The Citizenship Challenge | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

About the Contest

Students in grades 3 –12 are eligible. As part of the contest, students will submit an original question they believe should be added to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Department naturalization exam. Review the steps to participate and contest guidelines below.

Students, teachers, or parents can submit student entries here by 10:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 13, 2026, to be considered for the prize. A jury of master teachers recruited by GLI will review the entries and select the finalists. The winners will be determined by a panel composed of members of GLI’s Student Advisory Council. Entries will be evaluated for their creativity, accuracy, and quality of argumentation. Students’ work will be reviewed and judged at their respective grade levels (Grades 3–8 and Grades 9–12). Winners will be notified and announced in May 2026.

Steps to Participate

Step 1: Imagine and Advise

Imagine you are a student advisor to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Department (USCIS) on redesigning the naturalization exam. Review the current 128 questions on the exam and explore the questions and answers on GLI’s website.

Consider:

Are all the essential historical topics covered?
What is missing that future citizens should know?

Step 2: Create Your Entry

High-quality entries will include the following:

A relevant and insightful history-based question that should be included in the new test
A multiple-choice format with the correct answer to your question as well as three incorrect answers
A short rationale explaining why the correct answer is correct, and sharing additional information about the topic your question addresses (50–200 words)
The reason you chose this question, highlighting why the information is critical for US citizens to know (100–150 words)
A bibliography that lists all sources. If you are in grades 9–12, your sources should be documented using MLA, APA, or the Chicago Manual of Style/Turabian.

Step 3: Submit Your Entry

Submit your entry through the GLI contest submission portal by March 13, 2026, at 10 p.m. ET. For more details and submission instructions, visit our contest rules here. If you have any questions, please contact citizenship@gilderlehrman.org.

The submission form will open by December 15, 2025.

We can’t wait to see your unique perspectives and brilliant insights on citizenship and naturalization.

Congratulations to the 2025 Winners!

A panel of Gilder Lehrman master teachers selected the pool of finalists from 450 submissions, from which a jury of Gilder Lehrman Student Advisory Council members selected the winners. Entries were evaluated for their historical reflection, clarity, research, persuasiveness, and imagination.

Grades 3–8 Winners

Olivia Charles

Grade: 5
School: Davis Elementary School, NY

Marguerite Mauldin

Grade: 8
School: Eastern Middle School, MD

Ira Rao

Grade: 7
School: Timberline Middle School, WA

Juno Seigel

Grade: 8
School: Eastern Middle School, MD

Iahn Jemsin Seo

Grade: 7
School: Boston Latin School, MA

Grades 9–12 Winners

Juliana Albanese

Grade: 9
School: Croton-Harmon High School, NY

Yi Xiang Chen

Grade: 12
School: Francis Lewis High School, NY

Gabriel Gougenheim

Grade: 9
School: The British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Shamir Pena

Grade: 11
School: Passaic County Technical Institute, NJ

Viola Venezia

Grade: 9
School: Haverford High School, PA

Other Citizenship Resources

A pair of spectacles laying on the Constitution

Review the Citizenship Test

Use the full version of the citizenship test on our website to get a sense of what is on the exam.

George Washington's face in Mount Rushmore

View the Video Library

Our resource suite includes a library of short videos explaining key topics connected to questions on the citizenship test, featuring eminent historians and content experts in the field.

The Citizenship Challenge: Redesigning America’s Citizenship Test