SECTION I – Contest Announcement. The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. is pleased to announce its International High School Essay Contest. The contest represents a significant element of the annual International Achievement Week Observance where high school (H.S.) seniors from around the world are invited to participate in the essay contest for an opportunity to compete for scholarship awards. Scholarship awards may be offered at the local Chapter level where the contest begins with competition at the local area level, and/or may include scholarship award opportunities at the District level where local Chapter winners compete against other local Chapter winners across the state and other states or respective jurisdictions within the District. District winners can compete for scholarship award opportunities at the International-level. Students submitting essays hereby grant to the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and its unincorporated associations – i.e., the local Chapters and the Districts – a non-exclusive right to keep essays and to publish them for the purpose of advertising and publicizing the International High School Essay Contest to members and the general public.

SECTION II - Essay Topic. This year's essay topic is:

How Can Young People Use Leadership, Service, and Innovation to Create Positive
Change in Their Communities?

SECTION III – Award Amounts. Awards vary at the local Chapter level and may or may not be monetary. Similarly, awards also vary at the District level and may or may not be monetary. Monetary awards are determined by the local Chapter and the applicable District. The amounts for International scholarship awards as follows:

1st Place | $5,000         2nd Place | $3,000         3rd Place | $2,000         4th Place | $1,000

SECTION IV – Application Deadline. The deadline for application submissions to the local chapter, including all accompanying documentation, is 11:59 p.m., October 31, 2026. The respective Districts' Achievement Week Committee Chairmen will determine their respective deadlines and communicate them to their local Chapters within their respective Districts for winners to compete for District level consideration. The International Achievement Week Committee Chairman will determine the application submission deadline for all District winners and will communicate that deadline to the District Achievement Week Committee Chairman for District winners to compete for International-level consideration.

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.International High School Essay Contest Application

SECTION V – Submission Eligibility. The contest is open to all college-bound, high school seniors who MUST submit their essay application through a local Chapter of the Fraternity. A student seeking to compete may submit ONLY ONE (1) application and may apply to JUST ONE (1) one local Chapter. The local Chapter chosen MUST BE the closest by virtue of their listed mailing address to the address of the applicant’s high school address. Multiple applications and/or multiple local Chapter submissions will result in disqualification for each application.

SECTION VI – Submission Process. Applications MUST be submitted to and reviewed by a Local Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Complete applications, including all components noted in the “H.S. Essay Application Submission Checklist”, must be received via the email address or other electronic submission process indicated by the local chapter. Paper application submissions by postal mailing or other means are NOT ACCEPTED. Applications sent to any other location shall not be considered and no further notice will be provided. Submissions will not be accepted for consideration after the deadline.

Visit the Find a Chapter and use the "Chapter Search" to locate a local Chapter.

International H.S. Essay Contest ApplicationAugust 2026
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Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
International High School Essay Contest Application

YOUR ESSAY MUST BE 700–750 WORDS
Header and footer text do not count toward the word total.

Original Work
Your essay must be your original work. It must not have been previously published and must not violate another person's copyright.

AI POLICY
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) software/technology (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Grammarly) is prohibited. Essay submissions will be reviewed to detect AI use, and essays found to exceed the 30% threshold will be disqualified. The International Achievement Week Committee retains the sole authority to select the AI detection software for its use and shall render the final decision.

All local Chapters shall be responsible to assemble a review panel, as will each District, to assess essays based on the following criteria. The maximum rating score is 100 points based on the following:

International H.S. Essay Contest Application
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August 2026

The following information must be completed and this cover page included with the essay submission.

ESSAY TOPIC: **Entered Annually by IAWC**

declare that the essay authored and submitted to the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and its unincorporated associations – i.e., local Chapter and/or District – for purposes of consideration in its International High School Essay Contest is an original work that does not exceed a 30 percent AI-generated threshold. I hereby grant to Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and its unincorporated associations a non-exclusive right to publish the essay for distribution to members and to the public to advertise or publicize the contest and any winners. Distribution may include and not be limited to print, oral or web-based, Internet distribution.

