Essay Contest Celebrating Mayflower's 400th Anniversary Offers Prizes To Students

BOSTON (CBS) - The New England Historic Genealogical Society is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing in Plymouth with a statewide essay contest.

It's open to all Massachusetts students grades 5 through 12. They can be in public, private or parochial schools or home schooled.

Students will pick one of these three questions to answer in their essay:

• How is the story of the Mayflower still relevant today?
• How does your family's journey to America compare to the journey of the Pilgrims in 1620?
• As a native student, what does your tribal history mean to you?

Cash prizes will be awarded to all six winners. Three from grades 5-to-8 will receive $500 and the three winners at the high school level will get $750.

"The stories of our ancestors affect our identities and who we are and our collective identity, who we are as a country. You can learn a lot about your present situation and maybe even the future by looking back and looking at history's lessons," the society's Director of Education, Ginevra Morse, told WBZ-TV. "It's evident the themes are still very much relevant today - immigration, exploration, innovation."

The deadline to submit the essay is June 10th. Winners will be announced in August and will present their essay at special events in Boston later in the year.

Essays can be submitted at mayflower.americanancestors.org/essay-contest.