Ethics Case Writing Project

According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey of US parents, 94% of parents say it’s extremely or very important to them that their children grow up to be honest and ethical adults. 

Description

PLATO’s online, open-access Ethics Case Library contains case studies written by middle school and high school students. The cases, about ethical dilemmas relevant to young students, can be used in classrooms and other ethics forums.

Any middle school or high school student from anywhere in the world can help build the library by submitting a case. Cases are due September 30 each year.

Accepted cases are published on PLATO’s website, with credit to the writers. Writers of accepted cases will also receive a one-year PLATO membership.

All published cases become the property of PLATO.

Guidelines for Submissions

Guidelines: Each case should focus on an ethical issue, current or perennial, relevant to middle and/or high school students. The case must consider the ethical issue from at least two viewpoints presented fully and generously, so that the complexity of the case is made clear. Each case must include 3-4 discussion questions for students analyzing the case.

Length: 300-500 words

Sample case: “Standing for the National Anthem” (also see past accepted cases in PLATO’s Ethics Case Library).

Authorship: Cases can be written by individuals or a group of students (all contributors will be credited).

Submission Limit: Students may submit up to two cases.

Deadline: Submission are now closed. Please check back in spring 2026 for the 2027 submission form.

Judging Criteria

All submissions are anonymously reviewed by a committee of judges according to the following criteria:

  • Does the case clearly articulate the ethical issue and its ethical complications?
  • Does the case explicitly consider at least two viewpoints in a balanced way?
  • Is the case well-written and clearly organized?
  • Is the case on a topic not already covered in PLATO’s Ethics Case Library?
  • Is the case the student’s original work?

The PLATO Ethics Case Writing Project is designed to encourage students to engage in ethical reasoning, critical thinking, and creative writing. This is, of course, an ethics project, and to uphold its integrity all submissions must be the student’s original work and must not be generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Copilot, or other text-based AI systems.

We encourage students to incorporate feedback received from teachers, peers, and mentors. However, the work submitted must reflect the student’s own critical thinking and writing ability.

When submitting an ethics case, students must attest that they have not used AI in their work. Submissions found to have been AI-assisted will be disqualified.