Submission Deadline
As World Down Syndrome Day approaches, Team Iron Will invites students to reflect on dignity, courage, and possibility.
Through this essay contest, we challenge students to confront myths, champion personhood, and celebrate the unstoppable potential of individuals with Down syndrome.
What if we looked at our children not through the lens of what they might never do, but through the lens of who they already are — unique human beings — and what becomes possible when we believe in them, invest in them, and invite the world to do the same?
5th-8th Grade (Middle School)
Category 1: 5th–8th Grade (Middle School)
Prompt Option 1: Seeing Through a New Lens
Sometimes society focuses on what persons with Down syndrome might not be able to do instead of celebrating who they are – unique people created in God’s image.
Write about what society would look like if we all saw people with Down syndrome through a new lens — one that focuses on courage, joy, and possibility instead of limitations.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
OR
Prompt Option 2: Choosing Hope Over Fear
Many parents fear caring for a child with Down syndrome. Those in the medical profession and others within our communities focus more on disabilities and medical challenges than on potential.
Write about a myth or misunderstanding about Down syndrome, why it can be harmful, and how students your age can help replace fear with truth. Explain also the importance of choosing hope over fear when talking about Down syndrome and how that hope can have an enormous impact on the child and on the community at large.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
Highschool
Category 2: High School
Prompt Option 1: Challenging the Narrative
Many public conversations about Down syndrome focus on limitations instead of personhood—the fact that a human being is a person from the very first moment of creation.
Choose one common myth or misperception about Down syndrome and explain where the myth or misperception comes from, why it’s dehumanizing, and how individuals or communities can challenge it.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
OR
Prompt Option 2: Defined by More Than a Diagnosis
'Our kids are not defined by a diagnosis. They are defined by their courage, perseverance, and light.'
Every human being, regardless of ability, is a person created in the image and likeness of God. Their personhood rests in the fact that they are human beings. Write an essay exploring what it means to define someone as a human being rather than by a diagnosis and explain how believing in someone can transform their lives and increase their possibilities.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
College
Category 3: College
Prompt Option 1: The Power of Expectations
Medical professionals, educators, and even family or friends often have low expectations for people with Down syndrome, and we know that expectations typically shape outcomes in education, medicine, and culture.
Analyze how lowered expectations impact individuals with Down syndrome, and discuss the ethical responsibility of educators, medical professionals, and community leaders to set expectations high and see the dignity of all people with Down syndrome.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
OR
Prompt Option 2: Championing Personhood in a Performance-Driven Culture
In a culture that often measures human worth by productivity or independence, individuals with Down syndrome challenge us to rethink worth and achievement.
Explain the importance of understanding a person’s intrinsic value and how that shapes our treatment of people. Then explain what it truly means to champion possibility today in the context of that intrinsic value.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
Rules
- Submissions must be the original and unpublished work of the student. No AI assistance allowed.
- If participants are under 18 years old, all essays must be submitted by a parent, legal guardian, or teacher.
- All submissions must conform to formatting requirements.
Essay Length
Middle School: Essays should be 500 words, typed, double-spaced, and 12 pt font
High School: Essays should be 500-750 words, typed, double-spaced, and 12 pt font
College: Essays should be 1000 words, typed, double-spaced, and 12 pt font
Judging Criteria
Clarity of thought
Depth of reflection
Alignment with theme
Use of examples
Originality and voice
5th-8th Grade (Middle School)
Category 1: 5th–8th Grade (Middle School)
Prompt Option 1: Seeing Through a New Lens
Sometimes society focuses on what persons with Down syndrome might not be able to do instead of celebrating who they are – unique people created in God’s image.
Write about what society would look like if we all saw people with Down syndrome through a new lens — one that focuses on courage, joy, and possibility instead of limitations.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
OR
Prompt Option 2: Choosing Hope Over Fear
Many parents fear caring for a child with Down syndrome. Those in the medical profession and others within our communities focus more on disabilities and medical challenges than on potential.
Write about a myth or misunderstanding about Down syndrome, why it can be harmful, and how students your age can help replace fear with truth. Explain also the importance of choosing hope over fear when talking about Down syndrome and how that hope can have an enormous impact on the child and on the community at large.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
Highschool
Category 2: High School
Prompt Option 1: Challenging the Narrative
Many public conversations about Down syndrome focus on limitations instead of personhood—the fact that a human being is a person from the very first moment of creation.
Choose one common myth or misperception about Down syndrome and explain where the myth or misperception comes from, why it’s dehumanizing, and how individuals or communities can challenge it.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
OR
Prompt Option 2: Defined by More Than a Diagnosis
'Our kids are not defined by a diagnosis. They are defined by their courage, perseverance, and light.'
Every human being, regardless of ability, is a person created in the image and likeness of God. Their personhood rests in the fact that they are human beings. Write an essay exploring what it means to define someone as a human being rather than by a diagnosis and explain how believing in someone can transform their lives and increase their possibilities.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
College
Category 3: College
Prompt Option 1: The Power of Expectations
Medical professionals, educators, and even family or friends often have low expectations for people with Down syndrome, and we know that expectations typically shape outcomes in education, medicine, and culture.
Analyze how lowered expectations impact individuals with Down syndrome, and discuss the ethical responsibility of educators, medical professionals, and community leaders to set expectations high and see the dignity of all people with Down syndrome.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
OR
Prompt Option 2: Championing Personhood in a Performance-Driven Culture
In a culture that often measures human worth by productivity or independence, individuals with Down syndrome challenge us to rethink worth and achievement.
Explain the importance of understanding a person’s intrinsic value and how that shapes our treatment of people. Then explain what it truly means to champion possibility today in the context of that intrinsic value.
To help you get started, visit:
https://www.teamironwill.org/myths
https://www.teamironwill.org/champion-possibility
To submit your essay, click the button below and fill out the attached google form. Or, send an email to essay@teamironwill with your essay attached, and all of the following information:
- First and last name of student
- First and last name of parent/legal guardian or teacher (if student is under 18)
- Name of Student's school (enter homeschool if applicable)
- Contest Category (Middle school, Highschool, College)
- Student email (Use email of parent/legal guardian or teacher if student is a minor)
- Acknowledgement that by submitting an essay, you are granting Team Iron Will royalty-free publication rights.