Indian-American Prisha Yelamanchili wins Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest
ARIZONA:- Indian-American Prisha Yelamanchili has secured first place in the 2026 Ninth Circuit Civics Essay Contest, receiving a $3,000 cash prize.
Prisha Yelamanchili, a ninth-grade student at BASIS Chandler in Chandler, Arizona, submitted an essay for high school students on the theme, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – Your Voice. Your Story. Your America.” This competition is being held to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Yelamanchili represented ‘Team USA’ at the 2024 ‘International Olympiad in Forensics,’ where she won a silver medal. Additionally, she secured the runner-up title in the ‘Gold Division’ of the ‘Public Forum Debate’ at the 2024 ‘U.S. Championship.’
Six students have been selected as top winners for the 2026 competition and will receive a total of 11,400 US dollars in prize money. The first-place winners, accompanied by their parents or guardians, will be invited to attend the 2026 ‘Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.’
Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia of the Ninth Circuit congratulated the winners and commended the students for reflecting on the principles of the Declaration of Independence.
Judge Murguia said, “I am very inspired by all the students who contributed to this year’s competition and reflected on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the significance—to our democracy—of the permanent and inalienable rights mentioned in that document.” She also thanked the family members and teachers who supported the participating students.
A total of 1,043 essays and 185 videos were received from local competitions held across the 15 judicial districts within the ‘Ninth Circuit.’ Of these, 45 essays and 44 videos advanced to the circuit-level preliminary selection stage, from which 12 essays and 12 videos were chosen for the final round.
Yelamanchili has been participating in debate competitions organized by the ‘Potomac Debate Academy’ since the sixth grade. She represented ‘Team USA’ at the 2024 ‘International Olympiad in Forensics.’
Six students have been selected as top winners for the 2026 competition and will receive a total of 11,400 US dollars in prize money. The first-place winners, accompanied by their parents or guardians, will be invited to attend the 2026 ‘Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.’
Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia of the Ninth Circuit congratulated the winners and commended the students for reflecting on the principles of the ‘Declaration of Independence.’
A total of 1,043 essays and 185 videos were received from local competitions held across the 15 judicial districts within the ‘Ninth Circuit.’ Of these, 45 essays and 44 videos advanced to the circuit-level preliminary selection stage, from which 12 essays and 12 videos were chosen for the final round of evaluation.
The Circuit’s ‘Public Information and Community Outreach Committee’ participated in the final evaluation process. This competition was sponsored by that committee, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the federal courts within the Circuit.
Other finalists in the essay category include Ashka Bhuptani from Redondo Union High School and Suah Jin from Sunny Hills High School—both in California’s Central District—as well as Jasmine Yeh from The Quarry Lane School in California’s Northern District, and Natalie Amir-Lobel from La Jolla Country Day School in California’s Southern District.
The remaining essay finalists included Melissa Soben from Lincoln High School and Chloe Zhang from Sherwood High School in Oregon; Ravi K. from Mead High School in Eastern Washington; and Vanessa Brook from Anacortes High School in Western Washington.
The video finalists included students and teams from Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington.
