Ford50 essay contest

The Ford50 writing contest will give three students cash prizes!

The Challenge: Students drafted original essays on the relevance of Gerald R. Ford in today's politics, based on ONE (1) of the following prompts:

• What is the relevance of Ford’s pardon of President Richard Nixon after his resignation, especially in this age of seeming impunity? Some see it as a betrayal, some as a great act of patriotism, and some are in between.
• When Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office on August 9, 1974, he declared, “I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances…. This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts.” Can you compare the “extraordinary circumstances” of August 1974 to this year’s election?
• Upon receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on May 21, 2001, Ford remarked, “...The ultimate test of leadership is not the polls you take, but the risks you take. In the short run, some risks prove overwhelming. Political courage can be self-defeating. But the greatest defeat of all would be to live without courage, for that would hardly be living at all.” How would you describe political courage in today’s context?
• Ford described his philosophy as "a moderate in domestic affairs, an internationalist in foreign affairs, and a conservative in fiscal policy." How would a politician with that philosophy fare in 2024?

Prize: The submitted essays are being judged, and three prizes will be awarded: $1,000 for first place; $500 for second; and $250 for third. In addition, all three prize winners may have an opportunity to meet members of the Ford family, and the first place winner will receive tickets to the U-M football game on Homecoming weekend, September 13-15. The full value of first prize is estimated at $1,150.

The first-place winning essay will be featured in the Ford School's magazine, State & Hill, and also published in the Ford Presidential Foundation newsletter.

Eligibility: All incoming, current, or May 2024 graduating students of the Ford School were eligible to submit an essay. The entry needed to be original, of the entrant's own creation or initiation. The use of AI tools was explicitly prohibited. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

The essays were submitted by noon, August 9, 2024, exactly 50 years after Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office.

Judging: Based on multiple criteria, the winning entries are being chosen by a panel of faculty, staff, and/or external judges—determined by the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes. The judges’ decisions are final.

Notification: Winners will be notified by email or phone in early September. The Ford School will post the winning entries online. All prizes may be subject to taxes. To claim the prize, the winner may need to provide additional information for tax purposes.

Copyright Authorization: Submissions must be an essay written by the student. By submitting the essay for inclusion in this contest, the Regents of the University of Michigan are hereby authorized to use, reproduce, distribute, perform, display, or prepare derivative works from the essay for a variety of non-profit purposes, including but not limited to, use in the Ford School’s and the Ford Foundation’s publications.

Sponsor: The sponsor of the contest is the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, 735 South State St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109.