GUIDELINES
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Every family and community holds history. Every person's story helps us understand the past and ourselves.
For this year's Storytelling Contest project, think of yourself as a reporter with the assignment to feature the person you’ve selected with an article and photos and/or a video. The story you tell must be true, including quotes from your interview with the person, or from others who knew that person, and research to verify the facts (names, dates, locations, historic background, etc).
CONTEST GUIDELINES
ELIGIBILITY
Students in grades 7-12 residing in and/or attending school in Rappahannock County. An entry may be developed in or out of school.
CONTEST PERIOD
The contest will begin on January 16th, and entries must be submitted through the online Google Form no later than midnight on March 16th.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
All stories must be true and drawn from the experiences of people you interviewed or research you conducted in family or county historic archives. Your finished story should be between 400 and 600 words in length. Although you may submit your story without a photo or video, including a photo you took of the person you interviewed and a photo of them from your family or county archives is strongly advised. No more than 3 photos may be attached to your story. No more than 1 video may be attached to your story, and the video itself may be up to 2 minutes in length.
AI / PLAGIARISM
Entries will be disqualified if they are found to have been false, generated by artificial intelligence or plagiarized.
Each entry must be the original work of one student. An adult may not alter the creative or substantive integrity of the student’s work.
AWARDS
A panel of 15 judges will select 15 story winners, 5 from each grade grouping. One winner will be awarded the new $500 Brooks Prize, named in honor of Stephen Brooks, Foothills Forum Emeritus Board Member and the contest’s founder, which will be awarded to the entry that most exemplifies the fulfillment of local journalism objectives.
Contest awards include:
CASH PRIZES -- $3,000 in prize money. The Brooks Prize will also include an opportunity to see how a real newspaper is produced.
PUBLICATION – Your piece will be printed in the Rappahannock News, and published on their website.
RECOGNITION – Certificates and the prize money will be awarded in person at a ceremony to be held at the Washington School in April.
7-8th Grade
First Place: $200
Second Place: $150
Third Place: $100
Honorable Mentions: $50
9-10th Grade
First Place: $300
Second Place: $225
Third Place: $150
Honorable Mentions: $75
11-12th Grade
First Place: $400
Second Place: $300
Third Place: $200
Honorable Mentions: $100
The Brooks Prize
$500