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The Barbara Jordan Historical Essay Competition The Heman Sweatt Symposium on Civil Rights |
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The Barbara Jordan Historical Essay Competition
The competition is open to Texas high school students in grades 9 - 12. Students select a topic on any aspect of history that reflects the influence and contributions that African Americans have made to their local community or particular region of the state. The competition links students with local historical commissions, research databases,and individuals that have shaped Texas history. In this unique competition students gather information about historical events and individuals through interviews with relatives, friends, and community leaders. These personal interactions afford students with the opportunity to document invaluable knowledge directly from the participants and witnesses of history. Students submit essays of no less than 1,500 and no more than 2,500 words in length. Essays follow standard style guides and include a description of the topic in a local or regional setting and an analysis and interpretation of the topic. Judges in each of ten designated regions select three student essays from each region to compete for three scholarship awards. Essays are selected on criteria of historical quality, clarity of presentation, and relation to theme. Essays are submitted in March and awards are presented in April.Students submitting essays receive a certificate of recognition. Three students from each of 10 designated regions are chosen as regional representatives and qualify to compete in the statewide competition, which takes place at The University of Texas at Austin in April. The statewide competition is held in conjunction with the Annual Heman Sweatt Symposium on Civil Rights providing students an opportunity to participate in the symposium keynote event. At the statewide competition, regional winners attend an awards ceremony hosted by Dr. Larry R. Faulkner, president of the University of Texas at Austin. Winning essays are archived in the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. The three winning students receive a $2,500 scholarship award for first place, $1,500 for 2nd place, and $1,000 for third place. Scholarship awards may be used at any college or university of the students’ choice. Students interested in participating in the competition must request and follow the competition guidelines. Guidelines may be requested by contacting Deb Duval, (512) 232-7599, or they can also be accessed on the Barbara Jordan Historical Essay Competition website.
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