The Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce a call for essays for its eighth annual Young Native Writers Essay Contest. The Foundation partners with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian to sponsor the national writing contest, which focuses on signs of hope in Native American communities, and challenges Native American youth to think about ways to foster continued progress.
For 2013, students who participate will be asked to describe a recent action undertaken, by the tribal community to which they belong, that gives them a sense of hope, progress and promise. In addition to describing the tribal program, law or policy, essayists will be asked to explain what additional steps they would take (if they were a tribal leader) to keep their community moving forward.
The contest is designed to encourage young Native American writers to explore their heritage, while becoming positive forces in their communities. It is open to Native American high school students from all tribal communities throughout the United States.
Students interested in participating can visit the Holland & Knight Young Native Writers Essay Contest website; click here for official contest rules and to view past winning essays. All essays must be submitted electronically by the entry deadline, April 1, 2013, through the contest website.
Finalists will be named in mid-May and, during the week of July 15-19, 2013, all finalists and two teachers nominated by the winning essayists and competitively selected from those nominations will receive an all-expenses-paid “Scholar Week” trip to Washington, D.C. The group’s activities will include an honor ceremony at the National Museum of the American Indian; a tour of the NMAI Cultural Resources Center, where tribal objects can be viewed and studied; educational symposiums for students and their teachers; and a tour of the U.S. Capitol. The winners will also receive a $2,500 scholarship, to be paid to the college or university of their choice.