Newport Historical Society to sponsor Write Your Way to Hamilton Essay Contest
Newport, RI (January 2019) – Are you a 10th grade student who wants to see the award winning musical Hamilton in the room where it happened first on Broadway? The Newport Historical Society is once again sponsoring the “Big Ideas for a Changing World: Write Your Way to Hamilton Essay Contest.” The prize for the winning essay writers is a trip to New York City to see Hamilton, An American Musical. Entries to the contest must be emailed or postmarked by March 15, 2019, winning papers will be announced by April 5, 2019.
This competition is open to Rhode Island students enrolled in the 10th grade (2018-2019 academic year) in public and other tuition free schools. Students may enter individually or through their class.
Rhode Islanders have a history of changing the world! We were the first place in the modern world to incorporate the revolutionary principle of religious freedom in our governing documents. That idea and the related concept of separation of church and state have gone on to sweep the world. Today, these principles are included in the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Just a little more than 100 years later, Rhode Islanders changed the world again – this time by starting the Industrial Revolution in America. What will we do next?
Essay writers are asked to respond to the prompt: What is happening now in your community, or what could be happening, that has the power to change the future in Rhode Island and potentially the world?
What’s the prize for success? A trip to New York City on May 11, 2019 to see a matinee showing of the award-winning and genre-busting Broadway show, Hamilton, An American Musical; matinee, lunch and chartered bus transportation to and from New York City included. Winners from each Rhode Island county will be selected. Teachers who sponsor this competition in their classes and have an award-winning student essay will also be invited to join us. The event, including bus trip, time in NYC and show will be chaperoned by teachers of winning students and by NHS staff. Tickets and trip are nontransferable.
Submission guidelines, submission form, and past contest winner’s essays can be found at NewportHistory.org.
About the Newport Historical Society
Since 1854, the Newport Historical Society has collected and preserved the artifacts, photographs, documents, publications, and genealogical records that relate to the history of Newport County, to make these materials readily available for both research and enjoyment, and to act as a resource center for the education of the public about the history of Newport County, so that knowledge of the past may contribute to a fuller understanding of the present. For more information please visit www.NewportHistory.org.