Voice for Animals High School Scholarship

The contest is supported by a partnership between the Animal Welfare Institute and the Humane Education Network with additional support from the Palo Alto Humane Society.

The 35th Annual Contest is now Open!

Please read the Official Rules and Advice for Participants before preparing your submission! Submit your entry online using the form below.

*We reserve the right to adjust the number of prizes and the amounts of the prizes based on the entries received.

Official Rules

The A Voice for Animals contest is now open. The competition has sections for 14-15-year-old students and sections for 16-18-year-old students.

The contest is also open to ESL (English as a Second Language) students.

We accept submissions from countries worldwide.

Eligibility

Participants must currently be enrolled in middle or high school, or be home-schooled and less than 19 years of age on March 1, 2025 (the date the contest opened for entries). No exceptions!

The contest is open to all otherwise eligible students worldwide, regardless of nationality, citizenship, or country of residence.

You are strongly advised to read all the rules and advice for participants!

For 2025, there is a special topic category, "Protecting Marine Life from Human Impact", which may be applied across all eligible age groups and submission types. This is option is in addition to the standard categories: Companion Animals, Farm Animals, Wildlife on Land, Wildlife in the Oceans. See below for details on this topic.

Protecting Marine Life from Human Impact

Many marine species face threats due to human activities such as pollution, overfishing, gear entanglement, ship strikes, and habitat destruction. Think about a marine species that is affected by these challenges—either one in your area or one that interests you.

The following questions may be helpful to consider as you work on your submission:

• What human activities pose a threat to this species?
• Are there existing laws or regulations to protect them? Have any new policies been proposed?
• Are there any technological advancements that could help reduce harm to this species?
• What solutions been attempted? Were they successful?
• Have past protections been weakened or removed? What impact does this have?
• If no action is taken, what could happen to the species in the future?
• How can people (including students like you) contribute to solutions and advocate for change?

Your essay can focus on policy solutions, scientific advancements, or a combination of both. Be sure to support your ideas with research and examples!

Remember to review all the rules for your chosen entry type (essay, photo essay, or video) and ensure your work meets the requirements prior to submission.

Fourteen and Fifteen-Year-Old Essay Submissions

Entrants in the 14-15 year old section are invited to either write an essay that addresses one of the following: the mistreatment of one animal species, or one cause of animal suffering, and present ideas to raise awareness of this species and what can be done to protect it. Essays should fall into one of the following categories: Companion Animals, Farm Animals, Wildlife on Land, Wildlife in the Oceans, or this year's special category: Protecting Marine Life from Human Activity. You will need to choose one of these when you submit your entry.

Your submission must:

• be the original work of the author or authors;
• show clearly which animal issue you chose to address and why;
• include accurate citations of any quotes or references used to support your essay.

Submission format

All submissions must be made using the form which will appear below only while the contest is open for entries. Please note: essays submitted any other way (e.g. via e-mail or the postal service) will not be accepted.

Essay files will be uploaded directly to our website via the entry form.

1. Your essay must be no less than 1400 words and no more than 1500 words excluding citations, page headers and footers. Essays with a word count outside this range will be automatically disqualified.
2. Your essay must be written in English.
3. You must include a bibliography of your sources. You may use either APA or MLA style. Please choose whichever you are most comfortable with. For help with these styles, visit Purdue's online writing lab, The Owl.
4. You must include your name and essay title at the top of each page. Do not include any contact information (e.g. e-mail address or telephone number) in your essay.
5. All pages of an essay must be numbered.
6. All pages of an essay must be double-spaced.
7. You must use a legible font style and size such as 12-point Times New Roman
8. We will only accept essays in PDF format. If you need help creating a PDF file, see below.
9. The size of your file must be less than 2Mb.

Sixteen through Eighteen Year Old Essay Submissions

Entrants in the 16-18 year old essay section are invited to write an essay that addresses either the mistreatment of one animal species or one cause of animal suffering; or the preservation of one endangered species, occurring anywhere in the world, and potential solutions to alleviate animal suffering. Essays should fall into one of the following categories: Companion Animals, Farm Animals, Wildlife on Land, Wildlife in the Oceans, or this year's special category: Protecting Marine Life from Human Activity. You will need to choose one of these when you submit your entry.

Your submission must:

• be the original work of the author or authors;
• show clearly which animal issue you chose to address and why;
• include accurate citations of any quotes or references used to support your essay.

Submission format

All submissions must be made using the form, which will appear below only while the contest is open for entries. Please note: essays submitted any other way (e.g. via e-mail or the postal service) will not be accepted.

Essay files will be uploaded directly to our website via the entry form.

1. Your essay must be no less than 1400 words and no more than 1500 words excluding citations, page headers and footers (if used). Essays with a word count outside this range will be automatically disqualified.
2. Your essay must be written in English.
3. You must include a bibliography of your sources. You may use either APA or MLA style. Please choose whichever you are most comfortable with. For help with these styles, visit Purdue's online writing lab, The Owl.
4. You must include your name and essay title at the top of each page. Do not include any contact information (e.g. e-mail address or telephone number) in your essay.
5. All pages of an essay must be numbered.
6. All pages of an essay must be double-spaced.
7. You must use a legible font style and size such as 12-point Times New Roman
8. We will only accept essays in PDF format. If you need help creating a PDF file, see below.
9. The size of your file must be less than 2Mb.

Sixteen through Eighteen Year Old Video

Entrants in the 16-18 year Video section must submit either a video showcasing a project that you have been involved with for at least two months, or a video that educates and inspires your peers. The focus should be on one of the following: the mistreatment of one animal species or one cause of animal suffering; or the preservation of one endangered species, occurring anywhere in the world. Submissions should fall into one of the following categories: Companion Animals, Farm Animals, Wildlife on Land, Wildlife in the Oceans, or this year’s special category: Protecting Marine Life from Human Activity. You will need to choose one of these when submitting your entry.

Videos should show clearly which animal issue you chose to address and why. Be sure to accurately cite any quotes or references used in your presentation.

Project Videos

The project should be worked on for at least two months and should have a direct impact on animals by means of either direct or indirect intervention. Your submission will document the project, your contribution to that project and, where possible, show how your project/involvement could alleviate animal suffering.

Your project could possibly be one of the following:

• Participate actively in an organization that raises awareness about an animal issue and how to reduce suffering
• Create or demonstrate a plausible alternative to a practice which causes animal suffering
• Devise an activity of your own, or form a school group that will raise awareness about, or mitigate, animal suffering

If you choose to start a group, you will need to demonstrate how many people were in the group and that this group was active and made significant contributions in your chosen area. In all categories, we will ask you to provide contact information for someone who will vouch for the originality and duration of your project.

If you wish to submit a joint project, a group of up to four students can contribute to the project. Only one member of the group should submit the entry form and the names of other group members must be included just one time on the project itself.

Educational Videos

The submission should include clear objectives defining what your audience will learn by the end, as well as a clear call to action letting viewers know what they can do to help alleviate animal suffering. Don’t forget to include images, animations, or infographics to reinforce the key concepts covered in your presentation.