Apr 3, 2021 3 min read

Law Day is coming up May 1, and entries are being accepted for contests associated with the event.

The entries should illustrate or reflect upon this year’s theme, “Advancing the Rule of Law, Now.” A bookmark contest is open for students in grades 2-5, while students in grades 6-12 can participate in an essay contest. A creative arts competition is also open to students in grades 6-12, and students in those grades, along with adults, can take part in a box diorama contest using Peeps or other 3-D character elements. Additional details are available at washcobar.org/public-education.

The entry deadline is April 23 at 4 p.m. The contests are sponsored by the Washington County Bar Association, the Washington County Bar Foundation and the Observer-Reporter.

The bookmark contest for grades 2-5 has cash prizes ranging from $15 to $50. The editorial essay, creative arts, and box diorama contests for grades 6-12 have cash prizes ranging from $100 to $225. All winners and those who receive honorable mention will receive a certificate.

The Law Day Committee is also looking for Law Day Citizenship Projects that have had an impact on the Washington County community at some point over the last two years. County residents or an organization with its primary office address in Washington County are eligible to apply for the $250 prize. It will be donated to the charity of the winner’s choice.

Any entry that can be emailed should be sent to Kathy Sabol, executive director of the Washington County Bar Association, at kathy@washcobar.org. Bookmarks and other “mailable” entries should be sent to the Bar Association office at 119 S. College St., Washington, PA 15301. Sabol should also be emailed to schedule a drop-off time for submission of three-dimensional artwork and other non-mailable and non-emailable entries.

There will be no in-person Law Day celebration or awards ceremony this year.

This year’s theme is a reminder that citizens share the responsibility to promote the rule of law, defend liberty and pursue justice. Lesson plans are available at www.lawday.org. In addition, a six-part civic education series will be held throughout 2021, with the first, “The Rule of Law in Action: Civility and Civil Discourse,” scheduled for April 15 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. All six sessions will be recorded and available to schools to use as part of their Law Day and civics programming.

Law Day was established in 1958 by President Dwight Eisenhower to celebrate the role that law plays in our society.