American Philosophy Open 2022

The APO is sponsored by the American Philosophical Association.

Announcing the 2022 High School Philosophy Essay Writing Contest!

This is the first time our international contests will be in person since 2019!

This year we will meet in person in Lisbon, Portugal.

The American Philosophy Open (APO) is a pre-college Philosophy writing contest for U.S. students that is connected to the wider world of international philosophy. Students compete by writing philosophical essays on specific topics and the top two writers from the U.S.A. will be chosen to compete in the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO). The two U.S. student winners will then join international peers from high schools from 50 countries in Lisbon, Portugal in the 30th annual IPO. The APO and IPO's mission for HS students is to contribute to the development of inquiring, critical, creative, and international thinking.

There are two stages of submissions to the APO, which means two essays. To enter the contest, an interested American High School student, residing in the U.S.A., writes their first essay in English and then submits it via email to the APO. All submitted essays are then reviewed by the APO panel to see which essays meet the criteria for the second stage of the competition. At this stage, the panel reviews the candidate's skill at writing about a philosophical question, problem or issue. If a student's essay meets the criteria, they will be invited by email to the second stage of the competition. For the second stage of the competition, the student will be invited to write an essay in French, German, or Spanish. No contestant may write the IPO essay in one's native/national language as per the rules of the International Philosophy Olympiad. This means that even if a student is excellent at developing philosophical thinking and writing, their level of French, German, or Spanish should be strong enough to convey these ideas and concepts in the target language. The second stage essay will be written live on a Google Doc while being proctored by APO staff.

After the Stage 2 essays are written in French, German, or Spanish, the panel will choose the two student essays that demonstrate the strongest philosophical thinking in the language that the student has chosen. Final selection for the two U.S.A. winners may include an interview with a member of the APO board via video conference (Zoom). In addition, winners must submit a permission letter from their parents/guardians and from their school principal to travel to Portugal between the dates of May 24th and May 30th. The selection of a national winner is a significant and exciting process that the committee takes very seriously. We encourage you to apply to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.

QUALIFICATIONS

Participants must

• be U.S. citizens and current U.S. high school students
• participate in a high school philosophy class, club, Ethics Bowl Team, or core subject with a philosophical bent or concentration
• be highly proficient in any one of three of the four official languages of the IPO; French, German, or Spanish

REQUIREMENTS

Stage 1

Submit an essay via email in English of approximately 800 words (but no more than 50 words more or less than 800) that responds to one of two philosophy topics. (See below.)

Deadline for the English Essay Submission is March 25, 2022.

Stage 2

Finalists from Stage 1 will compete in a 3-hour timed essay online in which the students must write an essay in French, German, or Spanish on a philosophy topic revealed at the beginning of the online session.

Primary Online Contest Date is April 2, 2022 / Alternate Online Contest Date is April 3, 2022.

COSTS

There is no cost to apply. The APO assumes all implementation and processing cost and this year there is no registration fee. For our two APO winners, the IPO host country pays for all in-country expenses (meals and lodging). However, our two APO winners must be able to cover the cost of their own transportation to and from the IPO host country venue, which is Lisbon and Almada, Portugal. If necessary, contestants are encouraged to seek sponsor support--with or beyond family--from the community, corporate, and/or educational institutions.

BENEFITS

The two victorious 2022 APO contestants win the opportunity to travel to Lisbon, Portugal to share a once-in-a-lifetime experience networking face-to-face with other high school students from around the world and meet some important world-renowned philosophers. Winners of the APO through the IPO competition receive international recognition by UNESCO, the Federation of International Philosophy Societies (FISP), and other international philosophy organizations--honors that will make the student, their parents, friends, school, and community proud.

The IPO will be celebrated in Portugal this May. The theme of the event is "Identity & Person." You may search the website here.

APO Topics for 2022

Here are the two topics for APO Stage 1

The writer may choose either one. This is not a research paper, so don't use any sources, only their own thinking.

 -----oOo-----

TOPIC 1 OF 2

What is philosophy and why is it important to study it in high school?

TOPIC 2 0F 2

Many philosophers consider there to be four main theories of moral philosophy: Virtue Ethics, Kantianism, Utilitarianism, and Care Ethics. These theories may be used as conceptual tools to examine ethical dilemmas. Which one or combination of theories do you think most helpful to you in your considerations and why?

 -----oOo-----

Important Submission Information

Please submit your essay in either PDF Format (.pdf) or MS Word Format (.docx) written in Times New Roman, font size 12, double line spacing. Send it as an attachment to an email message. Write the following in the subject line of your email: APO Stage 1 Essay.

Be sure to include the following information on a cover page accompanying the essay. Do not include any of this information on the essay itself except for the topic chosen and the writer's initials.

• the writer's full name
• the school name and full address
• the school principal's full name
• the language (French, German, or Spanish) in which the Stage 2 essay will be written (the target language)
• the estimated target language proficiency of the writer--academic (e.g., Spanish 4 years or AP French) and/or heritage speaker (e.g., Spanish at home) or native speaker
• the topic chosen for this essay (on both the cover page and on the first page of the essay)
• a very brief personal introduction

Submit essays to the APO's official email address: PhilosophyAPO@gmail.com

For additional information about the IPO and to view sample essays, visit the International Philosophy Olympiad at www.philosophy-olympiad.org

Good luck!