The Laws of Life Essay Contents asks students in grade 9-12 to self-reflect and write about ehtical prinicpals that will help them develop leadership skills and their character. During the process, they will learn more about themselves and what they stand for after reading the UncommonSense® FRAMEWORK. 

Additionally, it gives teachers the opportunity to further know their students and encourage empathy and commpassion.

What are the benefits to integrating the Laws of Life Essay Contest into your classroom?

• Gives school an effective, easy to implement character based program and an authentic purpose for writing.
  
• Provides teachers with the opportunity to get to know their students better, improving the classroom climate and relationships.
• Provides an opportunity for writing a personal narrative, a component of academic standards.
• Provides practice for state, SAT and ACT writing tests as well as college entrance essays.
• Builds stronger community-school ties by enabling educators and community members to work side by side on a positive and affirming activity.
• Allows students to write about life events, which can be cathartic and confidence building.
• Encourages self-reflection, which contributes to academic success
• Unlike other essay contests, the Laws of Life Essay Contest winners can be from all ability levels, including student with special needs and/or at risk students.

The 2024-2025 Laws of Life Essay Contest Deadline is March 14, 2025. 

You can view past winners on the BBB Student Contest Winners Page.

The Laws of Life Essay Contest is open to schools with students in grades 9-12 throughout the following counties:

• Ashland
• Medina
• Portage
• Richland
• Summit
• Wayne

BBB Akron sponsors this contest to recognize the achievements of these exceptional youth and to encourage schools and communities in our service area to engage in this enriching and valuable experience.

A local contest is a simple as one teacher and one class or whatever works for your community. From the beginning, the motto of the Laws of Life Essay Contest has been "Do what fits!"

The Teacher's Guide has suggested lession plans, essay prompts and recommendations on how to integrate this writing assignment within state and Common Core standards.

Download the full Teacher Guide and other resources below. All resources are available for free.

• Teacher's Guide
• Contest flyer
  
• Student entry form
• Coordinator registration form
• UncommonSense Framework
• 2025 Special theme Award
• How LOL fits into standards-based curriculum
• Sample Rubric 1  |  Sample Rubric 2

Students may also participate independently if your school doesn't offer it as an in-class project.

Still have questions?

Contact Kimberly Ickes, Senior Director of Administration at kickes@akronbbb.org or (330) 564-2483 for help on how to get started.

HONORING AUTHORITY

High-character people respect boundaries for behavior.

They help shape and then abide by the legitimate regulations and boundaries established by legitimate authorities and strive to live within those boundaries for the betterment of all. They understand that laws and rules apply to them, not just others. They expect the same of those around them; when others violate laws, rules, or ethics, they take wise action to justly hold them accountable. (Observable virtues: dutiful, law-abiding, civil)

Typical examples include:

• People make every effort to follow the directives of their supervisors.
• People operate within the boundaries of the policies and procedures.
• People honor the office even if they do not care for the office-holder

We ask students to reflect on what HONORING AUTHORITY means to them, why it is an important Law of Life, how they learned this trait, and how they have changed their behavior to live up to that law. Below are some potentially helpful prompts:

• Reflect on the evolution of your understanding of authority and respect for it. What experiences or lessons have contributed to this growth?
• Discuss the importance of respecting teachers and school administrators. How does honoring authority in an educational setting contribute to a positive learning environment?
• Analyze the potential consequences of not honoring authority in various contexts such as family, school, workplace, and society at large. What impact does disrespecting authority have on individuals and communities?
• Examine the relevance of honoring authority in today's world. How has the perception of authority changed over time, especially with the influence of technology and social media?
  
• Or, you may opt to do the opposite and describe a time when you disagreed with an authority figure. How did you handle the situation, and what did you learn about the importance of honoring authority

Students are not required to write about this topic, however, the best essay on HONORING AUTHORITY will be awarded $500!

Students receive cash awards, a certificate and acknowledgment on BBB Akron's social media platforms.

