The Maurice R. Hilleman Essay Contest is a program of the Vaccine Makers Project, presented by the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The 2025 contest is co-sponsored by the Public Health Association of British Columbia and the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), with assistance from Kids Boost Immunity and the Society for Intelligence Management.

Please use this page for U.S. entries only. (Click here for Canada residents' entry page.)

Instructions:

  • Complete this online form in its entirety and upload a PDF of your essay by the official contest deadline of 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 6, 2025.
  • Before completing this form, please review the contest Official Rules including essay guidelines, eligibility, deadline, submission directions, and prize information with a parent or legal guardian at hillemanfilm.com/contest/rules.
  • To complete this form, you will need the following:

        Essay-related Items

  • A PDF of your finished, titled essay.
  • A brief description of the process used when writing your essay to enter in the box provided on the form. This section is mandatory. If incomplete, your submission will be disqualified.
  • A list of the resources or references you used when preparing your essay. This section does NOT count toward the essay word limit. 

        Entrant Information Items

  • The following personal information: full name, address, date of birth and current grade.
  • The following information about your school: school name, teacher name and email.
  • The following information about your parent: name, address, email and phone number.
  • In addition, both you and your parent will need to sign the form. You will need to use the same computer to do so.

Submission reminders:

  • Your essay must be 500-1,000 words in length. We allow a 25-word buffer. Any submission beyond the buffer (under 475 words or over 1,025 words) will be disqualified.
  • Your essay must be a response to the essay prompt, “Not everyone will be a prolific scientist like Dr. Hilleman, but all citizens need to understand how science works.” Any essays about other topics, regardless of how well written, will not be considered. 
  • Your essay must include a title. 
  • Entries utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) for anything beyond idea generation will not be considered. 
  • You may save a partially completed draft of this form using the “Save Draft” button at the bottom of the page. However, please note that you need to return to this form within 7 days to complete your entry or what you have saved will be automatically deleted. Also, note that you must use the same computer and browser to return to your draft.
  • If you prefer to mail your submission, please download the mail-in form at the bottom of this page and mail your entry to the address listed in the Official Rules by the contest deadline.
  • Your entry must be received by the official contest deadline. Online entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 6, 2025. Mailed entries must be postmarked by February 6, 2025.

Questions related to the contest, the form, or the Official Rules should be emailed to the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia at vacinfo@chop.edu. Include the subject line “Student Essay Contest” in your email. Also, please indicate your country of residence.

ENTRANT INFORMATION

If the entrant is 18 years of age or older, the entrant MUST complete the below Agreement to Participate and Agreement to the Official Rules.
I have reviewed the Official Rules of this essay contest available at https://hillemanfilm.com/contest/rules, and in consideration of the mutual promises contained therein and intending to be legally bound, I hereby:

  1. agree to enter this contest; 
  2. agree to the terms and conditions set forth in the Official Rules; and,
In witness whereof, I have hereto executed this Agreement to Participate and Agreement to the Official Rules. Please sign in the box below using your mouse.
Sign in the above box with your mouse
One file only.
5 MB limit.
Allowed types: pdf.

PARENT INFORMATION AND PERMISSION

This section of the entry form MUST be completed by the entrant’s parent or legal guardian even if the entrant is 18 years of age or older. Completion by anyone other than that will automatically disqualify entrant from participating in the contest. For questions related to this policy, please send an email to vacinfo@chop.edu with subject line “Student Essay Contest.”
Format: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Permission to Participate and Agreement to the Official Rules
I have reviewed the Official Rules of this essay contest available at https://hillemanfilm.com/contest/rules, and in consideration of the mutual promises contained therein and intending to be legally bound, I hereby:
  1. permit my child/ward to enter this contest; 
  2. agree individually and on behalf of my child/ward as his/her parent or legal guardian, to the terms and conditions set forth in the Official Rules and to ensure my child/ward abides by and follows the Official Rules; and,
In witness whereof, I have hereto executed this Permission to Participate and Agreement to the Official Rules. Please sign in the box below using your mouse.
Sign in the above box with your mouse

NOTE: The following section is MANDATORY. If incomplete, the essay submission will be disqualified.
Please include a brief description of the process used when writing your essay (up to 150 words).
For example, did you use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate ideas (Note: In the spirit of the contest, you cannot use AI for any purpose other than idea generation in connection with contest) Did you receive assistance from a parent, teacher, or someone else? What was your editing process?

Please list any resources or references you used when creating/writing your essay, so we can understand where you got your information and more easily fact check your content accuracy. This section does NOT count toward the word limit for the essay.

If you prefer to mail your submission, please download this form and mail your entry to the address listed in the Official Rules by the contest deadline.