NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Secretary of State Tre Hargett presented Philadelphia Elementary School student Charlotte Hunt with an award for her second-place finish in the 3-5th grade category in the statewide 2022 Civics Essay Contest. 

“Congratulations to Charlotte, for a second-place finish in the 3-5th grade category in our Civics Essay Contest,” said Secretary Hargett. “I applaud Charlotte for demonstrating in her essay an appreciation for why voting matters to the future of our state this lesson is why our office created the contest to help students become more civically educated so that when they become adults, they are ready to take part in our electoral process.”

For her second-place finish, Hunt received a $250 TNStars 529 College Savings Program scholarship and a visit to the State Capitol.

The 2022 Civics Essay Contest was open to all Tennessee students in public, charter, private school or home school associations in grades PreK to 12. Schools chose up to two essays from each grade level to submit for the contest.

The Secretary of State’s office launched the Civics Essay Contest in 2016. The 2022 theme was “Why Your Vote Matters.” Previous essay themes included voting, citizenship, leadership and civic duty.

The Secretary of State’s Civics Essay Contest, Anne Dallas Dudley Award, College Voter Registration Competition and Student Mock Election are part of their longstanding civics engagement efforts to prepare students to be actively engaged citizens. The Secretary of State’s office also offers lesson plans to help teachers to incorporate civic engagement and citizenship into their curriculum. The free lesson plans were created by Tennessee teachers and are based on the Tennessee Blue Book.

For more information about the Civics Essay Contest and the Secretary of State’s other civic engagement education efforts, visit sos.tn.gov/civics.