MESOTHELIOMA
SCHOLARSHIP

Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer diagnosed in close to 3,000 Americans each year.

The only established cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Most victims were unwittingly exposed to asbestos at work or while serving in the military.

Still others developed mesothelioma through exposure from family members coming home from work with their clothes covered in asbestos fibers.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the annual number of mesothelioma deaths is increasing.

According to experts, over 20 million people in the United States are at risk of developing malignant mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure.

We believe it is important to get the facts out about mesothelioma and asbestos exposure, and especially, to help educate young Americans.

Please address some or all of the following questions in your essay:

• Length
• Judging
• Selection
• Notification

• Length

  The essay must be no fewer than 750 and no more than 1,500 words long.

• Judging

  • Essays will be judged by Jennifer Gelsick, former caregiver for her father, Don Smitley, who passed away from mesothelioma in October 2013, and Lisa Hyde-Barrett, a thoracic surgery nurse.
  • Submissions will be judged on content, correctness of facts, grammar, style, and originality.
  • Judges will look for clear, original essays that are logically organized and well-supported.

• Selection

  The judges will select the top 4 essays through the criteria listed above. 

  A page will be created on MesotheliomaHelp.org for the essays. A link to the essays will be provided to the finalists when they are notified of their placement.

  The top four winners will be notified on the dates found.

  Please refer to the FAQs for examples of appropriate and inappropriate citations.

  At conclusion of the voting period, the top five finalists will be selected and notified.

• Notification

  • The top four finalists, as selected by the judges and will be notified via email
  • Winners will be announced to the public

• Essay must solely be the original work of the contestant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification and may be reported to the appropriate authorities.
• Decisions of the judges are final.
• Employees of Belluck & Fox, LLP, Consultwebs.com, Inc., their boards of directors and immediate family members are not eligible for this essay contest. Immediate family members of the judges are not eligible for this essay contest.
• All federal, state, local and other taxes and charges on prizes will be the sole responsibility of the contestant.
• All submissions become property of the Belluck & Fox, LLP, law firm to use, reproduce, or distribute as it sees fit in its sole discretion, although authorship may be acknowledged.
• By accepting a prize, winners grant to Mesothelioma Help the right to edit, publish, copy, display and otherwise use their essay in connection with this contest, and to further use their names and biographical information in promotional materials without further compensation or permission, except where prohibited by law.
• Mesothelioma Help will make every reasonable attempt to read and have judged every essay, but Mesothelioma Help is not responsible for failure to read and/or judge an essay.
• Any prize or other item to which a contestant may become entitled as a result of his/her participation in this contest is subject to immediate revocation in the event of a discovery of a contestant’s failure to comply with these rules.
• The number of prizes may be changed at Mesothelioma Help sole discretion.
• By participating in this essay contest and/or accepting a prize, contestants agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Mesothelioma Help, its managers, members, directors, officers, and employees, from and against any and all liability and costs in connection with any claim from any liability, injury, damages, cost or expense, including reasonable attorney’s fees, arising out of or connected to participation in this contest or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prizes.
• Under no circumstances shall Mesothelioma Help, its managers, members, directors, officers, employees, agents, investors or licensors, be liable to the contestant for any indirect, punitive, special or consequential damages.
• Depending on the number of responses, Mesothelioma Help may institute a cutoff at which time we will refuse to receive additional new applications. Therefore, if you are interested in participating in this essay contest, you should submit your application as soon as possible.
• If there are changes to these Rules they will be sent by email and will be considered read and accepted by the contestant. If they are not acceptable, the contestant may withdraw from this essay contest.
• Any dispute arising from this contest will be determined according to the laws of the State of New York, without reference to its conflict of law principles. The contestant’s participation in the contest shall constitute consent to the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in New York County, New York, and agreement that such courts have exclusive jurisdiction over all such disputes.