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2025 Carl C. Bell Memorial Award Essay Competition

In honor of Dr. Carl Bell’s Memorial Award, this year’s topic underscores a focal point of Dr. Bell’s work. Dr. Bell developed community-based mental health initiatives which encouraged inclusivity in psychiatry developing stronger communities. Hence, this year’s topic will highlight COMMUNITY. Community is defined as a group of people who share a common interest, identity, or set of values. They may or may not live in the same place. Communities can be local, national, or international.

Topic Question: How do you experience your community, whether it is local, national, or social media based?

• Discuss how your sense of belonging within your community changed or evolved recently with the epidemic of loneliness or other societal stressors.
• Discuss solutions to encourage or inspire belongingness to make your community more secure and/or open to others.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: 

• Open to ALL Illinois High School Students. (Must either live in or go to school in Illinois)

• Submissions containing profanity or intolerance of others will be discarded.

•  It is preferred for the papers to be type-written but neat handwriting will also be accepted. 

•  Papers should be between 400-600 words maximum, double-spaced, and font size 12.

* For more information, visit https://www.illinoispsychiatricsociety.org/carl-c-bell-award

First Name:

Last Name:

Email Address:

Phone Number:

Street Address:

Zip Code:

City:

Age:

School Name:

School District:

Current School Grade:

How did you hear about this competition?

Would you like your school notified should your essay be chosen as a winner?

Would you like your school notified should your essay be chosen as a winner?
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Please choose ONLY ONE option below to submit your essay.

You may upload a file OR copy and paste. DO NOT submit your essay using more than one mode of submission.

Essay Upload:

Upload essay below. The essay must not have any identifying information such as name, address, school name, etc.

OR

Essay Copy and Paste:

If you are unable to upload your essay above, please copy and paste it in the space below. The essay must not have any identifying information such as name, address, school name, etc.