In 2024, 102 essays were submitted with over $5,000 in prizes given to 17 students, teachers and content coordinators.

In order to increase the amount of money awarded to students, we have reduced Teacher/Coordinator awards to a max of $50.

All entries must be emailed or postmarked by March 14, 2025.

Email to:
Kimberly Ickes, Senior Director of Administration
kickes@akronbbb.org

Mail to:
Better Business Bureau
Laws of life Essay Contest
388 S. Main Street, Suite 302
Akron, OH 44311

Winners will be notified by the end of May 2025.

To submit entries by mail:

1. Fill out a Student Entry Form for each essay. Coordinator should submit the top 5% for judging.
2. Obtain the student and parent/guardian signatures.
3. Paperclip (please no staples) the entry form to one copy of each essay, printed one-sided and on white paper only. No names or identifying information should appear on the essays.
4. Complete a Coordinator Registration Form and submit it with your essays.
5. Entries must be postmarked by March 14, 2025 and mailed to:
   Better Business Bureau
   Laws of life Essay Contest
   388 S. Main Street, Suite 302
   Akron, OH 44311

To submit entries by email:

1. Fill out a Student Entry Form for each essay. Coordinator should submit the top 5% for judging.
2. Obtain the student and parent/guardian signatures.
3. Complete a Coordinator Registration Form and submit it with your essays.
4. Email completed Student Entry Forms, essays (no names or identifying information should appear on the essays) and Coordinator Registratioion Form by March 14, 2025 to:
   Kimberly Ickes
   Subject Line: Laws of Life Essays - School Name
   kickes@akronbbb.org

What is the essay topic?

There is no specific essay prompt. Essays should follow either the UncommonSense® FRAMEWORK themes or John Templeton's "laws of life."

Students can choose to write on the selected Special Theme for entry to the Special Theme Award.

Is there a specific length?

Essays should be no more than three pages, typed, single sided and double-spaced.

How many entries can be submitted?

Each teacher will be asked to submit the top 5% of their classroom students' essays to BBB for judging. The finalists are notified in May of each year.

How are the essays judged?

Essays will be judged primarily on their content, whether they are positive and life-affirming, include a principle based on a "law of life" or a theme from the UncommonSense® FRAMEWORK that the author believes will make the world a better place, and capture a value or ideal in a special way.

Some importance to the presentation and the mechanics of writing will be considered in judging to the extent that the ideas put forth by the author are clearly understood.

In cases where the content is judged as having equal merit, the essay which is better written or presented will be given a higher score.

Before submitting essays, local contest coordinators should assure that students have proofed and typed their essays.

Sample Rubric 1  |  Sample Rubric 2

The BBB Student Video Contest invites students in grades 9-12 attending any high school in Ashland, Medina, Portage, Richland, Summit and Wayne Counties to engage with and collaborate on topics of trust and ethics.

With guidance from parents and teachers, students will create a 30-60 second video that tells a story about:

• BBB’s Standards for Trust
• The importance of the BBB mission today and in the future.
• What does it mean to be a BBB Accredited Business? 
• Do you know any Accredited Businesses? Find out why they became Accredited!
• BBB Services like Get a Quote, Scam Tracker, Finding a Trustworthy Business, Filing a Complaint or Submitting a Review.

Students may work individually but are encouraged to work together in a team (up to 4 students).

This video can be used in BBB media and all entries will become the property of BBB Akron.

The 2024-2025 Student Video Contest Deadline is March 14, 2025. 

You can view past winners on the BBB Student Contest Winners Page.

The Laws of Life Essay Contest is open to schools with students in grades 9-12 throughout the following counties:

• Ashland
• Medina
• Portage
• Richland
• Summit
• Wayne

BBB Akron sponsors this contest to recognize the achievements of these exceptional youth and to encourage schools and communities in our service area to engage in this enriching and valuable experience.

