Call for Submissions!

The 16^th annual NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest is now open for submissions until June 1, 2024.  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 2024 Contest theme is “Lyrical Louisiana.”  Entrants are invited to address one of the following prompts:

1) Write an original composition of lyric poetry inspired by Louisiana.  Entries should be approximately 10-40+ lines, should have titles, and should be typed (single spaced, 12-point font).

2) Write a piece of creative non-fiction addressing which Louisiana song or musician inspires them the most.  Entries may be in narrative form if the student chooses.  Entries should be approximately 1,000-2,500+ words, should have titles, and should be typed (double spaced, 12-point font, standard margins).

3) Compose, perform, and record an original musical composition (lyric and/or instrumental) inspired by Louisiana.  Entries should be between 1-4 minutes in length and should have titles. Recordings need not be made on professional equipment.  For example, phone recordings are acceptable.

All 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 mailed to the Louisiana Folklife Center, NSU Box 5688, Natchitoches, LA 71497 or sent via e-mail to Dr. Shane Rasmussen, rasmussens@nsula.edu with the subject line “2024 NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest.”

Entries may also be submitted to https://forms.office.com/r/vkQSwP7efe.  If you have technical issues, please contact gordyd@nsula.edu.

The deadline for contest submissions is June 1, 2024.  Prize-winning students will be notified by July 15, 2024.

The prizes for the contest winners are 1^st place – $150; 2^nd place – $100; and 3^rd place – $50.  In addition, essay contest winners will receive a $200/per semester NSU scholarship with a value up to $1600 if they attend NSU for four years.  This award is in addition to other scholarship awards that the student may receive from Northwestern State University.  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 present their entry at the 16^th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference to be held on the NSU campus on Saturday September 14, 2024.

The winning print entries will also be published in the Louisiana Folklife Journal.  Submission of an entry to the Contest entails granting permission to publish the entry 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/.

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 University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Essay Contest Co-chairs:

• Jason Church, Chief, Technical Services, National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
• Daniel Gordy, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and English
• Dr. Rebecca Macijeski, Creative Writing Program Coordinator and Associate Professor of English
• Shea Montgomery, Instructor of English
• Dr. Shane Rasmussen, Director of the Louisiana Folklife Center and Professor of English