Iowa student competes in elite Presidential 1776 Award finals

North Mahaska High School sophomore Cayden Plate is one of 20 finalists from across the country who are competing today in Washington, D.C., for the Presidential 1776 Award, a nationwide contest recognizing outstanding student knowledge of the American founding.

“I was so shocked,” 15-year-old Cayden said. “I studied and was happy to be named a finalist.”

More than 8,000 high school students from all 50 states and territories qualified for the initial Presidential 1776 Award competition by completing the online Impossible Civics Test earlier this year. From those 8,000 qualifiers, 173 students moved on to one of five regional semifinals, where students demonstrated their understanding of the U.S. Constitution, the American founding and other key historical events. Semifinal competitions were held in May in Boston, Massachusetts; Atlanta, Georgia; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Dallas, Texas; and Yorba Linda, California.

The students with the highest scores from each region were invited to participate in the national finals in D.C. Cayden took third place at the regional semifinals in Grand Rapids to earn a spot in today’s final competition.

“The semifinals were fun and nerve racking,” he said. “It was cool to have made it that far and meet others who did too.”

With a strong interest in history and a love of history podcasts, Cayden entered the competition and completed the initial civics test with a ‘why not’ attitude, bringing his extensive understanding of American history to the spotlight. Since then, he has been studying four hours a day to prepare for today’s final event, where he could be one of three students to win up to $150,000 in scholarship prizes.

Along with the opportunity to compete against his peers, Cayden is also looking forward to his time in the nation’s capital to take in the country’s rich historical sites and landmarks.

“We get to look at some of the documents we have been studying, so that's cool,” he said. “I also look forward to seeing the new reflection pool. If I don’t make it to the top three, then I’ll also get to tour the capital with our congressman.”

Cayden is ready to take on his competitors today, but his placement doesn’t matter to his parents. They are already proud of his achievements and exciting journey through the competition.

“I am so incredibly proud of what Cayden had accomplished,” said Kristin Plate, Cayden’s mom. “I love seeing him blossom and bond with others with the same interest.”

For more information on the Presidential 1776 Award, sponsored by the James Madison Memorial Foundation, visit the competition’s official website.