Do you know your family’s history? What about your local history? Or, how about the history of the country your family roots trace back to?
This year’s topic, Hidden Stories of History, was inspired by a research paper about Holodomor, a forgotten chapter in Ukraine’s history.
Through this topic, the Young Writers’ Guild wants to encourage students’ curiosity in history. We especially want to encourage students’ interest in local, ethnic, and/or forgotten stories that most people may not know about.
Hidden Stories of History Contest Rules
Topic: Write an original historical research essay about a hidden story in history that we can learn from or that still has an impact today.
Age Categories & Prizes:
5-6th grade ($100 grand prize, $50 second place, $25 third place)
7-8th grade ($100 grand prize, $50 second place, $25 third place)
High School ($500 grand prize, $200 second place, $100 third place)
Coin/Medal Levels:
Bronze (entry), Silver (honors), Gold (outstanding)
Essay Word Count*
5-6th grade: 500 – 800 words
7-8th – 700-1000 words
High school: 1,200 -1,500 words
*This wordcount does not include the required bibliography.
Bibliography and Style Guide:
Each essay must be accompanied by a bibliography and a cover page with the students’ name, grade, school, and essay word count. A creative subtitle is permitted.
Footnotes are encouraged for 5-8 grade and required in Chicago Style for high school essays. (See this page in the Chicago Manual Style Online for more information.)
Final Notes:
- Essays must be written in English, by the applicant
- No Plagiarism is permitted
- Essays must be a student’s unique creation and not submitted to other contests
Submission Deadline: May 14, 2021
Students’ essays must be submitted both physically & electronically. Physical copies must be postmarked by May 14 and mailed to [insert address] as well as submitted electronically.
Submit Your 2021 Hidden Stories of History Essay Today
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