Essay Topic
Economics in Motion Pictures

Movies are filled with action, mystery, romance and—would you believe?—economics. Think about one of your favorite motion pictures. Do you recall any economic lessons or concepts lurking among the characters and storyline? Your mission is to go behind the scenes and reveal the economics starring in the film.

The Task
Select a movie and write an essay describing how the film demonstrates one or more important economic principles. Does the film illustrate a truth about economics? How do economic concepts shape the characters' decisions?

Assume that your audience has NOT seen the movie you are discussing. Be sure to follow age-appropriate movie rating system guidelines.

The Details
The contest is open to 11th and 12th grade students attending schools in the Eleventh Federal Reserve District, which comprises Texas, northern Louisiana and southern New Mexico. Participants submit essays to the appropriate office of the Dallas Fed, as determined by the location of their school. To determine the appropriate office, visit the Eleventh District counties.

Awards Ceremonies
The top 10 essays will be selected from the entries received at each of the four office locations. The selected students, their parents and their supervising teacher will be invited to an awards ceremony at the office location where they entered.

The top three finalists from each of the four office locations will be invited to a District-wide awards luncheon at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on May 1, 2008. Each of the 12 finalists will receive a savings bond.

The supervising teacher and parents or guardian of each finalist will be invited to attend the awards luncheon. All guests will have an opportunity to tour the Bank during their visit.

For attendees from outside the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas will cover travel expenses (automobile mileage or round-trip airfare if distance requires) for the student, the supervising teacher, and one parent or guardian

Note: Both parents (or guardian) are welcome to attend the luncheon, but the travel expenses of only one will be covered.

The Rules

1.	The deadline for entry is March 7, 2008. Essays must be postmarked on or before that date.
2.	The student entry form (photocopies are acceptable) with signatures of the student, a parent or guardian, and the supervising teacher must accompany the essay.
3.	Each student may submit only one essay.
4.	Essays must be in 12-point type limited to five double-spaced, one-sided, numbered pages with one-inch margins.
5.	Each essay must have a separate title page listing these items:
	Essay title Student’s name Student’s e-mail Home address (include city, state and ZIP) Home telephone number Supervising teacher’s name Teacher’s e-mail address School name and address (include city, state and ZIP) School’s telephone number Total number of pages submitted
6.	The title of the essay, but not the author’s name, should appear at the top of the first page of text.
7.	A reference page should be included after the last page of text. Note: All sources must be properly acknowledged and correctly noted in the essay.
8.	The entrant must submit two copies of the essay. Essays will not be returned to the author.
9.	Essays that do not conform to contest rules will not be submitted for judging and will not be returned to the author.
10.	Family members of Federal Reserve Bank employees are not eligible to participate.

Judging
Qualified Federal Reserve staff will judge the essays according to five criteria:

1.	Comprehension – How well does the essay reflect a thorough understanding of the topic?
2.	Organization – Does the argument follow a logical and easily understood progression? Does the evidence support the essay's main points?
3.	Conclusions – Do the conclusions follow logically from the argument? Are the conclusions compelling?
4.	Creativity – Were diverse resources and original ideas used to develop the topic?
5.	Writing – Were correct grammar, spelling and punctuation as well as concise language used?

Student Entry Form
Please refer to the list of Eleventh District counties to determine which Dallas Fed regional contest you should enter.

Print out and complete the student entry form . Mail it to:

Dallas:
Heather McDonald
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
2200 N. Pearl St.
Dallas, TX 75201-2272
(800) 333-4460

Houston:
Robbie Moses
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Houston Branch
1801 Allen Parkway
Houston, TX 77019
(800) 392-4162

El Paso:
Lupe Mares-Edens
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
El Paso Branch
301 East Main St.
El Paso, TX 79901-1326
(800) 846-6858

San Antonio:
Rachel Peña
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
San Antonio Branch
126 East Nueva St.
San Antonio, TX 78204-1020
(800) 292-5810

Essay Deadline: March 7, 2008
Essay must be accompanied by student entry form .

Awards Ceremonies

April 3, 2008 El Paso April 8, 2008 Dallas April 10, 2008 Houston April 10, 2008 San Antonio

District Awards Luncheon

May 1, 2008 Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas