Annual
ESSAY CONTEST
Open to all California Students in 4th through 8th grade.
Public school, private school, religious school, youth programs, youth clubs, library programs and home-schooled students welcome.
Cash prizes for best original essays. Enter the contest through local Parlors (Chapters) throughout California. To read essay rules click here. Submissions are due to Parlors (Chapters) by February 15th each year.
How to find a Parlor (Chapter), click here
Topic:
WHAT MAKES CALIFORNIA WONDERFUL?
Any subject relating to California may be used. Any aspect of California history including history in the making.
Congratulations 2023 Winners…
1st Place
Statewide first-place winner is Braden S. from Los Banos; sponsored by Lomitas Parlor No. 255. Braden attended 7th at Our Lady of Fatima school. In his essay on “California Agriculture”, Braden proudly declares, “I am a Central Valley dairy farmer and we provide milk to your local grocery store”. Braden praises his community writing, “The farming families of Central Valley are respected, smart and one of the hardest working people you will ever meet”. The State Essay Committee was impressed by this young man’s full engagement in dairy farming and his deep love of the Central Valley’s land, people and bounty. Click here to read Braden’s essay.
2nd Place
Avery V. is second-place Statewide winner for her essay “Catalina Island”. Avery was an 8th grade student at Our Lady of Fatima school in Los Banos. She was sponsored by Lomitas Parlor No. 255. A family vacation on Catalina inspired Avery to investigate the island’s history and sights. She described how Catalina served as a location for many movie productions sometimes with quirky results. As Avery explains, “…during the filming of The Vanishing American, twelve bison were brought to Catalina and never left. Now bison can be found living all over the island.” Click here to read Avery’s essay.
3rd Place
6th-grader Alfred C. wrote about the “Gold Rush”. Alfred was student at Upward Bound Study Center in Monterey Park, he was sponsored by Rancho La Puente Parlor No. 331. Having studied the Industrial Revolution, Alfred considered California’s Gold Rush an equivalent revolution because it touched and transformed so many aspects of California history and development.
NDGW ESSAY CONTEST RULES FOR STUDENTS:
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- The Topic is subject to change; check with local Parlors (Chapters) or on this Website.
- Open to California students in 4th through 8th.
- Must be original (written by the student).
- No poems accepted.
- Length between 250 and 500 words.
- Typed and double spaced.
- A rubric will be used to judge the essay. Click here to read the rubric.
- No identifying markings of any kind should be on the front of the essay.
- On the back of essay pages write: student’s name, student’s grade, student’s school, library or organization’s name and city, teacher/adult supervisor/librarian’s name.
- Essay submissions must be accompanied by the entry form supplied by the parlor.
- Essays must be postmarked or submitted digitally to a sponsoring Parlor (Chapter) by February 15 to be eligible.
- State winners’ parent/s or legal guardian must sign photo/video release form for student’s picture or video to be published. Parlor (Chapter) will supply forms.
- State winners’ essays and pictures will be published on the NDGW Website following the Grand Parlor Annual Meeting.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Read the rules above. Student submissions must go through a Parlor (Chapter) near where the student lives. If there are no Parlors (Chapters) in your area, feel free to contact the next closest Parlor (Chapter). To be eligible, a completed entry form must accompany the submission.
LIST OF PARLORSWinners are announced at the Native Daughters of the Golden West Grand Parlor Annual Meeting each June. Monetary prizes are awarded. Prizes can be presented by the Parlors (Chapters) or the State Wide Essay Committee.
