1 for All

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is “1 for All“?
2. What is the “Free to Tweet” contest?
3. Who can enter the contest?
4. What are the prizes in the contest?
5. How do I enter?
6. What does the tweet or email need to be about?
7. What does the First Amendment do?
8. Can I submit more than one entry?
9. Is my entry limited to the 140 characters in a Twitter message?
10. What do you mean by “publicly viewable social media”?
11. So I could use any of those social media platforms for my entry?
12. What kind of things could I do?
13. Can I use for my entry something that someone else has written or performed?
14. What standards will the judges use?
15. When can I enter?
16. Can I enter with a friend or a class or a team?
17. Does it cost anything to enter the contest?
18. Might my entry be shown to other people?
19. Are there any limitations on how I can use the scholarship if I win?
20. When will I receive the scholarship money if I win?

1. What is “1 for All”?
1 for All is a non-partisan, educational campaign that was launched in 2010 to address a general lack of awareness by the American public about the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. More than 1,000 news organization, religious groups and educational institutions have devoted their time and resources in support of the 1 for All campaign.

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2. What is the “Free to Tweet” contest?
It’s a campaign to encourage young people to creatively recognize the importance of the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment

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3. Who can enter the contest?
Students between the ages of 14 and 22 who are legal residents residing in the United States.

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4. What are the prizes in the contest?
22 scholarships of $5,000 each.

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5. How do I enter?
Send a tweet on Twitter.com (including the hashtag #FreeToTweet in the tweet), or send an e-mail to freetotweet@1forAll.us (with “Free to Tweet Contest Entry” in the subject line).

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6. What does the tweet or email need to be about?
The message should support or celebrate the First Amendment or one of the rights guaranteed to all Americans by the amendment. It can be informative, reflective, inspiring, irreverent or just plain fun.

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7. What does the First Amendment do?
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble and freedom to petition the government. It’s the first of 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, which took effect 220 years ago on December 15, 1791.

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8. Can I submit more than one entry?
Yes, but only one entry per tweet or email, and each entry should be unique.

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9. Is my entry limited to the 140 characters in a Twitter message?
No. If you can convey your message in 140 characters, that’s fine. But you can also use the tweet with an embedded link to any publicly viewable social media platform.

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10. What do you mean by “publicly viewable social media”?
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, websites and blogs are some examples. The key is that the judges and public need to be able to easily access your creative content without a password.

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11. So I could use any of those social media platforms for my entry?
Right. Just link to them from your Twitter message or email.

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12. What kind of things could I do?
Be creative. Use any approach that works for you. A video. An essay. A song. A poem. A short story. Express yourself freely. That’s what the First Amendment guarantees you the right to do.

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13. Can I use for my entry something that someone else has written or performed?
No. The entry must be your own original work.

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14. What standards will the judges use?
They will judge on the basis of two things. First, the quality of the First Amendment message, including an understanding of the amendment’s principles. Second, presentation, which includes originality, creativity, clarity and presentation.

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15. When can I enter?
All entries must be submitted on December 15, 2011 between midnight (12:00:00 a.m. EST) and 11:59:59 p.m. PST. Entries before or after December 15 are not eligible.

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16. Can I enter with a friend or a class or a team?
All entries must be the original work of one person because each scholarship will be awarded to only one individual. You may recruit friends to help execute your idea, but they should not be co-creators. For example, if your entry includes a video, a friend could perform in it or hold the camera for you, as long as the project is yours.

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17. Does it cost anything to enter the contest?
No.

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18. Might my entry be shown to other people?
Yes, by entering you agree to allow the contest organizers to show or distribute the entry material to the public.

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19. Are there any limitations on how I can use the scholarship if I win?
Winners will be required to sign an agreement that they will use the scholarship to pay for some form of high school, college or graduate school program.

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20. When will I receive the scholarship money if I win?
The anticipated delivery date is in March 2012.

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