NATCHITOCHES – The 15th annual NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest is open for submissions until June 1. The essay contest is open to all Louisiana students in grades 9-12 regardless of type of school institution, including students in all types of private educational environments, as well as home schooled students.
The 2023 Contest theme is “Louisiana Futures.” Entrants are invited to address the following prompt: “Imagine yourself in twenty years. What is your occupation? How does your work improve Louisiana?”
Essays should be approximately 1,000 – 2,500+ words, should have titles, and should be typed (double spaced, 12-point font, standard margins). Entries should include a cover sheet with the student’s name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address, school affiliation and the title of their entry. Entries may be submitted via e-mail to Dr. Shane Rasmussen, rasmussens@nsula.edu or mailed to the Louisiana Folklife Center, NSU Box 5688, Natchitoches, LA 71497. “2023 NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest” should be the subject line of e-mails. The deadline for contest submissions is June 1. Prize-winning students will be notified by July 15,
The prizes for the contest winners are 1st place – $150; 2nd place – $100; and 3rd place – $50. In addition, essay contest winners will receive a $200/per semester NSU scholarship with a value up to $1,600 if they attend NSU for four years. This award is in addition to other scholarship awards the student may receive from Northwestern State. Winners must have at least a 20 ACT composite or 950 on the SAT, as well as at least a 2.0 GPA to be eligible. Essay winners need to submit proof of the award. Winning essayists will be invited to read their paper at the 15th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference to be held on the NSU campus on Saturday September 23.
The top three winning entries will also be published in the Louisiana Folklife Journal. Submission of an entry to the contest entails granting permission to publish the essay in the Louisiana Folklife Journal. Entries may be subject to minor revision prior to publication. Additional information is available on the website for the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University: https://www.nsula.edu/folklife/highschoolessay/.
The contest is sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center, the Department of English, Languages, and Cultural Studies, the Office of Financial Aid, and the Office of Recruiting at Northwestern State.
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