Contests & Events
U.S. District Court
2025 High School Essay Contest
The lawyers and judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, along with members of the Jacksonville Federal Court Bar Association, are pleased to announce the launch of the 2025 High School Essay Contest.
The contest is open to all high school students —public, private, virtual, and homeschool — in Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union Counties. The contest officially opens today, August 1, 2025, and submissions will be accepted through September 30, 2025.
This year’s essay prompt challenges students to reflect on a personal experience involving advocacy—whether advocating for someone else, receiving support from an advocate, or recognizing when an advocate was needed—and explain how that experience shows the importance of advocacy in promoting a just and equitable society.
Essay Contest Prizes are available as follows:
- 1st Place – $2,000
- 2nd Place – $1,000
- 3rd Place – $500
- 4th–10th Places – $150 each
- Teacher Grants (Top 3 Winners’ Teachers) – $500 each
- School Participation Grant (Most Qualifying Submissions) – $1,000
In addition, the first place winner will be invited to shadow a United States District Judge for a day. Winning students (with family members), teachers, and school representatives will be recognized at a ceremony at the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse in Jacksonville on December 3, 2025.
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2024-2025 Winners K-12
Art in the Capitol Winner
Art in the Capitol is a statewide visual arts competition for Florida students in grades 6 through 8. The annual contest requires each school district to hold an art competition for all students in grades 6 through 8 attending public schools, private schools, and home schools in Florida. The artwork is judged by a selection committee of artists or teachers whose students have not submitted work for the competition. The winning piece representing our school district is displayed in the Florida State Capitol building in Tallahassee during the 2025 legislative session. Congratulations to our selected student artist, 8th grader Vanessa Hutchison, and her teacher, Ms. Amy Banton, from Murray Middle School.
