Character Counts
Each October, Tri Sigma participates in CHARACTER COUNTS! Week by hosting a character essay contest, encouraging collegiate sorority women to reflect on the importance of character.
Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship—these are the six pillars of Character Counts, an educational program set to instill good morals and values regardless of political, religious or culturally diverse backgrounds. Tri Sigma’s ideals of wisdom, power, faith, hope, and love fit into these pillars as concepts of a larger picture.
Each year during the third week in October, Tri Sigma celebrates CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. One way we do this is our annual Character Essay Contest. Open to all collegiate sorority women, the contest challenges them to consider and write about their own character and how it relates to their daily life.
2025 Essay Contest
All entrants must be collegiate members who are:
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Affiliated with a national sorority (NPC, NPHC, NMGC, NAPA, etc.)
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Enrolled full-time at a college or university
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In good standing with their organization.
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All entries should include name, email address, phone number, and sorority or chapter affiliation. The affiliated organization will verify good standing before the award announcement.
Essays should address the annual topic, be well-written (including grammar and spelling), and not exceed 600 words in length.
Essay contest winners will be announced the week of Oct. 20. Winning entries will be awarded:
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$300 for 1st place
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$200 for 2nd place
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$100 for 3rd place
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All submissions become the property of Tri Sigma and may be published online.
2025 Essay Topic
This year's essay contest theme is “Living Our Values, Empowering Change.”
Sorority members across the country strive to live their values and lead with character. In 600 words or less, entrants should share their vision for how living their values today can inspire lasting change for future generations. Reflect on how living the values of your organization strengthen character and empower members to create transformational change for themselves, their chapters, their campuses, and the communities around them.
Submissions for the 2025 Character Essay Contest are now closed.
Check back next year for another opportunity!
2025 Essay Winners
The 2024 essay theme focused on a quote from The Secret Life of Bees. Author Sue Monk Kidd wrote: “The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.” Entrants were asked to share what matters to them and how it is connected to their character.
