The 2015 Breaking Barriers Essay Contest

The 2015 Breaking Barriers Essay Contest, presented by Major League Baseball and Scholastic, is now open for submissions. The Breaking Barriers program is in honor of Jackie Robinson. As everyone is very familiar with Jackie Robinson's well-known success and talent in baseball, he is also admired because of the impact he made during the modern era. Robinson was not only a great baseball player, but a man of great hope and desire to change for the better. In 1947, Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball as he became the first African-American baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). This contest gives diverse students the opportunity to share their personal stories by explaining how they use Jackie Robinson's story, morals and overall vision to help their own journeys. The winner gets the Grand Prize of a trip for two to the MLB All-Star Game, one laptop computer or tablet for the winning student, and one for his/her teacher, a class visit from Jackie Robinson's daughter Sharon Robinson, a class set of Breaking Barriers t-shirts, and a class set of Promises to Keep books by Sharon Robinson, herself. Students may submit their essay online or through the mail. Online entries must be submitted by March 13, 2015, and mail-in entries must be postmarked by March 13, 2015. Students are not allowed to enter their entries online directly; teachers must upload their students' entries online.