Women have not always been recognized for their contributions in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The McLean Area Branch is sponsoring its fifth annual STEM Essay Contest in 2023 to challenge 7th and 8th grade students, girls and boys, to discover and publicize women who made a difference in STEM fields, but who did not receive recognition for their contributions while alive. Strong preference is given to essays about women who are not well known even today.

For this contest, the student is asked to describe one woman’s STEM contribution and its impact, as well as why the student selected the woman.

Essay Guidelines:
-Essays must be no more than 500 words and include a bibliography with 2-5 sources (not part of the 500 words).
-Please follow the MLA style for formatting entries in the bibliography; multiple online sources describe the MLA format.
-Do not include photos or graphics.
-Essays will be judged for effectiveness in addressing the theme (description of the contribution, its impact, and your reason for selecting the woman), writing style (including organization, clarity, accuracy, originality in style, and word choice), and mechanics (including punctuation, grammar, spelling, and bibliography).
-Essays must be the original work of the student. If an essay is found to have any indication of plagiarism or contains factual errors, it will not eligible for an award.
-See our “Tips” page at here.

An application form can be downloaded here:
In fillable PDF format: 2023 STEM Essay Contest Application-PDF-Fillable or
As a Word document: 2023 STEM Essay Contest Application-Word-FINAL

The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, February 10, 2023, at 11:00 pm EST. No late submissions will be accepted. Only one essay per student is permitted. ALL STUDENTS SHOULD EMAIL mcleanaauw at gmail.com AFTER UPLOADING AN APPLICATION IN ORDER TO GET A RETURN EMAIL VERIFYING THAT A COMPLETE APPLICATION HAS BEEN RECEIVED.
NOTE: All students should check that they have submitted a file that is filled in (NOT BLANK) and is in either a readable PDF or Word format.

Essay Prizes
-First Place $100, Second Place $50, Honorable Mention (2 Prizes) $25
-Winners will be notified by email.
-The student awarded First Place must be able to attend the AAUW McLean Area Branch Event on the evening of Tuesday, March 14, 2023, to receive the award and will be invited to read his or her essay at the dinner. All winners will be invited to the dinner.