Team rules

• Team members MUST attend the same high school, but may be in different grades.
• Students may only register for one team.
• Only one video per team may be submitted.
• Each team must have one team leader. The team leader is responsible for gathering the REQUIRED Release Forms from EACH team member, registering the team and submitting the final video.

Submission rules

• Videos must be new and original work.
• Videos containing any nudity, profanity, explicit violence, drug use or reference to drug use are grounds for immediate rejection.
• Videos should not include any copyrighted materials of any kind, including music, images or logos (with the exception of the BBB logo.)
• Anyone who appears on camera, including parents/guardians/teachers must sign and submit the Release Form.
• All entries become the property of Better Business Bureau. Entires may be used in future promotions, events or marketing campaigns.

ALL PARTICIPANTS INCLUDING ACTORS AND TECHNICAL CREW, MUST BE LISTED ON THE REGISTRATION FORM AND SUBMIT THE WAIVER & PARENTIAL CONSENT AGREEMENT FORMS. IF PARTICIPANT(S) ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18, A PARENT/GUARDIAN MUST SIGN.

• Videos must be 30-60 seconds in length.
• Videos must begin with an introduction that includes your group name, team members and school name. The introduction is not included in the 30-60 second time requirement.
• The video MUST feature the BBB logo and respect BBB Brand Guidelines.
• The video MUST mention, feature or relate to one of the following: BBB's Standards for Trust, BBB's Mission or BBB's Services.
• Video file submissions MUST be labeled correctly. The file name should include BBBVideo2024, group name and team leader last name. Example: BBBVideo2024_TeamTrust_Smith.mp4
• Entries must be submitted by March 14, 2025 (11:59 PM.) No entry fee is required.

Video tips

• Videos should be well-lit and contain clear-sounding audio.
• While it is not expected for you to use expensive or professional euquipment, it is required that your face should be clearly visible and your voice easily understood in the recording.
• The featured BBB service must be explained in simple terms that anyone unfamiliar with BBB can understand.

Prizes will be distributed equally amongst all team members. Winners will be notified by May 30, 2025.

Submission review

After the submission deadline is closed, BBB will review all submissions to identify qualifying entries.

A qualifying entry is a video created by an eligible student or student team that:

• Follows all rules & guidelines
• Includes all video requirements
• Includes a completed online entry form
• Includes signed copies of the Release Form for each team member and anyone who appears on camera. 

Entries missing any of the above components will not move on to the next round. 

Judging will be based on:

• Completion of all appropriate online entry forms.
• Submitting your complete video entry and online form by the deadline date and time.
• Articulation and thoughtfulness in your opinion on the importance of a business to conduct itself ethically in your video.
• Creativity and uniqueness of your entry.

Grading

• Production quality: 30%
• Creativity of message: 20%
• Marketing / Votes: 20%
• Representation of BBB’s chosen service and/or Theme: 30%

To enter the Student Video Contest, students must complete a registration form and return all required forms with their final video. Please review the below step-by-step instructions to register.

Step one: Download and sign the required paperwork.

• Download, review and complete the REQUIRED Waiver, Parental Consent Agreement, Disclosure of COPPA Compliance and Media Release Form.
• Each student must return the completed form. 
• Students over 18 may sign the forms themselves but students under 18 must have a parent or legal guardian's signature to participate. 

Step two: Register your team.

• Complete the Student Video Contest Registration Form.
• Only one registration form per team (up to 4 students) is required. All required documents for each student must be uploaded with the team registration.

Step three: Create your masterpiece.

• Download the Student Video Contest checklist to keep track of your progress.
• Gather your team and unleash your creativity!

Step four: Submit your entry.

• Submit your entry via email to kickes@akronbbb.org
• Video file submissions MUST be labeled correctly. The file name should include BBBVideo2025, group name and team leader last name. Example: BBBVideo2025_TeamTrust_Smith.mp4
• Entries must be submitted by March 14, 2025 (11:59 PM.) No entry fee is required.