Guidelines
Notes and definitions:
Primary sources:
A primary source is an original record that is the direct product of the time that is being studied—for example, private diaries, photographs, letters, novels, plays, newspapers, maps, city records, videos of a historic site, objects, artwork, crafts, recipes, or interviews with a person who experienced that era. Diverse primary sources can show multiple perspectives.
Secondary sources:
Secondary sources include peer-reviewed journals, academic books, reference books, and more. Wikipedia is a useful start, but quality secondary sources are more in-depth than Wikipedia.
Originality:
The Competition values the author’s original, distinctive, and authentic voice. The use of internet authoring sites like ChatGPT or other artificial intelligences is not allowed, as it would obscure this distinctive personal voice.
Context:
Context is what gives the reader relevant information about the situation in which the story takes place. For instance, information about time period, local history, economic conditions, cultural traditions, language, political regimes, the influence of local community or church leaders, weather, season, or geographic situations might better inform a story.
Number of sources referenced:
A high-quality student research paper will combine primary and secondary sources for a minimum of 7 total sources. A high-quality academic research article will combine primary and secondary sources for a minimum of 15 total sources.
References:
All submissions must include a bibliography containing a list of references. In the case of audiovisual presentations, the bibliography should be submitted in a .rtf, .doc, or .pdf file. In the case of oral history interviews or similar formats in which there is only one source (the interviewee), the reference in the bibliography can simply list the interviewee’s full name, their date of birth, the location of the interview, the date of the interview, and the name of the interviewer.
Technical merit:
A submission with high technical merit is easy to access and understand. Audio recordings are clear and free from background noise; video recordings are well lit and free from audio interference; written work is not impaired by grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, or typographical errors.
Submission and publication permissions
Permission for Church History Library accession:
By submitting their work to the Competition, participants give the Church permission to include their work in the archives of the Church History Library, according to its needs and policies.
Publication permissions
Works submitted to the Competition, whether or not they win a prize, may also be selected for publication in Church media. In this event, the Church media organizations will contact individuals directly to secure additional permission for publication.
How to Participate
Complete the following form.
Questions regarding the History Competition can be emailed to stories@ChurchofJesusChrist.org.