A future U.S. president may soon deliver their first campaign speech when the University of Arizona hosts the Pathway to the Presidency student competition celebrating the country's 250th birthday.

Led by the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom, the contest provides middle and high school students with a hands-on opportunity to practice respectfully presenting new perspectives while developing mock presidential campaigns, said Mary Rigdon, director of the Freedom Center and associate professor of political economy and moral science in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

"This is an invitation to every student to take an active role in the American story," Rigdon said. "This competition is sparking the kind of civic curiosity and engagement that defines a great university dedicated to remembering our past and spearheading into our future."

Middle school students will craft a campaign poster with a slogan and three issues they would address as president, including general steps to accomplish their goals. They must also create or decorate a piece of memorabilia to accompany their poster. 

High school students will record a video delivering a 3- to 5-minute-long campaign speech and submit a written draft. Their speeches must cover the following questions: What are the most urgent issues facing the country? What values and principles would guide your presidency? How would you bring Americans together in a time of polarization?

"The Center for the Philosophy of Freedom believes a healthy democracy depends on civil discourse in which people with diverse perspectives can come together and shape a better future," said Saura Masconale, the center's associate director and assistant professor of political economy and moral science. "We must learn to disagree constructively, build genuine connections and seek common ground over solutions. This competition offers a powerful way to instill those values in the next generation."

The Freedom Center and a panel of judges will select the top speeches and posters and invite those students to a celebratory public event held Nov. 21 at the "Pathway to the Presidency" installation. Located on the lower level of the Campus Store in the Student Union Memorial Center, the exhibit is a partnership with the Museum of Democracy, the Arizona Board of Regents' Presidential Project and the Freedom Center. 

Austin Wright, chairman of the Museum of Democracy, said he looks forward to attending the awards in November. 

"We are thrilled to partner with the Freedom Center to celebrate students making a difference who care deeply about US history, freedom and democracy," Wright said. "As we all look forward to celebrating America's 250th Anniversary, we are inspired by this next generation of leaders who continue to honor the significance of our past while crafting ideas for a better future."

The chosen high school students will deliver their speeches in front of a live audience, who will choose the overall winner for the speeches. Attendees will also vote on the middle school memorabilia and campaign material submissions.

Both middle and high school winners will receive their awards that night from David Litt, former senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama, a New York Times bestselling author and semi-finalist for the James Thurber Prize for American Humor.

The first-place high school student will receive $400 and a U of A jersey, while second place wins $300, and third place wins $200. In the middle school competition, the first-place winner will receive $200 and a jersey. Three, $100 individual awards will be given to middle school students for best poster, memorabilia and overall platform. While any student is invited to participate, winners must attend the awards ceremony to collect their prize.

Teachers whose students participate will be entered into a raffle. Each student-entry from their class acts as a raffle-entry to win $500. The Freedom Center has developed classroom-resources and offers materials-support for all classrooms interested in participating. The raffle winner will be drawn during the event.

Crafting a campaign

The Pathway to the Presidency contest is designed and led by Mari Clark, Museum of Democracy outreach coordinator with the Freedom Center, who develops educational programming for the rotating exhibit.

The exhibit opened last year featuring protest materials and memorabilia from American history. This year, the exhibit hosts "Pathway to the Presidency: Road to the White House," an in-depth look at the history and transformation of presidential campaigning – from George Washington to Donald Trump.

Clark thought the new installation would partner well with the center's annual campaign competition, which last year challenged high school students to develop their own presidential campaign.

"I think it's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the politics of the world we live in, especially for students who are painfully aware of how political choices affect them," Clark said. "They often hear very strong opinions, and learning to have a civil conversation with someone with differing viewpoints is a really important skill to develop. We hope these students can find a way to unite political parties in the future, because it's not a bad thing to have different opinions."

Clark is already working closely with teachers from B.L. Lauffer Middle School in Tucson and Walden Grove High School in Sahuarita, as well as the PATH Alliance for Catholic Education and the Arizona Speech & Debate Coaches Association to encourage student participation. 

In addition to hosting the competition, the Freedom Center is providing select materials upon-request and lesson plans for teachers to discuss various aspects of the U.S. presidency, the history of political campaigns, speechwriting, public speaking and civil discourse.

Student submissions are accepted until Nov. 14. More information, including contest details, educational materials and event registration can be found on the Freedom Center's website.