​THE 2021 NMEW ESSAY CONTEST THEME: HOW HAVE ETHICAL PRINCIPLES INFLUENCED YOUR BEHAVIOR AND ACTIONS DURING THE PANDEMIC?​DEADLINE: 11:59pm MST – FRIDAY MAY 21st, 2021
General Guidelines

• An entrant must be a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior at a New Mexico high school
• All entries must be received by the contest deadline to be considered. The deadline for the 2020 NMEW Essay Contest is 11:59pm MST on Friday, May 21st, 2021.
• Entries must follow the contest guidelines in terms of length, adherence to theme and topic.
• All entries must be the original work of the entrant.
• Essays become the property of NMEW and may be used in print, digital and web-based promotional materials by NMEW.
• Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three essays in the following amounts:

• • 1st place $500
  • 2nd place $250
  • 3rd place $150
  • Honorable Mention (2) $50
• Winners will be notified by early summer. NMEW requests that winners attend an in-person, or video conference ceremony that will be held during the summer of 2021, where they will be presented with their prize and a certificate.  
• The judging and selection process will be at the sole discretion of New Mexico Ethics Watch, and the judging committee(s) chosen for such purpose. Submissions may be disqualified if submission rules are not followed.  Decisions of the judges are final and binding.
• Entrants are responsible for complying with these guidelines.
• Open to New Mexico residents only.
• Please submit final materials to essays@nmethicswatch.org
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Submission Information
Each essay contest entry must be between 500-1000 words and must adhere to the theme: How have ethical principles influenced your behavior and actions during the pandemic? All essays must be submitted by May 21st, 2021 to essays@nmethicswatch.org
​
All submissions must include a cover page that contains the following information:

• Entrant’s full name
• Entrant’s age
• First and last name of the entrant’s parent/guardian (if under 18)
• Entrant’s mailing address
• Name of the high school attended
• High school city and state
• Entrant’s telephone number
• Entrant’s email address

​​Personal information should only be entered onto the cover sheet, as all essays will be judged blindly.
Any submissions that include personal information in the body of the essay will be automatically disqualified.  
All essays will be judged using the following criteria: relevance to theme, clarity, creativity, and grammar/spelling.

The year 2020 will forever be synonymous with misery. Besides killing nearly 3,200 people in New Mexico, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the economy to shut down, causing tens of thousands to lose their jobs in this state in 2020. But according to a new report by New Mexico Ethics Watch, money from oil and gas interests to New Mexico politicians and political organizations continued to flow, with almost $3.3 million from the industry going to political causes during this past election cycle.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2020
Contact: Kathleen Sabo, Executive Director, 505-274-2442 or ksabo@nmethicswatch.org

​WATCH: Full interview with Kathleen Sabo, executive director of New Mexico Ethics Watch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2020
Contact: Kathleen Sabo, Executive Director, 505-274-2442 or ksabo@nmethicswatch.org

In 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, bringing a swift end to WWII. This action, however, came at a cost: many thousands of Japanese citizens died from the explosion, and many more died from radiation poisoning. Today, we are still left with the questions, “Was that the right move? Were the means justified by the end?”. Regardless of any answer, there is no way to judge without a standard by which to make that judgement. If we are to determine means that truly justify the end, we must gather all information on the subject, define who or what defines correct ethics, and conclude what a true end looks like.

Across the world, millions of people suffer injustices caused by unethical practices every day. They are treated poorly, tricked into unfair contracts, robbed of their humanity, blackmailed into submission, and hurt in countless other ways as those in power institute practices that take advantage of the weak and vulnerable. Such practices degrade society and the human race as a whole. In order to counter that degradation, it is necessary to fully understand what it is to “be ethical.”

​The five current commissioners will hold their second meeting in Las Cruces, on August 2, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The meeting will be held at the NM Dept. of Agriculture, 3190 S. Espina St., Las Cruces, NM 88001.

You can find the agenda here