Our friends at the Legislative Initiative Against the Death Penalty (LIADP) are sponsoring a writing contest for high school seniors (class of 2016). LIADP’s Pauline Underwood Memorial Scholarship urges students to write a persuasive letter to the editor, supporting repeal of the death penalty in their state.
Author of the winning letter will receive a $1,000 scholarship for the first year of college, with one honors recipient receiving $500.
Letters should be approximately one double-spaced type-written page in length and should convince the reader that your state should repeal the death penalty. If your state has already ended the death penalty, the letter should explain why you approve. A good letter will concentrate on one or a few reasons why the death penalty should be repealed. Give references that support your belief.
All quotations and paraphrases should be noted in the body of your letter (example: The Green Valley Weekly states on page A6, 10/10/15, that ‘killing prisoners is NEVER necessary’). Do not use footnotes or a bibliography in your letter.
Applications must be received by February 1, 2016 and must include three hard copies of the letter sent to:
Legislative Initiative to Abolish the Death Penalty
Po Box 15
Loysville, PA 17047