I further acknowledge that I have been apprised of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., policy relating to use of the essays at the time of my application to the contest. The International High School Essay Contest Application document states:

Persons submitting essays hereby grant to the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and its unincorporated associations – i.e., the local Chapters and the Districts – a non-exclusive right to keep essays and to publish them for the purpose of advertising and publicizing the International High School Essay Contest to members and the general public.

I hereby grant the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and its unincorporated associations an irrevocable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, distribute, or modify the essay in its entirety or portions thereof. I also declare that if any parts of my child's submission are copyrighted, permission has been sought and received by me/us, or appropriate attribution has been made. I further agree that the name, likeness, and biographical material, including affiliations of the author, may be used in connection with, and promotion of, the essay and/or the International High School Essay Contest itself.

High school refers to public and private educational elements that typically include, but are not limited to, Grades 9 through 12, and that involve study that leads to a diploma upon successful completion and graduation, and thereby, typically, prepares the graduate to matriculate to upon other levels of advanced education, such as, but not limited to an associates or a baccalaureate degree program at a college or university. It may also extend to "home schooled" when evidenced by registration documentation from the state and/or local jurisdiction applicable to the senior year of the essay application demonstrating a high school diploma may be conferred to the student.

Local chapter refers to the closest unincorporated association of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., that is chartered and active in a specified location within the United States, a U.S. territory, or a foreign country, where it is also determined to be the closest by virtue of their listed mailing address to the address of the applicant's high school address. Where there are two or more local Chapters that may qualify based on proximity and service area to the school or their overlapping service areas (e.g., same borough, city, county, parish or similar area within a state or jurisdiction), the applicant should contact them and/or may SELECT ONE (1) for application submission. An applicant may submit ONLY ONE (1) application and may apply to JUST ONE (1) local Chapter, subject to disqualification for each application if more than one application is submitted and/or to more than one chapter.

District refers to the closest unincorporated association of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., that is chartered and active in a specified region within the United States, a U.S. territory, or a foreign country, where it is also determined to be the closest by virtue of their listed mailing address to the address of the applicant's high school address.

Award Announcement. International awards will be announced on or about August 1, annually and the decision of the International Achievement Week Committee judges shall be final. Local Chapter and District awards will be announced as determined appropriate by the respective local Chapters and Districts.

Award Requirements. Winners shall be required to furnish written proof from their high school as evidence that they were enrolled at the time their essay was submitted. Evidence may be a signed and dated letter from the principal or other school administrator on school letterhead, or an email from the same originating from their assigned school email account. Awards will be released to each winner, upon written verification from their chosen institution of higher education (e.g., college or university) that the winner is enrolled. Verification may be from a school administrator on letterhead or from their assigned school email account. A current course schedule may also be required to verify enrollment, and notice will be provided if applicable. Awards must be claimed within 18 months after the announcement date, or they will be forfeited and voided without opportunity to reissue.

Application Forms. Awards WILL NOT BE issued without properly executed releases – i.e., the “Essay Release Form” and the “Media Release & Consent Form”. The releases grant the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and its unincorporated associations – i.e., local Chapters and Districts – the rights to retain and publish the awardees’ names, images and essays on the International, District, and Chapter websites and social media pages, as well as various publications and informational documents about the community service performed at the local, district, and international levels. However, information associated with a home address, phone numbers, and emails WILL NOT be shared without additional written consent from the student or the parent/guardian, as appropriate.

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.International High School Essay Contest Application

Release Information. By completing the included Essay Release Form, the signatory – applicant and/or the named parent/guardian – thereby grants to the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., including its unincorporated associations – the applicable District and local Chapter – the right to manage and maintain the essays and the associated forms and communications as its records of the contest, and to exercise full publishing rights to the same.

International H.S. Essay Contest ApplicationAugust 2026

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