The Eastside Republican Club is hosting a scholarship essay contest for area students. The top three essay authors will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship, a $750 scholarship, and a $500 scholarship, respectively.

“What is the responsibility of the media in a free society?” is the topic for the contest.

Entrants must be currently enrolled high school students graduating in 2017, or freshmen or sophomores in an accredited college or university. They must permanently live in, or attend school in King County.

Essays must be 500 words or less, written in English and submitted in .doc, .docx, .txt, or .pdf format.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m., Friday, April 21. Email essays to scholarship@eastsiderepublicanclub.org. For more information, see http://www.eastsiderepublicanclub.org/scholarship.htm.