State Representative Tom Weber (IL) | Representative Tom Weber (R) 64th District
State Representative Tom Weber (IL) | Representative Tom Weber (R) 64th District
The Illinois Psychiatric Society (IPS) is organizing the Carl C. Bell, MD Memorial Award Essay Competition for Illinois High School students, offering a cash prize for the winners. The essay contest is open to all high school students in Illinois with submissions due on June 1, 2024.
Participants are asked to reflect on the impact of social media on mental health and the mental well-being of various social circles. The essay prompt specifically asks, "How has social media impacted your mental health and/or the mental health of your social networks, family, schools, and/or communities?"
Essays will be evaluated based on criteria such as originality, relevance to the topic, writing conventions, thoughtfulness, creativity, and proper use of references. The guidelines specify that papers should be concise, ranging from 400 to 600 words, double-spaced, and font size 12. While typed submissions are preferred, neat handwritten essays will also be accepted.
As part of the competition, a $500 cash prize awaits the award recipient, whose essay will also be presented at the 2024 IPS Annual Meeting and published in “Mind Matters,” the official IPS newsletter publication. Second and third place winners will receive a $250 cash prize each.
To submit their essays, participants are encouraged to use the submission form on the ISP website. Alternatively, essays can be mailed to the Illinois Psychiatric Society at 113 McHenry Rd, Ste 239, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089. When submitting via mail, participants are required to provide essential information such as their full name, address, contact email, phone number, age, grade, school district, and school name.
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