Scholarship Competition

Almost 60 years have passed since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 1964. This was a remarkable achievement, considering Dr. King represented an often-vilified United States movement that advocated for his nation's poor and disenfranchised, half a world away from Europe. In his acceptance speech, Dr. King affirmed that love and hope were powerful tools for social and economic change for frustrated, oppressed communities. "Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation," he proclaimed. "The foundation of such a method is love."

In that same speech, King stated, "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. I believe that even amid today’s mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow... I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education, and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up."

Four years later, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while advocating for underpaid, striking waste management workers. The violence of this attack was a stark contrast to Dr. King's staunch support of nonviolent action.

After reading the speech, identify how you will work in your community, now and in the future, to challenge injustice, promote nonviolent action, and spread a message of love and peace in the spirit of Dr. King.

• Students may reference and cite this source: Read the full manuscript and listen to a recording of Dr. King's 1964 Nobel Prize acceptance speech

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• Eligibility: Open to enrolled Moreno Valley College students
• Award: $1,000 scholarship to one winner
• Due: Sunday, November 26 at 11:59 pm
• Selection and Acceptance: All applicants will be notified in early December whether they have been selected. All scholarship recipients must be able to attend the MLK Scholarship Ceremony. You may be asked to present your response at the Ceremony.
• Response Format: Choose one of three ways to respond meaningfully to the prompt: a 1,000 to 1,500 word speech, a poem, or a spoken word piece.
  • Type your response. Use MLA or APA format, double spaced, with a cover page. If some other form of written response (such as a poem), double space it and include the cover page. You will be uploading a Word or PDF document. Your works cited can be pasted into the submission form separately.
    • A link to a recorded performance (hosted on YouTube) may also be provided. Students may be invited to an in-person presentation of their work.
    • When incorporating content from a book, speech, or other sources, give proper attribution in your manuscript by including the name, date, and type of the source you are citing.
    • The name of the student should NOT appear anywhere on the document with the exception of the cover page. Each submission must have a cover page with the following information: your full name, student ID, phone number with area code and email address.
    • The page number and your 7-digit student ID should be in the top right-hand corner of each page.
• How to Submit: Register for the scholarship and submit your response through the online MLK Scholarship entry form by the deadline.

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• Eligibility: Current 9th through 12th grade students from Moreno Valley and Val Verde unified school districts (MVUSD and VVUSD).
• Due: Monday, November 27 11:59 pm
• Response format: 1,000 to 1,500 word essay, typed.
  • You do not need to worry about any essay formatting as you will be inputting the text directly in the online application form.
    • Ensure there is an extra line between your paragraphs.
    • Denote sources in the body of your essay in MLA format.
    • Use MLA format to construct your works cited
    • If it is over 4,000 characters including spaces, ensure to break your essay at the end of a paragraph, not in the middle of one, and paste the second part of your response into the overflow field.
• Acceptance Requirements: If chosen, you will be contacted by Moreno Valley College representatives. You will be asked to submit a portrait photo and expected to attend the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Ceremony to accept your scholarship award.
• How to Submit: Register for the scholarship and submit your response through the online MLK Scholarship entry form by the deadline.

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