The 2013 Contest theme is “Preserving Louisiana.” Topics for essays might appropriately include the conservation of natural resources, cultural and heritage preservation, environmental preservation or restoration, genealogy and ancestry awareness, language preservation, preservation awareness, and recycling.

Length: Approximately 500 – 1,250 words. All entries should have titles and should be typed (double spaced, 12 point font, standard margins). Deadline: June 15, 2013.

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.

All entries should be sent as e-mail attachments to Dr. Shane Rasmussen, rasmussens@nsula.edu or by mail to the Louisiana Folklife Center, NSU Box 3663, Natchitoches, LA 71497. Please include a separate cover page with your name, school affiliation, mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, and the title of your entry. “2013 NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest” should be the subject line of e-mails. Prize winning students will be notified by July 31, 2013.

The prizes for the contest winners are: 1^st place – $150; 2^nd place – $100; and 3^rd place – $50. In addition to the $100 prize, essay contest winners will receive a $200/per semester NSU scholarship with a value up to $1600 for four years. This award is in addition to other scholarship awards that the student may receive from Northwestern State University. To be eligible, essay winners must submit a complete scholarship application packet to the university by December 1 of their Senior Year. Winners must also 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 also need to submit proof of the award.

The three prize winning entries will be published in Louisiana Folklife, an academic journal produced by the Louisiana Folklife Center, Northwestern State University, General Editor, Dr. Shane Rasmussen. (Entries may be subject to minor revision before publication.) Submission to the contest entails granting permission to publish the entry in Louisiana Folklife. The three prize winning students will also be invited to present their essay at the 5^th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference held at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, on Saturday September 21, 2013.

Additional information is available on the website for the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University: http://louisianafolklife.nsula.edu/.

Dr. Lisa Abney, Provost, Vice President for Student and Academic Affairs, and Professor of English (co-chair)

Dr. Shane Rasmussen, Director of the Louisiana Folklife Center and Assistant Professor of English (co-chair)

Sponsored by the NSU Department of Fine + Graphic Arts, the Folklife Society of Louisiana, the Louisiana Folklife Center, the NSU Writing Project, and the College of Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies and Research at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.