Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest

The first-place winner of the American Immigration Council’s 27th annual (2023-2024) Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest is Angela Du, whose poem “Stories of Us” was submitted by the New York AILA Chapter. Angela’s poem powerfully reflects the many stories immigrants bring to America.

Angela Du on Good Morning America

Angela Du at the Immigration Impact Awards

The first-place winner of the American Immigration Council’s 26th annual (2022-2023) Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest is Lillie Villezcas, whose poem “3” was submitted by the Nevada AILA Chapter. Lillie’s essay is a powerful statement of the multi-faceted generational story of the immigrant experience.

The contest begins at the local level, with regional contests run by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) chapters. Coordinators can run the contests either in-person or virtually. If you are an interested student or parent, please email Katherine Steinberg at [email protected].

The Coordinator Guide provides the national contest requirements, detailed timeline and checklists, as well as sample letters, tips, and forms that may be of use for local contests. The contest flyer and one-pager may also be useful during outreach.

• Coordinator Guide
• Contest One Pager
• Contest Flyer

In order to be eligible to compete in the national contest, the winning local entry along with following completed forms must be emailed by AILA chapters.

• Photo Release Authorization form
• Proof of Fifth Grade Enrollment form

In the past, some local contests have coordinated for AILA lawyers to visit fifth grade classrooms to discuss the benefits of immigration. For sample lesson plans, you may consider using the following websites as resources.

• Share My Lesson, by the American Federation of Teachers
• PBS Learning Media
• Scholastic
• Kids Discover