ARLINGTON, Va. – The deadline for high-school students and their teachers to submit essays for the Bill of Rights Institute’s national Being an American Essay Contest is fast approaching. The contest asks students to explore the founding principles outlined in the Constitution by answering the question: “How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?”

The contest, which is the largest high-school essay competition of its kind, totaling more than 80,000 submitted essays, is administered by the Bill of Rights Institute, a nonprofit educational organization in the Washington, D.C. area devoted to educating young people about the Constitution and founding principles.

The top three student winners from each of five geographical regions will be awarded cash prizes of $1,000 (first place), $500 (second place) and $250 (third place). Teacher sponsors of each student winner will also receive a cash prize of $100.

Essays must be submitted online at www.BillofRightsInstitute.org/Contest by 11:59 p.m. PST on Dec. 15. Supporting contest materials, including lesson plans meeting common core standards, are provided at no cost to teachers who want to incorporate the essay contest into their classroom.