ESSAY CONTEST GUIDELINES 

 Click here for a printable version of the guidelines and to download pictures

ELIGIBILITY

The Essay Contest is open to any student in grades 6 through 8.

DATES

The contest opens on February 10, 2025, and ends on April 4, 2025.

Winners will be announced as part of the “Walk Through Living History” Day in the Park, on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at Speed Spencer Stephens Park in Tallahassee, FL.

Winners will be contacted prior to this date.

PRIZES

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

  • Middle School – Grades 6-8

    • 1st Place - $100.00

    • 2nd Place - $50.00

    • 3rd Place - $25.00

ESSAY THEME

Civil War Photos tell a story. Select one of the photographs from the Civil War era. Write an essay to include your thoughts and observations of the following:

  • What number photograph did you choose and why?

  • What did you notice first in the picture?

  • What did you find small but interesting in the picture?

  • What do you notice that you cannot explain in the picture?

  • How have things changed today than they were in the picture that you selected?

REQUIREMENTS

The submissions must meet the following requirements:

  • Must be an original work with limited guidance from others.

  • Must be drafted in English and submitted as a double-spaced Word or Word-friendly document.

  • Must contain at least 200 words but no more than 500 words.

  • References:

    -Source: Name

    -Website URL

  • Both the essay and an Official Entry Form must be attached in a single email received no later than April 4, 2025, by 11:59pm.

  • No identifying information (such as writer’s name) should be on the page(s) of the actual essay or included in the content of the essay.

BACKGOUND INFORMATION

The U.S. Civil war sharply divide the American people. The freedom of African Americans and others being held in bondage was at the central core of the conflict. A true turning point was the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, which did not reach Florida until two years after its initial signing. The ideas expressed in this historical document continue to resonate throughout this country and state even today. Five months after the issuance of the Proclamation came about the formation of the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.). By the end of the war more than 185,000 African American men had served in U.S.C.T. To learn more about the Civil War and the U.S.C.T. soldiers, consider visiting some of the following websites:

  • American Battlefield Trust - www.battlefields.org,

  • American Civil War Museum – www.acwm.org,

  • National Archives - www.archives.gov ,

  • Civil War Digital – www.civilwardigital.com and

  • National Humanities Center – www.nationalhumanitiescenter.org.

This is just a small sample of the available on-line resources.

JUDGING
Submissions will be judged on the following:

  • organization, structure and references (35 points)

  • essay theme questions(20 points)

  • grammar and Spelling (35 points)

  • proper submission of the essay package (10 points)

  • The total score possible per judge is 100 points.

 ALL ENTRIES SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO:

USCTArtandEssayContest@gmail.com

Subject Line: ATTN – Essay Committee

ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59pm on APRIL 4, 2025