The John Walsh Chapter of the Irish American Cultural Institute (IACI) is pleased to announce
their sponsorship of a new essay contest. In continuing the chapter’s mission to preserve,
interpret and promote Irish and Irish American cultures, the goal of the contest is to provide a
forum for younger generation Irish Americans to dynamically engage with their heritage while
inspiring pride in their cultural legacy.
To ensure the highest level of participation, the children and grand-children of active members
of local area Irish organizations are cordially invited to submit a contest entry. The organizations
are as follows — John Walsh Chapter of the Irish American Cultural Institute, Friendly Sons of
the Shillelagh (Belmar and Old Bridge), Women of Irish Heritage of the Jersey Shore, Friendly
Sons of St. Patrick (Jersey Shore), and the Ancient Order of Hibernians (Division 32 Belmar and
Division 16 Freehold). Additional eligibility prerequisites require that a contest applicant be a
high school student aged 13 to 17 years old and a resident of Monmouth or Ocean Counties.
The topic for the 2019 contest is, “What being an Irish American means to me in the
21st century.” The deadline for submission is Friday, April 26, 2019, 11 p.m. EST.
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of IACI judges who will independently score each essay
based upon a common standard of rating. Essays will be assessed on the following criteria:
adherence to topic, writing style (grammar/language), originality, and cohesiveness.
Three prizes will be awarded. The First Place essay will receive $300 and two Honorable
Mention essays will receive $100 each. Winners will be notified by email on Monday, June 3rd.
Prizes will be presented on Monday, June 10th at the IACI monthly meeting to be held at 7 p.m. at
the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh, 815 16th Avenue, Belmar.
For more details on submitting an entry, view a copy of the Essay Contest Application Form. Each essay entry must be accompanied by a completed form and must adhere to all guidelines outlined. One entry per applicant. All entries become the property of the sponsor.
For questions or additional information, contact Maureen Brady (IACI) at mdb571@nyu.edu.