BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
    The American Counseling Association Tomorrow’s Counselors essay competition recognizes graduate counseling students with exceptional insight and understanding about the counseling profession and the work of professional counselors in mental health, private practice, community agency, agency, organization or related counseling settings.

    SUBMISSION DEADLINE
    January 15, 2025 | 11:59pm ET

    AWARD NOTIFICATION
    February 17, 2025

    JUDGES
    Panel of ACA and ACAF leaders 

    PRIZE

    Grand Prize Award

    • $1,000 honorarium
    • Complimentary registration for the 2025 ACA Conference and Expo (March 27-29, 2025 | Orlando, FL) and recognition during the event. Winners will receive further information at the time of award notification.
    • Essay published on  CT Online.

    First Prize Award

    • $750 honorarium
    • Complimentary registration for the 2025 ACA Conference and Expo (March 27-29, 2025 | Orlando, FL) and recognition during the event. Winners will receive further information at the time of award notification.

    Second Prize Award

    • $500 honorarium
    • Complimentary registration for the 2025 ACA Conference and Expo (March 27-29, 2025 | Orlando, FL) and recognition during the event. Winners will receive further information at the time of award notification.

    Honorable Mention Awards (2 awards): 
    Complimentary registration for the 2025 ACA Conference and Expo (March 27-29, 2025 | Orlando, FL) and recognition during the event. Winners will receive further information at the time of award notification.

    Sponsor: Gerald and Marianne Corey, Allen and Mary Bradford Ivey and  The American Counseling Association Foundation.

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    ELIGIBILITY, RULES AND CRITERIA

    The American Counseling Association Tomorrow’s Counselors essay competition is open to any counseling student in a master’s degree or doctoral degree program taking one or more graduate courses at an accredited college or university.

    • Essayists must be enrolled in counseling-related graduate studies in the fall of 2024.
    • Essayists must be American Counseling Association student members.  Join ACA or renew your membership.
    • Essayists may enter only one of the following two awards tracks: the 2025 American Counseling Association Tomorrow’s Counselors essay competition or the 2025 American Counseling Association Future School Counselors essay competition.
    • Previous American Counseling Association Tomorrow’s Counselors essay competition Grand Prize awardees are not eligible to apply for the 2025 competition. Previous winners of ACA Tomorrow’s Counselors essay competition in other categories (First Place through Honorable Mention) may apply for the 2025 Tomorrow's Counselors competition.
    • Only one essay can be submitted by each American Counseling Association student member.

    All entries will be read by a team of experienced professional counselors and evaluated in terms of how effectively each essay addresses the subject and offers provocative insights into the profession of counseling and its future.

    Judges will want to see ideas well explained and supported. They will be evaluating how effectively the essayist presents his/her view and how interesting that position will be to the counseling community at large.

    The decisions of the judges are final. There can be no substitution of prizes.

    HOW TO APPLY

    • Submit an essay of 500 words or less, addressing the theme:

      Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly prominent and expanding. What are the strengths and limitations of using AI when counseling clients and what are the relevant practice, ethical, and legal implications of its use in counseling?
    • It is recommended that awards program entrants write their essay in a software program of their choice, save it and then copy and paste the essay into the online submission form. Keep a copy of the essay in case there is a problem in the electronic transmission of the awards entry.
    • Neither the American Counseling Association nor the American Counseling Association Foundation is responsible if an entry does not reach the Awards program submission queue.
    • All entrants, by the act of entering, grant the American Counseling Association and the American Counseling Association Foundation the right to publish their name and their essay as part of the post-competition publicity on CT Online. 
    • Check ACA membership status.
    • Submit an essay meeting all award requirements.
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