History contest entries due Sept. 15

The winners of the National Post History Contest and the National Department History Contest will once again be determined at The American Legion National Headquarters in Indianapolis during the week of Fall Meetings, Oct. 15-17.

The National Post History Contest is the final level of competition for post historians who have put together retrospective entries, in either the One-Year Narrative or Yearbook category, chronicling the past year in the life of their posts. These were first submitted for judging at the various department conventions earlier this year. Only the first-place winner from each department is eligible for the national contest. Certification forms, signed by the department historian, must be postmarked on or before Sept. 15; the entries themselves must be at National Headquarters by 8 a.m. on Oct. 15.

The National Department History Contest is an opportunity for the department historians themselves to submit entries, in the One-Year Narrative or Yearbook category, chronicling the past year for the department. Certification forms for this contest must be signed by the department adjutant. The deadlines for forms and entries are in the same as in the post contest.

The judges for both contests will be past and present department and national historians. The new national historian, N. Larry Rozier, will announce the winners during his report to the National Executive Committee. Post historians who did not put together an entry for this year may want to consider starting now on one for next year. The post’s Consolidated Post Report can serve as a checklist of events to cover, whilethe Post Officers Guide contains guidelines and advice on creating archives.