400 years ago the Mayflower landed on the shores of Massachusetts, forever changing the course of history of four nations: America, England, Netherlands, and Wampanoag. By commemorating the landing of the Mayflower, we honor the story of the Pilgrims and of the native Wampanoag people. Their stories, collectively and individually, embody the triumphs and tragedies of life in early New England and in the country itself. These stories are still relevant today. The 2020 American Ancestors Young Historians Essay Contest asks students to explore how this 400-year old history relates to our national, familial, and/or personal stories and identities.

This contest is open to students in Massachusetts currently enrolled in grades 5–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs.

Prize

Grades 5–8: Three winners will receive $500 and be invited to present part of their essay at special events in Boston, MA.

Grades 9–12: Three winners will receive $750 and be invited to present part of their essay at special events in Boston, MA.

Questions

Please select one of the following:

• How is the story of the Mayflower still relevant today?
• How does your family’s journey to America compare to the journey of the Pilgrims in 1620?
• As a native student, what does your tribal history mean to you?

Submission Guidelines

Grades 5-8

Length: Submissions for the Grades 5–8 American Ancestors Young Historians Award should be approximately 400 words.

Formatting: Number all pages. All pages are to be double-spaced. Use 12-point Times New Roman Font. Margins are to be 1 inch left and right, and top and bottom. Submission file must be a PDF.

Grades 9-12

Length: Submissions for the Grades 9–12 American Ancestors Young Historians Award should be approximately 1,000 words.

Formatting: Number all pages. All pages are to be double-spaced. Use 12-point Times New Roman Font. Margins are to be 1 inch left and right, and top and bottom. Submission file must be a PDF.

Contest Rules

All entries must be the original work of an individual student and must not have been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. An entry may have been submitted as an assigned school project as long as it fulfills all requirements outlined. One entry per student.

All entries must be submitted through the online portal and received by June 10, 2020 11:59 PM EDT.

American Ancestors reserves the right to publish any essay (or portion thereof) submitted to the competition. It will do so solely at its discretion, but full acknowledgment of authorship will be given. American Ancestors also reserves the right to use the winners’ names and entries for promotional purposes in all forms of media without notice, review, approval or compensation, except where prohibited by law.