Awards - Sacramento

Awards Opportunities & Winners

Through the National Awards and Distinguished Citizen Awards programs, Freedoms Foundation recognizes citizens and organizations as pillars in their communities. Over 57,000 citizens have been recognized and honored since 1949 as distinguished champions of the ideals in the Bill of Responsibilities.

National Awards

The National Awards are presented to nominees who exemplify being an engaged citizen through their committed efforts to improving our country. Since General Dwight D. Eisenhower handed out the first awards in 1949, tens of thousands of awards have been presented to Americans; from business owners, elementary students, teachers, and military personnel. The awards span seven categories, including:

Community:

Those who continuously serve their local and regional communities

School:

Those who demonstrate patriotism and character in a classroom setting

Educators:

Those who instill in their students a sense of civic responsibility and pride

Public Communication:

Those who deliver significant addresses, sermons, editorials, books, articles, and beyond

Special Events:

Those that significantly impact the community, state, or nation, and advance public understanding of the American way of life

Youth Essay:

Those that submit exceptional work on the annual youth essay topic

Military Essay:

Those that submit exceptional work on the specified military topic; open to personnel of the Armed Forces on active or reserve duty, members of the National Guard, ROTC, JROTC, NSCC, and NLCC

Youth Essay

Freedoms Foundation collects compelling essays submitted by students nationwide every year as part of the National Awards Program. The essay contest is open to K-12 students, with the essay topic provided by the Freedoms Foundation. Winners receive a cash prize and automatic consideration for the National Awards. Click on the link below for more on the current award submission requirements.

The Middle (7-8) & High School (9-12) Divisions essay contest topic is:

With so much diverse information available, how can you become an informed citizen and make an impact on our nation’s political life even before you are eligible to vote?

Essay Guidelines are:

Entries must be typed, double-spaced and contain 500-750 words.
The heading in the top left corner of the first page should contain:
- Student’s name
- School
- Grade level
- Teacher’s name

The Primary School Division (K-6) essay contest topic is:

Why is voting such a vital responsibility in our nation?

Please note that the Essay Guidelines for the Primary School Division are the same, except the word count should be 250-500 words.

Cash Prizes in Each Division

1st Prize $100 – 2nd Place $75 – 3rd Place $50

Submit essays to ffvfessay@gmail.com by December 1, 2022

Award and Essay Winners

Since 1949, Freedoms Foundation National Awards have recognized responsible citizens with our George Washington Honor Medal. More than 57,000 citizens have received this honor as exemplars of responsible citizenship whose daily actions embody our Bill of Responsibilities.

Teacher of the Year Award

Mark Freestone received the Sacramento Chapter Teacher of the Year award!

Senior Scholarships

Each year graduating seniors are award scholarships based on their academic performance as well as community service and involvement with Freedoms Foundation programs.