Participating States

The Being an American Essay Contest is a national essay contest for high school students in grades 9-12 in public/private/parochial/charter/home schools. The map below shows the Contest's nine distinct prize regions. First, Second, Third, and Honorable Mention prizes will be awarded to students and teachers in each of the Contest regions. Click here to read the full eligibility rules.

Note: Regions are based on US Census Bureau regions

Contest Regions (from east to west)

New England Region:

Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont

Mid-Atlantic Region:

New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York

South Atlantic Region:

Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida

Mid-South Region:

Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky

Great Lakes Region:

Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin

South-Central Region:

Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas

Great Plains Region:

Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota

Mountain Region:

Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona

Pacific Region:

Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, United States Virgin Islands, American Armed Forces Schools Abroad (APO)