"HAMILTON: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL" LETTER WRITING CONTEST

Contest Details

This information is for students who enter the letter writing contest to win tickets to attend Hamilton: An American Musical with an elected official. We strongly advise you show the contest rules to your parent(s) or guardian(s) before you enter.

Thank you for participating in the letter writing contest of The New Nation Project.

By submitting a qualified entry into this contest, you will be entered in a drawing to win a ticket to attend Hamilton: An American Musical with one of your elected officials on April 19 or April 21, 2018.

Our goal in sponsoring this letter writing contest is for students like you, the next generation of leaders in Utah, to:

Know who represents you in public office.
Become engaged in the civic process.
Think about what you are passionate about and can improve through the civic process.

Win a chance to see Hamilton: An American Musical.

Rules

The contest is limited to one entry per student. Every entry must meet the following criteria to qualify.

Select one elected official that represents you, write in the name of that person, and send them a letter using the form below. Helpful hint: select the elected official that is most appropriate for the topic you select.
A subject category must be selected.
You must briefly describe your issue in 100 characters.
You must do two things in your letter: 1. Educate your elected official about your issue; 2. Propose a solution or improvement. Word count must be between 300-450.

Entries that do not meet ALL of the above criteria will be disqualified. Entries must be completed in one session. You cannot start an entry, leave the form, and restart your entry at a later date.

Performances Dates: Performances dates are Thursday, April 19 (7:30 pm) and Saturday, April 21 (2:00 pm.) You will be assigned one date to attend with your elected official. Because of the limited number of tickets available to Hamilton, there is no flexibility in selecting a preference. Priority for the Saturday performance will be given to students living more than 50 miles from Salt Lake City.

Selection Criteria: Winners will be drawn randomly, not competitively, but you are encouraged to think critically and thoughtfully about your issue.

Use of Letters: All entry letters will be forwarded to the elected official after winners are selected. Elected officials often respond to constituent letters. State officials may not have the opportunity to respond until after the legislative session ends on March 8.

Who Gets Tickets: Each Legislative district, Salt Lake City Council district, and Salt Lake County Council district is allocated four tickets:

Two tickets for the elected official and their partner or adult guest.
Two tickets for students residing in the elected official’s district.

There are no tickets available for the parents or guardians of student winners.

Who’s Eligible: Students in grade 9–12 are eligible to participate.

Number of Entries: Students may only submit one entry.

Ticket Cost: Tickets for students are free. Elected officials are required to purchase their own tickets.

Reimbursable Costs: Students that travel more than 50 miles from Salt Lake City are encouraged to request reimbursement for costs. Allowable reimbursements include car mileage at 53 cents per mile, one night hotel lodging at a maximum of $95 per night, food for two people (the winning student and one parent or guardian) at a maximum of $42 per day each. Requests for reimbursement must include receipts and Google Maps directions to verify travel was 50 miles or more from Salt Lake City.

Important Dates

January 16: contest entry portal opens at 9:00 am
THE PREVIOUS DEADLINE OF FEB. 20TH HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FEB. 27th at 11:59 p.m.
February 26: student winners are notified and have one week to accept
March 5: elected officials receive the names of their student guests

Disclaimers: by participating in the competition, you agree to the following conditions

I understand that my name and contact information, and the name and contact information of my parent or guardian will be given to the elected officials to whom I write.
I understand that my parent or guardian will be required to sign a release allowing me to attend the musical Hamilton with an elected official
I understand that the Hamilton soundtrack has a parental advisory warning for explicit content. The musical contains strong language and sexual innuendo. For specific instances, please contact the Utah State Board of Education at 801-538-7646.
I understand that my parent or guardian will be asked to sign a release form to be photographed if I win the contest. Signing the release photo release is optional and does not impact the selection of contest winners.
I agree to let my letter be displayed, read aloud at public events, and/or re-printed for publicity purposes whether I am a contest winner or not.
I understand that winning students who live more than 50 miles from Salt Lake City may request reimbursement for travel, hotel, and meals for the winning student and one accompanying parent or guardian. Accompanying parents and guardians will not receive a ticket to Hamilton, only students will receive tickets.
I agree to be available both Thursday, April 19 (evening) and Saturday, April 21 (afternoon) to attend a performance if I win. I understand there is no flexibility in selecting a preference.
I understand that I cannot request any additional tickets.

Student and Parent/Guardian Contact Information. The phone, email, and address of the student and parent or guardian will be shared with the elected official addressed in the letter writing contest.

Student First Name	Parent/Guardian First Name
Student Middle Name	Parent/Guardian Middle Name
Student Last Name	Parent/Guardian Last Name
Student Email	Parent/Guardian Email
Student Phone Number	Parent/Guardian Phone Number
Student Phone Type	Parent/Guardian Phone Type
School If your school is not on the list, please contact Ksenia Choate at kchoate@utah.gov or 801-245-7265	Student Age
Grade Students in grades 9 – 12 are eligible	Teacher Name

Student and Parent/Guardian Residential Address

Street Address No abbreviations or P.O. boxes, please	Apartment Number If applicable
City No abbreviations, please	Zip Code

Elected Officials (Required). Please select NO MORE THAN ONE of the following elected official types, then select their name in the drop-down that appears. If the drop-down doesn't appear, just selecting the type is sufficient. Please note that certain official types, e.g., the Governor of Utah, are not an option due to the specifics of this competition. You can use this website to find your state senator or representative: https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp

Elected Official Type - Senator

Utah State Senator

Utah State Senator Name

Elected Official Type - Representative

Utah House Representative

Utah House Representative Name

Elected Official Type - SLC Council

Salt Lake City Council Member or Mayor

Elected Official Type - SL County Council

Salt Lake County Council Member or Mayor

Your Letter

Issue Category

Select a category related to state or local government

Explain "Other" Issue Category

Issue Description

Briefly describe your issue (max character count of 100)

Body of the Letter

Write your letter. Describe the issue/educate the elected official and propose a solution (word count: min 300, max 450). Helpful hint: write your letter in a word-processing software and cut and paste into the entry form.

Notes

Let us know if you have additional comments or problems with this form (not required)

For questions, please email TheNewNationProject.Utah@gmail.com. Thank you!

Competition Sponsors

Need assistance with this form?