Citizenship Essay Program
Citizenship Essay Program: Submission Deadline is January 22, 2027
The Citizenship Essay Program provides Pre-K – 12th Grade Students an opportunity to learn more about being a citizen of the United States of America by introducing a theme (submitted by a student in Tennessee) each year that is used as the inspiration for an essay. There are six divisions, each with its own age group and essay length, in which entries are judged for interpretation of the theme, as follows:
DIVISIONS | GRADES | ESSAY LENGTH (minimum)
Pre-Primary (Preschool – Kindergarten) 25 words
Primary (Grades 1 – 2) 50 words
Intermediate (Grades 3 – 5) 100 words
Middle School (Grades 6 – 8) 200 words
High School (Grades 9 – 12) 350 words
Special Education (all grades) 50 words
Citizenship Essay Program Steps – Getting Started
- 2026-2027 Theme: Citizenship In Action
- View and publish the Citizenship Essay Contest Rules to all students, parents and teachers at your school.
- Unit deadline to State PTA: January 22, 2027
- View/Download student entry form at https://tnpta.org/citizenship/citizenshipstudententry.pdf
Questions? Need help? Please reach out to essays@tnpta.org for additional guidance on Citizenship Essay Programs.