of government, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and information on how government works.