The National Writing Award: Unity and Justice
Based on Sam Mihara’s 2024 Jefferson Lecture, “Memories of Injustice”
NCTE, in partnership with the National Humanities Alliance, is proud to once again announce its annual award for student writers and mini-grants for educators tied to the National Endowment for the Humanities’ prestigious Jefferson Lecture. The Jefferson Lecture is the highest honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.
Prompt:
Sam Mihara’s Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, “Memories of Injustice,” connects his personal experiences with history. As National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo) explains, by describing experiences during this “painful chapter of American history . . . Sam shares personal insight on how to learn from history and find unity.”
As you reflect on the theme of the lecture, consider how your own life has been shaped by broader historical events and precedents. What lessons around unity and justice have you learned? How are your commitments to the future built on the lessons learned from your past or from narratives you’ve encountered?
Award Structure
- The award is open to current 11th and 12th graders in the United States and US territories.
- Students may self-nominate, or they may be nominated by an educator.
- Entries may be up to four pages long, double-spaced; longer entries will not be reviewed beyond four pages.
- Only one submission per writer is allowed. Students may not submit to more than one category—fiction, prose, poetry or essay.
- Writings should be submitted in PDF form, with only the student’s first and last name and the submission title included with the writing.
Awards
- One prize of $1,000
- Four prizes of $500 each
- Prizewinners will have the opportunity for excerpts to be published by NCTE.
All participating students will receive either a certificate of Superior Writing (for submissions sent to the second round of review) or an Honorable Mention.
Timeline
- January 15, 2025: Jefferson Lecture streams online.
- January 15: National Writing Award application period opens.
- February 23: Application period closes.
- Summer 2025: Winning students and their teachers are notified.
Educators: Sign up to receive an email reminder when the contest opens!
Read about last year’s winners here.
Have questions? Please email studentwriting@ncte.org.
We extend our thanks to the Teagle Foundation for its support of this award.