2023 BAAFN Asian American Student Essay Contest Rules

Click here to read the submissions of past winners.
2023 BAAFN Asian American Student Essay Contest
Official Rules

The Brookline Asian American Family Network (BAAFN) was formed to support the needs of Asian/Asian American students and their families in the Brookline school system.
The Steering Committee is seeking submissions for its 2023 Student Asian American Essay Contest.  
Deadline: Tuesday, February 28,  2023 at 11:59 pm

Eligibility Criteria
  • High School students attending Brookline’s High Schools
  • High School students who are residents of Brookline but attend High School elsewhere  
  • Children of contest judges or screeners are ineligible to submit entries

Entry Guidelines
  • Only one essay submission per person.   
  • Entry submissions must be the original work of the student and should not be copied from anywhere.
  • Previous submissions to BAAFN’s essay contest are not eligible.
 
Essays must be in line with the contest theme:
What It Means to be An Asian American
Examples of topics include:
  •  Your experience arriving in a new country and growing up in America.
  •  Challenges that you have encountered and had to overcome or positive experiences you have had.
  •  How you identify yourself.
 
Essay Submission Specifications
  • Submit your essay in a separate Word file
  • Use your essay title as the name of the word file
  • Keep the essay length at or below 750 words
  • Use 1.5 line spacing and 12 pt font size
  • Number each page
  • DO NOT add your name to the manuscript or in the title of the digital file
Submissions not meeting the expressed specifications will not be eligible for the contest.

Send an email to BAAFN1@gmail.com.
In the email Include:
  1. The title of your essay
  2. Your full name
  3. Your address
  4. Your phone number
  5. The High School you attend and your grade
  6. How you heard about this contest (e.g., friend, teacher, social media, flyer)
  7. Your essay as a Word file attachment (with the essay title as the name of the file)
Please note that submissions will become the property of the Brookline Asian American Family Network for use in future activities as appropriate to promote diversity.

Prizes
Winning entries are selected based on comprehensiveness, originality, and relevance to the theme in the category. 

BAAFN Award - $500
Creativity Award - $250 
Content Award - $250 
Custom 2023 Award - $250

Winners will be notified by early April.
The prizes will be awarded at an in person ceremony on Saturday, May 20th, 2023 in conjunction with the Town of Brookline's inaugural AAPI Heritage Day celebration.

Contest Entry Deadline
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 11:59 pm​