‘The celebration improved my children a hundred percent. I wish we could have Negro History Week throughout the year. Let the good work go on. Under your leadership we shall some day appreciate our interesting past and be thereby stimulated to greater endeavor.’
- –A teacher told Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926, following the first Negro History Week
Eligibility
Only college students and tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders may compete in the essay contest. Awards may be given to winners from each of the grades. The pages should be double-spaced, and the title of the essay and author’s name should appear at the top of each page. Each page should be numbered. Citations using Chicago Manual of Style or American Psychological Association (and other styles) are encouraged.
2027 Theme
Celebrating the Bicentennial of America’s Black Press, 1827-2027:
From Black Print Culture to Digital Blackness
More Info
If you have questions… Contact: Professor Burnis Morris, Director, Woodson Lyceum, morrisb@marshall.edu.
How Essay Entries Will Be Judged
- Extent to which students effectively express the significance of the theme:
- Celebrating the Bicentennial of America’s Black Press, 1827-2027:
From Black Print Culture to Digital Blackness
- Celebrating the Bicentennial of America’s Black Press, 1827-2027:
- Organization, argument and conclusion.
- Correct spelling, grammar usage and sentence structure.
- Quality of the research. Citations are encouraged.
- Length of the essay. Students may write 1,000 words or more, double-spaced with numbered pages.
- Separate statement of 100 words about what the student learned in conducting research about the topic.
Requirements
- Insert the student’s name and grade level on the top left of each page (line 1).
- Page setup should be 1-inch margins, and text should be double-spaced using 12-point font in Times New Roman. Essays should be submitted only in Microsoft Word.
- Create a name for the Word doc to be attached in this style: Your Lastname_BlackHistoryEssay_2026 (Example: Morris_BlackHistoryEssay_2026).
- Do not forget to include on a separate page at least 100 words for the statement about what you learned about Black History during your research for the essay. Label it “STATEMENT” to make it easy for jurors to find.
- Please download, fill out and sign the Consent Form. Once filled out, please photograph or scan the form so that it may be uploaded with your poster. Photographs and scans must be legible.
- Please follow our AI policy.
Generative AI Use Policy
Generative AI has many costs and benefits. You may not use generative AI in any way that would violate the Marshall University Student Code of Conduct (URL: https://www.marshall.edu/student-conduct/).
Generative AI use in this competition should be considered just like any other personal communication or secondary source of information that needs to be critiqued, cross-referenced with primary sources of information, and properly cited. For information on citing AI, please see MU Library’s citation website (URL: https://libguides.marshall.edu/plagiarism-AI/cite).
Please review Generative AI – Generative AI at Marshall University (URL: https://www.marshall.edu/ai/) for more information and training related to Generative AI at Marshall University.
Prize
$250 for the first-place winner and $150 for the first-place winner’s teacher.
Deadline
BY 5 P.M., NOVEMBER 20, 2026
Permission to Use Your Entry
By entering the competition, winners grant The Woodson Lyceum and Marshall University permission to use the essay. Winners are expected to attend the awards program, and they will need to complete paperwork to receive the monetary prize.
Consent Form
Students 18 and over or the parent or guardian of a student under 18 must sign the required consent form and grant The Woodson Lyceum/Marshall University the right to use and publicize the winning entry.