We the People

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution

A simulated congressional hearing where your class testifies as constitutional experts before a panel of judges.

Run by Center for Civic Education

Eligible grades: The National Finals is for high school teams. The separate National Invitational accepts both high school and middle school teams.
The Center does not publish numbered grade ranges. Some states also run upper elementary and middle school showcases.
Source, checked 2026-09-02
Official divisions: The National Finals is a high school competition; the separate National Invitational accepts both high school and middle school teams.
Based on the organiser's own divisions.
Eligible ages: Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.
The Center for Civic Education publishes no age limits.
Individual or team: Team · The National Invitational has no minimum or maximum team size, and the fee is the same regardless. Each team must answer all six unit questions, dividing into six groups with at least three students each where possible; in small teams students may cover more than one unit.
Where it runs: In person · United States
Entry cost: The National Invitational charges a participation fee of $2,000 per team regardless of team size, covering materials, awards and technology. Travel and lodging are separate and arranged by the team.The National Finals fee was not stated on the pages checked.
Registration deadline: Set locally, not published as a single national date Set through state coordinators; National Invitational teams sign up via an Intent to Compete form. No single national deadline published.
Competition dates: 2026-27 dates not yet published. For reference, the 2026 National Finals ran 17 to 19 April 2026 in Washington, D.C., with the awards ceremony on 19 April, and the 2026 National Invitational ran 15 to 16 May 2026.
Difficulty: CompetitiveSerious preparation over a season. Advancing past the first round separates prepared students from unprepared ones.
Prizes: National championship and recognitionAwards for top teams and for best scores in individual units. At the Invitational, teams outside the top three remain eligible for unit awards. No cash prizes described.

What We the People is

We the People is a class-based constitutional competition. A whole class divides into six units, each responsible for one area of constitutional history and philosophy, and each unit testifies before a panel of judges in a simulated congressional hearing: a prepared four-minute statement followed by six minutes of unscripted follow-up questioning. It is the closest thing in secondary education to appearing before a real committee.

How the competition works

A simulated congressional hearing in which students testify before a panel of adult judges acting as members of Congress, giving a prepared statement then answering follow-up questions. At the National Finals, classes qualify for the top ten on combined scores from the first two days; the national winner is determined by doubling third-day scores and adding them to the first two days' totals. Final rounds are held in hearing rooms on Capitol Hill.

Eligibility notes

This is a class competition rather than a club: the whole class competes as one entity, which means it usually requires a teacher to run it as part of a course.

How to register

Ask a government or history teacher whether the school runs We the People. It requires a teacher to run it as a class.
If not, the teacher contacts the state coordinator through civiced.org to start a programme.
The class works through the official textbook, with students assigned to one of six units.
Compete at the state level; state champions advance to the national finals.

What skills you need

Recommended resources

We the People official page Official · free
Programme description, curriculum, state coordinator directory and competition materials.
National Constitution Center Interactive Constitution Research · free
Free clause-by-clause commentary from leading scholars representing opposing interpretations. Excellent for follow-up question preparation.
Oyez Research · free
Free archive of Supreme Court cases with audio, summaries and opinions.

Past problems and materials

Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.

Past hearing questions
The Center for Civic Education publishes the unit questions used at competition, which are the entire preparation brief.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do this without my school running it?

Rarely. We the People is structured as a class competition where an entire class competes as one entity, so it needs a teacher running it as part of a course. If your school does not, the realistic path is asking a government teacher to contact the state coordinator.

What is the hardest part?

The follow-up questioning. The prepared four-minute statement can be rehearsed; the six minutes of unscripted questions from lawyers and academics cannot, and that is where units separate. Practice hearings with adult volunteers asking hard questions are the highest-value preparation.

Reviews, tips and resources from other students

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Something out of date?

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Verification

Not yet re-checked 2026-08-29

The six-unit structure, simulated hearing format, prepared statement and follow-up question timings, and the state-to-national progression follow the Center for Civic Education's published description. Current state deadlines, material costs and national finals dates were not confirmed during the last check. Confirm with your state coordinator.

Not confirmed for this cycle: Who can enter, Registration deadline, Competition dates, Entry cost, Individual or team, Prizes, How to register. Check these on the official site.

Source: the organiser's own site. No individual fact on this page has been re-checked against it for the current cycle.

Cycle checked: 2025-26 rules published; 2026-27 NOT YET PUBLISHED

Looked for and not found: ages, deadline, prizes. These are shown as not confirmed rather than estimated.

Rules and dates change. Confirm everything on the official site before you rely on it.

At a glance

CategoryCivics and social science
Grades6 to 12
CostThe National Invitational charges a participation fee of $2,000 per team regardless of team size, covering materials, awards and technology. Travel and lodging are separate and arranged by the team.
FormatTeam
LocationIn person
Difficulty3 of 5

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