BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The American Counseling Association Future School Counselors essay competition recognizes graduate counseling students with exceptional insight and understanding about the school counseling profession and the work of professional school counselors who interact with elementary, middle school or high school students.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 11:59pm ET 

AWARD NOTIFICATION
Week of January 26, 2026 

JUDGES
ACA Awards Committee

PRIZE

Grand Prize Award

  • $2,000 honorarium
  • Complimentary registration for the 2026 ACA Conference and Expo (April 9-11, 2026, Columbus, Ohio) and recognition during the event. Winners will receive further information at the time of award notification.
  • Essay published on  CT Online.

First Prize Award

  •  $750 honorarium
  • Complimentary registration for the 2026 ACA Conference and Expo (April 9-11, 2026, Columbus, Ohio) and recognition during the event. Winners will receive further information at the time of award notification. 

Second Prize Award

  • $500 honorarium
  • Complimentary registration for the 2026 ACA Conference and Expo (April 9-11, 2026, Columbus, Ohio) and recognition during the event. Winners will receive further information at the time of award notification. 

Honorable Mention Awards (2 awards): 
Complimentary registration for the 2026 ACA Conference and Expo (April 9-11, 2026, Columbus, Ohio) and recognition during the event. Winners will receive further information at the time of award notification.

Sponsor: The American Counseling Association Foundation.

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ELIGIBILITY, RULES AND CRITERIA

The American Counseling Association Future School Counselors essay competition is open to counseling graduate students in master’s and doctoral degree programs working toward a career in school counseling at the elementary, middle school or high school levels.

  • Essayists must be enrolled in counseling-related graduate studies in the spring and summer of 2025.
  • Essayists must be American Counseling Association student members.  Join or renew your membership.
  • Essayists may enter only one of the following two awards tracks: the 2025 American Counseling Association Future School Counselors essay competition or the 2025 American Counseling Association Tomorrow’s Counselors essay competition.
  • Previous American Counseling Association Future School Counselors essay competition awardees are not eligible to submit an essay.
  • Essayists submitting to the American Counseling Association Future School Counselors essay competition must certify that they are working toward a career as a professional school counselor at the elementary, middle school or high school level.
  • Only one essay can be submitted by each American Counseling Association student member.

All entries will be read by a team of experienced professional counselors and evaluated in terms of how effectively each essay addresses the subject and offers provocative insights into the profession of counseling and its future.

Judges will want to see ideas well explained and supported. They will be evaluating how effectively the essayist presents his/her view and how interesting that position will be to the counseling community at large.

The decisions of the judges are final. There can be no substitution of prizes.

HOW TO APPLY

  • Submit an essay of 500 words or less. 
  • Neither the American Counseling Association nor the American Counseling Association Foundation is responsible if an entry does not reach the Awards program submission queue.
  • All entrants, by the act of entering, grant the American Counseling Association and the American Counseling Association Foundation the right to publish their name and their essay as part of the post-competition publicity on  CT Online.
  • Confirm your ACA membership status.

Competition Theme: How can school counselors help students address personal/social issues that are impacting their success in school? What do you believe is the most pressing issue and how will they be able to demonstrate and document their effectiveness?

Social-Emotional Barriers to Learning

"Breaking Barriers: School Counselors as Champions of Social-Emotional Growth"

In an essay of up to 500 words, explore how social-emotional challenges affect student learning and how counselors can respond. Structure your response to address:

  • Identify what you believe is the most critical social-emotional issue impacting student achievement (e.g., peer relationships, family challenges, cultural/socioeconomic factors, social media pressures).
  • Describe at least one comprehensive strategy school counselors can use at the elementary, middle, or high school level.
  • Explain how to integrate social-emotional learning into academic support and college/career readiness.
  • Detail specific data collection methods and outcome measures to document program effectiveness (e.g., attendance, discipline, grades, student surveys).
  • Address how counselors can promote a positive school climate through systemic work, culturally responsive practices, and equity-focused approaches.

Conclude with your perspective on how school counselors can demonstrate their effectiveness while staying true to the profession’s mission of student advocacy and success.

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