ASHG is proud to support National DNA Day through the Annual DNA Day Essay Contest. DNA Day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953.
This contest is open to students in grades 9-12 worldwide and asks students to examine, question, and reflect on important concepts in genetics. Essays are expected to be well-reasoned arguments that indicate a deep understanding of scientific concepts related to the essay question. They are evaluated by ASHG members through three rounds of scoring.
Location(s)
- Remote
Schedule
- January through April
Cost/Compensation
- Free
Eligibility Requirements
- Essays must be written by high school students (grades 9-12) in the U.S. and internationally
- Students cannot submit their own essays
Deadline
- March 5th, 2025
Application or Entry Requirements
- No LLM (large-language model) tool will be accepted as a credited author on this essay. That is because any attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, and AI tools cannot take such responsibility. Students using LLM tools should document this use in the citations section.
- Essays must be submitted by a teacher or administrator and written by high school students (grades 9-12) in the U.S. and internationally. Parents may submit essays if the student is home schooled.
- Essays must be written by one individual student; group submissions are not permitted.
- Essays must be in English and no more than 750 words. Word count includes in-text citations, but not reference lists.
- Submissions should not include the student’s name in the essay text. This helps with impartial judging.
- Essays must include at least one reference. References should be clearly documented with both in-text citations and in the references list. The reference list should be separately entered in the “References” section of the submission page.
- APA or MLA style can be used for citations. There is no limit on how many references students may use, but they should avoid too many references, as judges want to know the student’s opinion on the question and not the opinion of the resources.
- Quality of references will be considered by judges when scoring.
Notifications of Decisions
- April 25th, 2025
Financial Aid Details
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
Have other questions?
Founded in 1948, the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) is a professional membership organization and global community of 8,000 researchers who investigate the fundamental workings of genes and genomic variation, and who translate new genetic knowledge to propel biomedical research, improve human health, and understand humankind's common ancestral origins. The ASHG advocates for the benefits of research to serve all people, and helps educate the public about the wonders of the genome and how their genes can influence health and disease.
