High School Essay Contest

All entries into TCA's Essay Contest will be judged by a panel of industry personnel and TCA will award cash prizes to first, second & third place essays.

First Place – $750
Second Place – $500
Third Place – $250

The TCA contest winners will have their essays published in the spring edition of Tennessee Concrete magazine. In addition to the cash prizes, the first place essay will be published on TCA's website.
Guidance counselors of winning essays will also receive a cash award of $75.

Essay Contest Rules

• Open to all high school students ages 16-18 at the beginning of the school term.
• Essay must be typed, double-spaced and limited to 600 words.
• Essay will be judged on content and writing ability (grammar, style, clarity, etc.).  
• Essay should demonstrate a student’s awareness of concrete’s role as a building material in homes, commercial buildings, streets & highways OR follow the prompt below. (consider what was left standing after hurricane Michael)
• The essay should be a short literary composition on the subject of concrete, not a report. 
• Feel free to use AI tools for brainstorming, generating ideas & researching your chosen topic. However, when it come to the actual essay composition, we expect your entries to be solely the product of your own creativity and effort.
• Winning essay authors will be asked to submit a head shot photo to accompany their essay in the Tennessee Concrete magazine. 

Click here to submit your essay