Essay Topic
Finding Economic Lessons in Children's Stories

Tell me a story…

The line is heard at bedtime in homes around the world. Childhood is filled with stories, fairy tales, fables, legends and myths. There may be a moral to the story, but does it reveal an economic lesson? Think about one of your favorite stories. Are there any economic concepts to be found in the characters and story line? Your task is to delve into the plot and the characters to reveal the economics that hide within the pages.

The Task
Select a story and write an essay describing how it demonstrates one or more important economic principles. Does the story teach or illustrate a truth about economics? How do economic concepts shape the characters’ decisions? Assume that your reader is not familiar with the story.

The Details
The contest is open to 11th and 12th grade students in the Eleventh Federal Reserve District, which covers Texas, northern Louisiana and southern New Mexico. Participants submit essays to the appropriate office of the Dallas Fed, as determined by the location of their school. (See the Eleventh District counties.)

Essay Deadline: March 4
Essay must be accompanied by student entry form .

Awards Ceremonies
Ten essays will be selected for recognition from each office. The selected students, their parents and their supervising teachers will be invited to an awards ceremony at the office where they entered:

District Awards Luncheon
The top three finalists from each of the four office locations will be invited to an awards luncheon at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on April 21. Each of the 12 finalists will receive a savings bond:

The supervising teacher and parents or guardians of each finalist will be invited to attend the awards luncheon. Guests will have an opportunity to tour the Bank during their visit.

For attendees from outside the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas will cover travel expenses (automobile mileage or round-trip airfare, if distance requires) for the student, the supervising teacher and one parent or guardian.

Note: All parents or guardians are welcome to attend the luncheon, but the travel expenses of only one per student will be covered.

The Rules

1.	The deadline for entry is March 4. Essays must be postmarked on or before that date.
2.	The student entry form (photocopies are acceptable) with signatures of the student, a parent or guardian and the supervising teacher must accompany the essay.
3.	Each student may submit only one essay.
4.	Essays must be in 12-point type and limited to five double-spaced, one-sided, numbered pages with one-inch margins.
5.	Each essay must have a separate title page listing these items:
	Essay title Student’s name Student’s e-mail Home address (include city, state and ZIP) Home telephone number Supervising teacher’s name Teacher’s e-mail School's name and address (include city, state and ZIP) School’s telephone number Total number of pages submitted
6.	The title of the essay, but not the author’s name, should appear at the top of the first page of text.
7.	A reference page should be included after the last page of text. All sources must be properly acknowledged and correctly noted in the essay.
8.	The entrant must submit two copies of the essay. Essays will not be returned to the author.
9.	Essays that do not conform to contest rules and regulations will not be submitted for judging and will not be returned to the author.
10.	Family members of Federal Reserve Bank employees are not eligible to participate.

Judging
Qualified Federal Reserve staff will judge the essays according to five criteria:

1.	Comprehension – How well does the essay reflect a thorough understanding of the topic?
2.	Conclusions – Do the conclusions follow logically from the argument? Are the conclusions compelling?
3.	Creativity – Were diverse resources and original ideas used to develop the topic?
4.	Organization – Does the argument follow a logical and easily understood progression? Does the evidence support the essay's main points?
5.	Writing – Were correct grammar, spelling and punctuation as well as concise language used?

Student Entry Form
Please refer to the list of Eleventh District counties to determine which Dallas Fed regional contest you should enter. You can find listings for each office: Dallas, Houston, El Paso and San Antonio.

Print out and complete the student entry form . Then mail the entry to the appropriate address: