Department-selected post entries will be available to view at national convention in August.
Since 2025, as approved in Resolution 20, the national history contest for posts has become a showcase. This year, department adjutants will be able to submit:
1 one-year hard-copy post history; these entries will be showcased at the 107th National Convention in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 28-Sept. 3
1 one-year digital post history; these entries will be showcased on an online exhibit
1 one-year digital department history for judging in the contest and showcasing on the online exhibit
Entries in both categories should consist of one PDF file, not to exceed 100MB. Those for the digital department contest need to be submitted digitally no later than Aug. 1, and for the post showcase (digital and hard copy) no later than Aug. 7, to be received by the Library Division at National Headquarters in Indianapolis. Submission details, including the website to send them, will be provided directly to department adjutants via communication from American Legion National Historian David W. Lockhart. Entries for both the contest and the showcase will only be considered official if they are submitted by the department adjutant through the specific submission website.
During his address to the National Association of Department Historians of The American Legion (NADHAL) in October, Lockhart stressed the importance of communication between department historians and their posts and reminded them about the permanent History Contest and Showcase website: legionhistoryshowcase.omeka.net. He also emphasized that posts and departments should create histories to preserve their stories and share them with the community, which can aid in outreach and even member recruitment. Post historians with questions about state contests should contact their departments for information and guidance.
Guidelines for the 2026 National History Contest and Showcase can be found in the attached document here. Also available is a resource for department historians to train post historians; it can be transmitted via email or presented at a conference.
- Library & Museum