Starr Center Sponsors Essay Contest

Chestertown, MD, June 7, 2005 — In 2006, Chestertown will celebrate the 300th anniversary of its founding. To celebrate the occasion, the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience is sponsoring a weekend symposium, devoted to Chestertown's history. The conference will bring together Washington College students, outside scholars, and the larger community to explore the unique past of this Eastern Shore town through lectures, exhibits and other events. Topics will range from Chestertown's colonial and Revolutionary heritage to the present day; from race relations to archaeology and historic preservation.

Students are invited to submit papers for presentation at the April 2006 symposium. Essays will be judged by a panel of historians, who will award prizes to the top submissions.

Essay Guidelines

• The Chestertown Essay Contest is open to any Washington College student who is enrolled fulltime during the 2005-2006 academic year.
• Essays should be no longer than 3000 words in length, and may be submitted in hard copy or electronic format.
• All papers must be submitted to the C.V. Starr Center by noon on Friday, March 10, 2006.
• Papers written for Washington College classes are eligible, as are those written expressly for the competition.
• Essays will be judged on their relevance to the larger American story, for original or groundbreaking research, and for elegant and engaging writing.
• Accepted entries will be presented by the students at a Chestertown history symposium to be held on Saturday, April 22, 2006.
• Judges will award a cash prize of $500 to the top essay, with $250 and $100 presented for the second and third place finishers. The top three papers will be featured on the C.V. Starr Center's web site, http://starrcenter.washcoll.edu, and will be considered for publication in the Washington College Magazine.

For more information, or to discuss possible topics, please contact Kees de Mooy, Program Manager of the C.V. Starr Center, at kdemooy2@washcoll.edu or 410-810-7156.