Great Women in Engineering and Science
Essay Contest
To foster an interest in science, engineering, and technology and introduce students to female role models who have achieved significant success in science and engineering.
Essay Contest Details
Sixth grade students at schools in Colorado and Wyoming are invited to participate in the “Great Women in Engineering and Science” essay contest. The goal of the contest is to foster an interest in science, engineering, and technology in middle school students and to introduce students to female role models who have achieved significant success in areas of science and engineering. Over 250 students participate annually and prizes and certificates are awarded. Read about past contest award recipients on the RMS Blog – Outreach.
READ ABOUT THE 2024 ESSAY CONTEST RESULTS ON THE BLOG!
2025 Essay Contest Due March 14
The 39th Annual Great Women in Engineering and Science Essay Contest is open!
To enter, write an original essay of approximately 500 words on one of the women engineers and scientists listed below:





- Margaret E Knight – 19th Century Inventor
- Stephanie D. Wilson – 21th Century Astronaut
- Janet Rowley – 20th Century Geneticist
- Tu Youyou – 20th Century Medical Scientist
- Emmy Noether – 19th Century Mathematician
Winning essays should:
- Describe in detail the woman’s life, achievements and any awards she received in recognition of her work
- Demonstrate an understanding of the significance of her work
- Show originality
- Include three or more research sources from varying media (bibliography)
- Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Present the information in an organized, neat fashion with good sentence structure
Submission details:
- To enter, complete the entry form below and follow the instructions to either upload or email your essay. Be prepared to provide:
- Your school’s name and address
- Your teacher’s name and email address
- The number of 6th graders in your class
- The essay file name must include your first and last name
- PDF, Word, and Google Doc file formats accepted
- All entries must be received by Friday, March 14, 2025
Win These Prizes!

First Place: Science Kit, Science Book, and $250 cash prize
Second Place: Science Kit, Science Book, and $150 cash prize
Third Place: Science Kit, Science Book, and $100 cash prize
Honorable Merit: Science Kit
Honorable Mention: Science Book
School Awards:
All schools with 20% or more of their 6th graders submitting essays will receive a book award for their library.
Attention teachers, if your school won a participation award in previous years, be sure to check your school library for potential references for this year’s contest!
Upload essay to the Google form. Requires Google login.
For teachers submitting multiple entries, you may email a list of participating students along with the school name and address, your name and email address, and the number of 6th graders in your class to EssayContestSWERMS@gmail.com rather than completing multiple submission forms.
For additional details, please see below for the Essay Contest Flyer and Frequently Asked Questions and Essay Scoring Guidelines.
For further information or to sign up for the essay contest email list, contact the contest chair at EssayContestSWERMS@gmail.com
Attention SWE RMS members: Please contact the contest chair at EssayContestSWERMS@gmail.com if you are interested in being a volunteer judge for this year’s Great Women in Engineering and Science Essay Contest.
Frequently Asked Questions
2025 Essay Contest Sponsor
If interested in sponsoring the essay contest at $500-750, please email swerms@gmail.com. Your financial contribution directly supports students, cover prizes and shipping.