What is the thing you prize the most? The possession you would never give away? Never put someplace you couldn’t find it? Maybe you are thinking computer, phone, fancy jewelry, favorite childhood stuffie or something like that.

But how about your rights? As a U.S. citizen, you are guaranteed fundamental rights under the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the United States. Hand in hand with those rights come serious responsibilities to our nation and our society.

The 2025 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest prompt challenges you to dive into the rights and responsibilities of being a U.S. citizen and explore deeply how they affect you and how you can affect them. There is no one correct way to answer the prompt and no specific rights you are expected to highlight. Here are a few questions that may help
ignite your investigation. It is up to you to express your thoughts on this civics journey. Dive in!

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•        Which right or rights are you most excited to exercise when you reach the age of majority—18—or become an

          adult citizen through naturalization? Why?

•         What constitutional rights can you exercise now? Have you exercised any of these, and what has it meant to

           you? Do you have plans to exercise any others?

•        Are there any ways you can influence the exercise of constitutional rights by adults for those rights you cannot            yet access yourself? Have you done this, and how?

•         Why does the contest pair “rights” with “responsibilities” and state they go hand in hand?

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The 2025 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest is open to high school students in nine western states and two Pacific island jurisdictions. Students from public, private, parochial and charter schools as well as homeschooled students of equivalent grade status may enter.