Celebrating america's 250th anniversary

 As the nation marks 250 years of American history, Fideri News Network is your front-row seat to the celebration. All year long, we’ll bring you in-depth coverage of the America 250 events happening across the Philadelphia region. With local insight, trusted reporting, and stories you won’t find anywhere else, Fideri News will connect you to the people and moments that make this once-in-a-generation anniversary unforgettable. 

In honor of our nation's semiquincentennial anniversary, Fideri News is celebrating with an essay scholarship contest. 

Beginning February 2026, Fideri will accept essays from high school seniors across the region on a specific topic each month relevant to the 250th celebration. Essays are due on 15th of each month and will be rated by the Fideri News Network America 250 committee with a rubric. The highest scoring essay each month will win a $1,000 scholarship and the top three essays will be published across our network and platforms.

The contest will culminate in July with a celebration for the winners.

February topic: Explain why the media has been labeled the fourth branch of government. Is this an accurate portrayal? (Submissions must be made no later than Feb. 15.)

March topic: Propose a new constitutional amendment that you believe is necessary and justify your reasoning. (Submissions must be made no later than March 15.)

April topic: The framers were concerned with preventing an overly powerful government. Do the systems of checks and balances and federalism still effectively guard against government overreach in the 21st century? (Submissions must be made no later than April 15.)

May topic: What would Founding Fathers say about today’s America? Pick one Founding Father and explain their perspective. (Submissions must be made no later than May 15.)

June topic: To what extent should the First Amendment protect controversial forms of expression, such as hate speech and online harassment. (Submissions must be made no later than June 15.)

Contest guidelines

• Essays should be between 600 and 800 words and written by the student (we will verify all submissions for the use of AI). Please proofread and check for typos and grammatical errors and use citations where appropriate. 
• Submissions must include the name of the student, high school, graduation date, email address and phone number. 
• Completed submissions should be emailed to events@fiderinews.com by the 15th of each month Late entries will not be accepted.

Questions? Email events@fiderinews.com or contact your local managing editor for more information.