Presidential 1776 Award to honor nation’s top high school American history buffs 

Three U.S. students who demonstrate exceptional knowledge of the American founding will receive the newly established Presidential 1776 Award, the U.S. Department of Education announced Monday. 

“As we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, this competition is an opportunity for young people to push themselves, learn our history, and take pride in the principles that unite us,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a press release.  

The competition consists of three rounds, open to any high school student, ages 14 to 19, nationwide. The subject matter includes all aspects of America’s founding, including the Founders, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitutional Convention, and the people and battles of the Revolutionary War, according to the contest’s rules and regulations.  

In the first round, open February 22-28, students will take The Impossible Civics Test – a 90-minute multiple-choice exam divided into three 30-minute parts that increase in difficulty. Scores depend on a weighted system, accounting for both the number of questions correctly answered and the difficulty of each question. 

The top four students from each state will progress to round two, held in May. In round two, students regionally compete to answer questions in 30-second verbal responses. The top four students from each of the five regions will advance to the final round.  

The National Final will be held in Washington, D.C., at the end of June, and students will face verbal questions with one minute to answer.  

The top three winners will receive scholarships totaling $250,000 – in honor of America’s 250th birthday. First place wins $150,000, second place $75,000 and third place $25,000. 

The Presidential 1776 Award is an initiative of the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission, established by President Donald Trump in his first term and re-established in his second term. The original commission was chaired by Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn with members including historian Victor Davis Hanson and Charlie Kirk, the late founder and CEO of Turning Point USA. 

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is developing tests, questions and other aspects of the competition. Congress established the foundation in 1986 to improve education pertaining to the U.S. Constitution in secondary schools across America, according to the release. 

“The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is honored to serve independently as both the writers of the questions and the judges for the Presidential 1776 Award,” Executive Secretary and CEO of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation Julie E. Adams said in the release. “Our James Madison Fellows are among the best teacher-scholars on the U.S. Constitution and the American founding and they will write challenging but fair questions for the intrepid students who take part in the award.” 

McMahon encouraged high school students to “engage in a friendly competition and show off their knowledge of our great nation’s founding ideals.” She enticed “history buffs” to compete for the scholarship awards in a post on X. 

While timed with many celebrations surrounding America’s 250th, studying the founding and Constitution remains an important foundation for American citizens, regardless of the year, Adams said.  

“The knowledge of American civics and history is vital to the survival of the Republic. We agree with our namesake James Madison who wrote in 1822, ‘Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.’”