Submissions are invited for the Annual DNA Day Essay Contest by ASHG. The deadline for submission is March 5, 2025!
About the Contest
ASHG is proud to support National DNA Day through the Annual DNA Day Essay Contest. DNA Day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953.
This contest is open to students in grades 9-12 worldwide and asks students to examine, question, and reflect on important concepts in genetics. Essays are expected to be well-reasoned arguments that indicate a deep understanding of scientific concepts related to the essay question. They are evaluated by ASHG members through three rounds of scoring.
2025 Question
Artificial intelligence (AI)—advanced computer systems that can quickly analyze large amounts of data—is being used in many areas of healthcare, from diagnosing diseases to recommending treatments. Now, experts are also using AI to help interpret genetic testing results, which examine your DNA to understand your risk for certain diseases or guide treatments. If you had to undergo genetic testing, would you want AI to be used to help make sense of your results?
Please address the following in your essay:
- When do you think using AI would be helpful in understanding your genetic test results?
- What risks or harms do you think using AI could pose in healthcare?
- What information would you want to learn from AI for analysis of your genetic information? Consider in comparison to the information provided in standard genetic test results.
Eligibility
Grades 9-12
Rules
- No LLM (large-language model) tool will be accepted as a credited author on this essay. That is because any attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, and AI tools cannot take such responsibility. Students using LLM tools should document this use in the citations section.
- Essays must be submitted by a teacher or administrator and written by high school students (grades 9-12) in the U.S. and internationally. Parents may submit essays if the student is home schooled.
- Essays must be written by one individual student; group submissions are not permitted.
- Essays must be in English and no more than 750 words. Word count includes in-text citations, but not reference lists.
- Submissions should not include the student’s name in the essay text. This helps with impartial judging.
- Essays must include at least one reference. References should be clearly documented with both in-text citations and in the references list. The reference list should be separately entered in the “References” section of the submission page.
- APA or MLA style can be used for citations. There is no limit on how many references students may use, but they should avoid too many references, as judges want to know the student’s opinion on the question and not the opinion of the resources.
- Quality of references will be considered by judges when scoring.
- Only classroom teachers are eligible for the equipment grant.
- Teachers of first-place winners from 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 are not eligible for equipment grants in 2024.
Judgement Criteria
| Criteria | Points |
| Overall accuracy of the science content | 0-6 |
| Use of evidence in support of an argument/answer; essay well-focused on the question/topic selected | 0-6 |
| Writing quality (clear thesis, composition, grammar, syntax, spelling) | 0-5 |
| References and citations (quality and appropriateness) | 0-3 |
| Total points possible: | 20 |
Important Dates
- January 6, 2025: Submission site opens
- March 5, 2025: Submission site closes
- April 25, 2025: DNA Day! Winners and Honorable Mentions announced
Prizes
- 1st Place Winner: $1,000 for student, $1,000 genetics materials grant
- 2nd Place Winner: $600 for student, $600 genetics materials grant
- 3rd Place Winner: $400 for student, $400 genetics materials grant
- Honorable Mentions: 10 student prizes of $100 each
How to Register?
Interested participants can register through this link.
Deadline
The deadline for submission is March 5, 2025.
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