2008 History Award Contest Winners

History Contest Tips

Hershey Museum History Contest Guide 2007/2008

For details, please contact Lois Miklas, Director of Visitor Services, at 717.520.5587 or lmiklas@hersheymuseum.org.

The Purpose of the Hershey Museum History Contest
The Hershey Museum offers this writing contest as a way to encourage students to communicate their interest in and knowledge of history in a creative and coherent manner. Awards are presented in support and acknowledgement of students' efforts and for public recognition of their success.

The Hershey Museum - Background
The Hershey Museum is a non-profit educational institution founded in 1933 by Milton S. Hershey who believed in providing educational and cultural opportunities for the people of Hershey and the Central Pennsylvania region. In keeping with Mr. Hershey's philosophy, the Museum is dedicated to helping people of all ages understand and enjoy many aspects of history.

Entry Information
Categories
The contestant may submit an entry in one of the following categories:

Non-fiction:	An essay about an historical event, era or person(s). An explanation of the student's personal interest in the topic chosen should be included. Specific examples of experiences which have influenced the student's interest, such as books, classroom activities, travel, and personal interactions should be used.
Fiction:	A piece of creative writing, such as a fictional diary entry, story or poem, about an historical event, era or person(s).
Poetry:	A poem about a historical event, era, or person(s).

Each entry must be the original work of the contest entrant, but may also have been submitted as an assigned school project as long as it fulfills the requirements below.

Eligibility
Any student enrolled in public, private or home school, grades 5 through 8, in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry or York County is eligible to submit one entry to the contest in either the fiction or non-fiction category.

Requirements for all Entries
Each entry must comply with all of the following requirements or risk disqualification:

Cover Page The cover page should include the following: Title of Entry, Category (Non-fiction, Fiction or Poetry), Name of Contestant, Age, Grade, School, Name of Teacher, Name of Principal, School District, School Address, Teacher E-Mail Address, Home Address, Home Phone. There should be no other cover or binder. Cover page and composition pages should be stapled together in the top left hand corner.

Composition Entries should be typed in a standard typewriter typeface or computer printed in Times or Times Roman font on plain, white 8.5 by 11 inch paper with a one-inch margin on all sides, with no illustrations. Poems may be single-spaced; all other entries should be double spaced. Type size should be no more than 12 characters per inch or no less than 10-point type. Pages should be numbered consecutively, with the title of the entry at the top of each page. The entrant's name should appear only on the cover page.

Length Prose must be at least 400 but no more than 1000 words. Poems must be at least 35 but no more than 100 lines.

Bibliography A bibliography must be attached to each entry (including poetry). The bibliography should not be included in the word count. At least two of the following types of sources must be cited. Not all sources can be from the internet. The information to be included with each type of reference is:

Book References: Title, author, publisher, city, state, year published, pages used.
Computer References: Title, author or publisher, web site address, date of message, document or download.
Magazine/Journal References: Title of article, author, magazine/journal, publisher, city, state, date published, pages used.
Oral Histories: Name of person interviewed, date of interview, relationship of interviewee to historical event or era.

Copies Four complete copies of each entry must be submitted. Each must have the cover page, the composition pages and the bibliography stapled together in the top left hand corner.

Deadline and Entry Process
Entries must be postmarked by February 15, 2008. They should be sent to: Hershey Museum History Contest, 170 W. Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, PA 17033.

Judging
Entries will be evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Historical accuracy
2. Evidence of an understanding of the historical context surrounding the event, era or person(s) discussed in the entry
3. Clarity and coherence
4. Creativity and imagination in the choice of subject and presentation
5. Grammar, spelling, and compositional structure

Judging Committee
The judges are historians, educators and other community leaders who are not employed by the Hershey Museum.
The decisions of the judges are final.

Awards
Five first place awards will be given: Grades 5/6 Non-Fiction; Grades 5/6 Fiction; Grades 5/6 Poetry; Grades 7/8 Non-Fiction; Grades 7/8 Fiction; Grades 7/8 Poetry.
Each winning student will receive a plaque, a $200 savings bond and a family membership to the Hershey Museum . Additionally, winning students will receive five pounds of Hershey's chocolate to share with his or her classmates.
The Museum will notify the winning students and their schools by April 2, 2008.

Publication
Entrance in this contest grants permission to the Hershey Museum for future publication of winning entries and/or winners names and photographs for award publicity purposes.

Award Presentation
The winning students, their parents and their social studies teachers or other school representatives will be invited to the award presentation at the Hershey Museum. The presentation will take place during the Hershey Museum's Annual Business Breakfast, an event held each spring in support of the Museum's School Services programs.

For Further Information
Call Lois Miklas, Director of Visitor Services, at 717-520-5587 or lmiklas@hersheymuseum.org. View the winning entries from the 2007/2008 Contest.

 

Checklist Hershey Museum History Contest:
2007-2008

Cover Page

1. Title of Entry
2. Category (Fiction or Non-fiction) - check to make sure that the category is correctly identified.
3. Name of Contestant (This is the only place the contestant's name should appear)
4. Age
5. Grade
6. School
7. Name of Teacher
8. Name of Principal
9. School District
10. School Address
11. Teacher E-Mail Address
12. Home Address
13. Home Phone
14. Length (number of words for essays; number of lines for poems)

Composition:

1. Typed (typewriter font) or Computer Printed (Times or Times Roman font)
2. Plain white paper, 8.5 by 11 inches
3. One inch margin on all sides
4. No illustrations
5. Double spaced (except for poems which may be single spaced)
6. Type size for typewriter is no more than 12 characters per inch; for computer is no less than 10-point
7. Top of pages should have ONLY the following:
1. Pages numbered consecutively
2. Title of entry at top of each page
8. No mention of contestant's name within the composition
9. Proof read for grammar, spelling and punctuation

Length:

	Prose: at least 400, no more than 1000 words (not counting bibliography)
	or
	Poem: at least 35, no more than 100 lines (not counting bibliography)

Bibliography:

1. At least two types of sources cited, not all from the Internet
2. Information for each type of source cited includes:
1. Book References: Title, author, publisher, city, state, year published, pages used
2. Computer References: Title, author or publisher, web site address, date of message, document or download
3. Magazine/Journal References: Title of article, author, magazine/journal, publisher, city, state, date published, pages used
4. Oral Histories: Name of person interviewed, date of interview, relationship of interviewee to historical event or era

Copies:

1. Four copies submitted
2. Each copy, with its own cover page, the composition and the bibliography, all stapled together in the upper left hand corner

Entry Deadline:

1. Post-marked by February 15, 2008

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