© Copyright 2025 American Song Archives, LLC
The Bob Dylan Center presents the Mavis Staples Freedom Highway Essay Award, an educational initiative that highlights the center’s commitment to encouraging younger generations to harness the power of music in their scholastic endeavors, the honing of their world views and their creative modes of self-expression.
Inspired by and named in honor of the legendary R&B singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples, and supported by center Founding Partners Bob Ramsey and Jenny Norton through the Freedom Highway and Beyond Education Fund, the Freedom Highway Essay Award provides high-school students with an opportunity to explore the ways in which music can serve as a catalyst for positive change.
Participants will write their essays in response to the prompt presented in the following video:
The submission window for the 2025 Mavis Staples Freedom Highway Essay Contest is now closed.
Details regarding the 2026 contest will be announced soon.
| Eligibility | Open to 11th and 12th grade students attending Tulsa County Public Schools Prize must be used only for education expenses Winners are responsible for reporting all tax information |
| Suggested Word Count | 500 words |
| Prizes | 1st place: $5,000 2nd place: $1,000 |
| Due Date | Entries must be received online at bobdylancenter.com/essaycontest by Sunday, March 16, 11:59 p.m. CST. |
| Rule on AI | The use of AI or any automated tools to generate or enhance content is strictly prohibited. By submitting an essay, participants confirm that their work is not from AI-generated content. Use of standard spell check and grammar check tools are accepted. Any violation may result in disqualification. Software will be used to detect plagiarism and/or use of AI. |
| Judging | Essays will be reviewed by a panel of educators, community leaders, and center staff members. The top five candidates will be interviewed at their school prior to the final winners being selected. |
| Notification/Recognition of Winners | Winning entries will be published on the Bob Dylan Center website, and first-and second-place winners will receive cash prizes of $5,000 and $1,000, respectfully. Winners will also be acknowledged in a brief ceremony at an event at Guthrie Green on April 5; confirmation of attendance is required by March 28. |
Hailed by NPR as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” Mavis Staples is a once-in-a-generation artist whose impact on music and culture is impossible to overstate. Staples is both a Blues and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer; a civil rights icon; a three-time GRAMMY Award winner and a GRAMMY lifetime achievement awardee; a chart-topping soul, gospel and R&B pioneer; a National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient; ranked #46 in Rolling Stone’s Top 200 Singers of All Time; and a Kennedy Center honoree. She marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and sang in Barack Obama’s White House. Staples has collaborated with everyone from Prince and Bob Dylan to Arcade Fire and Bon Iver, blown away countless festivalgoers from Newport Folk and Glastonbury to Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, and appeared on every major television talk show. As beloved musician Levon Helm of The Band once said, Staples is, simply, “the truth.”
The Bob Dylan Center inspires and celebrates fearless creativity by exploring the music and artistry of the Nobel Prize–winning singer-songwriter as a catalyst for personal expression and cultural change.
The submissions from these two Tulsa-area students were selected from a competitive field of entries as this year’s recipients of the Mavis Staples Freedom Highway Essay Award.
Students were prompted to write an essay about a singer who speaks to them and describe the ways in which they use their words and techniques to convey feelings and messages and explain how their music address themes of social justice, equality or change.
2025 Winner of Mavis Staples Freedom Highway Essay Award
Nathaniel Blake is a graduate of Bixby High School and an active member of his community. He has volunteered in his community, most recently contributing to a local mayoral campaign. Nathaniel plans to attend the University of Oklahoma. Passionate about civic engagement, he believes that one of the most powerful ways his generation can make a difference is by registering to vote and using their voice.
2025 Runner-up of Mavis Staples Freedom Highway Essay Award
Katie Bell is a senior at Street School. After graduation, she plans to attend Tulsa Tech to pursue a career as a guitar technician. Katie is excited to turn her love of music into a profession, combining technical skills with her creative interests.
Bob Dylan Center
116 E Reconciliation Way, Tulsa, OK 74103
Wednesday – Sunday: 10AM – 6PM
918.392.3353 | info@bobdylancenter.com
