Who can enter
Grades 9–12
Students in Etowah and surrounding counties
Martin Luther King: Beyond the Dream
Essay
Contest
What does Dr. King’s life, work and courage mean for our world today?
People Power
A more just tomorrow
A more just tomorrow
Submission deadline
Nov 20, 2026
Or until submission capacity is reached
Essay length
750–1,000
words, not counting citations
Your words could win
Cash prizes
Three student winners. $600 total in prize money.
2nd place
$200
Runner-up
1st place
$300
Grand prize
3rd place
$100
Third place
Winners are recognized at the Martin Luther King: Beyond the Dream community event on January 9, 2027, and invited to share from their work.
More than a speech
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was more than his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. He challenged racism, poverty, economic injustice, and the systems that perpetuate inequality.
Clever Communities in Action invites high school students to explore King’s ideas, examine their relevance today, and share their own perspectives through the MLK: Beyond the Dream Youth Essay Contest.
You don’t have to be a King expert, and you don’t have to tell us what you think we want to hear. Read. Think. Make your case. Use your voice.
“I just want to leave a committed life behind.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “The Drum Major Instinct,” 1968Three steps to enter
1
Read
Read the required excerpts and the essay prompt. The readings are the foundation of your response.
2
Review
Check the contest guidelines: eligibility, length, originality, research and AI requirements.
3
Write & submit
Write your essay and submit it using the online form before the deadline.
Contest materials
Ready to take on the challenge? Before writing your essay, carefully review each document below. Take your time with the readings, think critically about King’s ideas, and develop your own perspective.
📘
Contest Overview
Welcome message, what the contest is about, prizes, and what to do next.
Open PDF →📋
Rules
Eligibility, essay length, outside sources, original work and AI policy.
Open PDF →📖
Required Reading
Three excerpts about King’s work, sacrifice and unfinished questions. Read all three first.
Open PDF →💬
Essay Prompt
The question you’ll answer in your essay, plus what to think about before you write.
Open PDF →🏆
Judging Criteria
The 100-point rubric judges will use to score every essay.
Open PDF →❓
Questions
Info session details and how to reach the contest team.
Open PDF →✍️
Submit Your Essay
Ready? Complete the online form and upload your essay.
Go to the form →Remember: your essay must reflect your own thinking and writing. Generative AI tools are not permitted.
The details
Rules at a glance
- Eligibility: students in grades 9–12.
- Length: 750–1,000 words. Citations and source lists don’t count toward the limit.
- Format: double-spaced, 12-point Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman, with one-inch margins. Submit as a PDF or Word document.
- Anonymous: do not put your name, school name or other identifying information in the essay.
- Required reading: read all provided excerpts and use them as the foundation of your response.
- Outside sources: not required. If you use any, identify the source clearly. MLA or APA is not required.
- Original work: ideas and final writing must be your own. Normal feedback from a teacher, parent or trusted adult is fine.
- AI: AI tools may not be used to write, rewrite or generate any part of your essay, develop your argument, or analyze the readings. Submitting AI-generated material as your own may result in disqualification.
- Finalists: will take part in a brief virtual interview.
Required reading: three excerpts
Before you write, read all three. They introduce parts of King’s work, ideas and sacrifice that are often less emphasized in familiar retellings of his life.
1 · King’s work, victories and the work still ahead
From Where Do We Go From Here? (1967). By 1967, King was asking why Black Americans remained poor and unemployed after major civil-rights laws, and turning toward the structures that produce inequality. Consider: how had his thinking expanded beyond changing discriminatory laws?
2 · The human cost of the work
King’s account of the night in January 1956 when, at 27, he sat alone in his kitchen after a threat against his family. Three days later his home was bombed. Consider: how does knowing about his fear and doubt deepen your understanding of his courage?
3 · What King was fighting for when he died
From I’ve Been to the Mountaintop (April 3, 1968), given in support of Memphis sanitation workers on strike. King was assassinated the next evening. He was 39. The Poor People’s Campaign and the strike show where his work was heading.
The victories of the movement were never King’s alone. They were won by local organizers, students, churches and thousands of ordinary people.
The essay prompt
Before you write, consider: How does the King presented in these readings compare with the King you have most often heard about? What might be lost when his story is reduced to only a few familiar words, images or moments?
Your prompt
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is often remembered for his dream of racial equality and his commitment to nonviolence. After reading the required excerpts, what do you think young people today should know about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is often left out of his story?
What parts of his work remain unfinished today, and what responsibility does your generation have, if any, to continue it?
How essays are judged
Essays are scored on a 100-point rubric. There is no single correct viewpoint.
Critical thinking & original perspective30
Understanding of Dr. King’s work25
Connections to issues today25
Supporting examples & evidence10
Organization & clarity10
What to include when you submit
The submission form asks for the student’s name, email, grade and school, a parent or guardian’s name, email and phone, your essay title, and your essay upload. You’ll also confirm that the essay is your own original work and that you did not use generative AI to brainstorm, draft, write, rewrite or edit it.
Mark your calendar
Nov 4, 2026
Information session
Students, parents, guardians and educators: learn about the contest and get your questions answered.
Nov 20, 2026
Submission deadline
Or until submission capacity is reached, so don’t wait until the last minute.
Jan 9, 2027
Beyond the Dream event
Winners are recognized at the community event and invited to share from their work.
Use your voice.
Read. Think. Make your case. Tell us what Dr. King’s life, work and courage mean for our world today.
Submit your essay Contest materialsQuestions? Email starr@clevercommunities.org with the subject line “MLK Essay Contest Question,” and include your name, school, grade and question.