Annual Youth Contest Guidelines

The National Huguenot Society (NHS) Youth Contest is designed to invigorate our state societies, raise Huguenot awareness among our youth, and strengthen family ties between members and their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews by sponsoring a contest for students. We aim to encourage eligible young relatives and friends of members to register as youth, or to join as an NHS member. The winning submissions will be announced and published in The Cross of Languedoc.

Program Timeline

January 1: Opening date for current calendar year Youth Contest Candidate Submissions.

January 1: The Committee Chairman notifies the President General of the prior calendar year’s proposed Youth Contest winners. Once the President General has approved those winners, the Committee Chairman notifies the winners. The Chairman should forward th winning submissions along with the winners’ names and state to the Editor of The Cross of Languedoc for publication. The President General should notify the Treasurer General to promptly issue checks to the winners in accordance with the amounts promised in the Youth Contest Guidelines.

November 20: Closing date for current year Youth Contest Candidate Submissions.

Program Requirements

1. Candidates must be students in either elementary school or high school and must be eligible for and either registered with The National Huguenot Society either as a Youth or have applied for membership. Candidates must pay the applicable fee and have a relative may submit an Application for Youth Registration for the Candidate or enroll the Candidate as a Junior Member of the National Huguenot Society. Youth Registration costs $20.00 per youth, click here to download the form.

2. ALL SUBMISSIONS SHOULD CONTAIN: The Youth’s Name, Grade, Age, Address, and State Society, and a title. Attention should also be paid to spelling and grammar.

3. Prepare your submissions in Microsoft Word format (or JPG format for the Level 1 submissions) whenever possible; if not possible, use PDF. Email them to Martha Ann Whitt at between January 1st and November 20th.

Contest Topics and Prizes

Entries will be judged on originality, creativity, and thoughtful handling of the topic.

Level 1 – Grades 2-4: Each student will submit an art piece to illustrate contributions of Huguenots or Huguenot descendants to America. Each submission should have an accompanying title or short statement to explain the relationship of the artwork to the theme. Artwork should be scanned into a computer or digitally photographed so that it can be emailed. Please submit in JPEG format if possible; if not, use PDF. Prizes: 1st place=$100; 2nd place=$50; 3rd place=$25.

Level 2 – Grades 5-8: Each student will either: (1) Submit an essay on “What it means to me to be a descendant of a Huguenot.” Information about their specific ancestor may be cited. Visual images may also be included. Please submit the essay in PDF format, and any associated images in JPEG format. – OR – (2) Students will read and submit a review of one of the books listed below. Essays should be at least 300 words in length, contain a title, and be composed in proper form with attention to correct spelling and grammar. Please submit in Microsoft Word format; if not, use PDF. Prizes: 1st place=$200; 2nd place=$100; 3rd place=$50.

Level 3 – Grades 9-12: Each student will submit an essay on “What I’ve learned about the migration of Huguenots to other lands.” Visual images may be included, such as maps or other types of illustrations. The essay should be at least 500 words in length, contain a title, and be composed in proper form with attention to correct spelling and grammar. Please submit in Microsoft Word format; if not, use PDF. Prizes: 1st place=$500; 2nd place=$250; 3rd place=$100.

Well-Known Books About Huguenots for Young Readers Below – Please Notify Us About New Ones!

  1. The Escape: Adventures of Three Huguenot Children Fleeing Persecution, A. Van Der Jagt.
  2. Huguenot Garden, Douglas Jones.
  3. Escape Across the Wide Sea, Katherine Kirkpatrick.
  4. The Refugees: Tale of Two Continents, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (better for slightly older children).
  5. Francis Marion & The Legend of the Swamp Fox, Kate Salley Palmer.
  6. Hammer of the Huguenots, Douglas Bond.

Sample of Famous Americans with Huguenot Ancestors:

  • Audubon, John James (1785-1851) Ornithologist, naturalist, and painter of birds
  • Cassatt, Mary (1845-1926) American’s most famous impressionist artist
  • Chennault, Claire Lee (1890-1958) Air Force General, Flying Tigers in WWII
  • Cody, William Frederick (1846-1917) Heroic Army scout, “Buffalo Bill” showman
  • Crockett, Davy (1786-1836) Battle of the Alamo hero
  • Custis, Martha Dandridge (1731-1802) First Lady, spouse of George Washington
  • Dana, Richard Henry (1815-1882) Author of Two Years Before the Mast
  • Decatur, Stephen (1779-1820) Heroic naval officer
  • Depp, Johnny (1963-) American film actor
  • Dewey, George (1837-1917) Admiral in Spanish-American War
  • Dulles, John Foster (1888-1959) U.S. Secretary of State
  • Du Pont, E.I (1771-1834) American industrialist
  • Edison, Thomas Alva (1847-1931) Inventor, especially electrical & communication devices
  • Eisenhower, Dwight David (1890-1969) WWII Commander of Allied Forces, 34th President
  • Faneuil, Peter (1700-1743) Built Faneuil Hall “Cradle of Freedom” in Boston
  • Hamilton, Alexander (1757-1804) 1st Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
  • Howe, Julia Ward (1819-1910) Author of “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, social reformer
  • Grant, Ulysses S. (1822-1885) Civil War Commander of Union Forces, 18th President
  • Grimké, Angela & Sarah 19th century civil rights activists
  • Jay, John (1745-1829) First Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
  • Lee, Robert E. (1807-1870) Civil War Commander of the Confederate Army
  • Lindbergh, Charles (1902-1974) Aviator who made first nonstop solo flight from New York to Paris
  • Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth (1807-1882) Poet
  • Minuit, Peter (1580?-1638) First Deputy General of New Netherlands
  • Poinsett, Joel Roberts (1779 – 1851) Christmas flower named for him
  • Robert, Henry Martin (1837-1925) General who wrote Robert’s Rules of Order
  • Rockefeller, John D. (1839-1937) U.S. industrialist and philanthropist
  • Revere, Paul (1735-1818) Gold & silversmith; Ride immortalized by Longfellow’s poem
  • Roosevelt, Eleanor (1884-1962) Instrumental in U.N. Declaration of Human Rights; First Lady
  • Roosevelt, Franklin Delano (1882-1945) 32nd President
  • Roosevelt, Theodore (1858-1919) 26th President
  • Thoreau, Henry David (1817-1862) Author of On Walden Pond
  • Tiffany, Charles (1812-1908) Jeweler
  • Truman, Harry (1884-1972) 33rd President of the United States
  • Washington, George (1732-1799) Revolutionary War general and first President
  • Wittier, John Greenleaf (1807-1892) Poet
  • Williams, Thomas Lanier (1911-1983) Tennessee Williams, major American playwright