Civics Outreach

The U.S. District Court, District of Northern California participates in the annual Ninth Circuit Civics contest for high school students. Each year a topic is selected, and high school students throughout the district are invited to submit essay and video entries on the selected topic for an opportunity to win a cash prize and move on to the circuit-wide judging.

For more information about this year’s and prior years’ contests, visit https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/civicscontest/.

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2026 Contest Winners

Contact: Katherine Rodriguez - mediarelease@ce9.uscourts.gov

SAN FRANCISCO – Arizona, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands and Washington state high school students are top winners of the 2026 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, which challenged students to express their thoughts in an essay and/or video addressing the theme, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness—Your Voice. Your Story. Your America.” The theme celebrates the upcoming 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Six students will share a total of $11,400, and the first-place winners, along with a parent or guardian, will be invited to attend part of the 2026 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.

Winners of the essay competition who will receive cash prizes are:

First place–Prisha Yelamanchili ($3,000), BASIS Chandler, Chandler, Arizona.
Second place–Stanley Huang ($1,700), Newport High School, Bellevue, Washington.
Third place–Reggie Castro ($1,000), Marianas High School, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.

Winners of the video competition who will receive cash prizes are:

First place–Lale Kutlu ($3,000), Lincoln High School, Seattle, Washington.
Second place–Aidan Cheng ($1,700), ‘Iolani High School, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Third place–Xavier Gatlin ($1,000), Lakeside School, Seattle, Washington.

Winning essays and videos are posted on the civics contest website https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/civicscontest.

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School Virtual and In-person Visits with Judges

Teachers and students are cordially invited to visit any of the courthouses of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California to enhance government studies taught in schools and to gain a better understanding of the judicial branch of government. Contact the court’s civics coordinator Jennifer Dale at jennifer_dale@cand.uscourts.gov to schedule a visit.