Instructions for Essay Submissions
High School and Middle School students are invited to submit an essay no later than JUNE 15, 2024 for consideration in this competition.
Deadlines:
Submission Deadline: June 15, 2024
Notification Deadline: October 15, 2024
Essay Categories:
Students will submit to one of four categories as follows:
- High School Level – Historical Entry
- High School Level – Original Entry
- Middle School Level – Historical Entry
- Middle School Level – Original Entry
Original Entry: entries that are based in history, but have an additional creative component, such as a historical fiction, a poem, lyrics, etc.
Historical Entry: entries that are analytic, narrative-analytic, or microhistorical essays that make a clear historical argument.
Word count does not include footnotes and bibliography:
- High School Submission: 1,000-1,500 words
- Middle School Submission: 750-1,000 words
Essay Format:
Essay submissions are to be written following either the Chicago Style of formatting or the MLA Style of formatting. Once your essay is complete, please convert it to either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF before uploading to the submission site.
Submitting Your Essay:
All essays must be submitted to the Essay Submission Site (https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/USSMASSESSAY2024) no later than June 15, 2024 (midnight Eastern Time).
New users to the site should click on Create Account. You will be prompted through the sign-up wizard to create an account.
NOTE: Students under the age of 14 years MUST have a parent or guardian register their account on the Submission Site. The parent or guardian will use their email address when registering for the account, but will have an opportunity to add the student’s name and email information to the submission.
Once you have established an account, you will be able to create a submission and upload your essay. Please answer all questions on the submission form.
Technical Help with the submission site should be directed to Kathleen Ballos at kathleen@ballos.com.