GRHS Scholarship Essay Contest

An International GRHS Essay Contest, sponsored by the Germans from Russia Heritage Society, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, will be held to encourage students to learn about the history and culture of the German-Russians, people who emigrated from Germany into Russia during the 18th and 19th centuries.  Today, in the USA, Canada and other countries in the Western Hemisphere, these people have become known as Germans from Russia.

Contest judging will commence after the close of the Contest on 31 March with the winners being announced after the judging has been completed.  Winning contestants will be invited to receive their awards at a luncheon held in their honor during the 54th Annual GRHS Convention, in July, 2025, held in Mandan, North Dakota.

ELIGIBILITY: The GRHS Essay Contest is open to any student who meets eligibility in a specific category.

These students may attend public, private, parochial, or home schools, and be students attending accredited universities, as full-time undergraduate students. The subject of the paper must be directly related to German Russian history, heritage or culture, and be the contestant’s original work. Use of AI or plagiarized work will be disqualified. Resubmission of previously judged work is not permitted.

CATEGORIES:

International winners will be chosen in each of the following categories:

• Middle School - 6th thru 8th grade.
• High School - 9th thru 12th grade.
• High School Senior – This student will be awarded the Gwen Pritzkau Scholarship.
• University or College Undergraduate, limited to undergraduate students enrolled full-time in degree-seeking programs. Two scholarships will be awarded.

TOPICS:  Essay topics may include any and all aspects of German-Russian heritage including:

• Cultural Anthropology of the German Russians.
• Historical analysis of the reasons for the Diaspora (scatter) of the German Russians.
• German-Russian history in the Americas and Canada.
• German-Russian history in Russia, the Soviet Union, loss of Soviet citizenship, labor camps in the Soviet Union, and labor camps in England and France after World War II.
• Personal family history, insofar as it relates to German-Russian history and culture.

FORMAT: Format for the entries may include:

• Research papers, including persuasive works and/or historical analysis.
• Creative writing, including short stories, fictional diaries, plays, historical fiction, and descriptive prose. Creative writing endeavors should evidence an exploration and understanding of German Russian history and culture.  
• Genealogical history of a particular family including individual histories of ancestors.
• Digital Media, including but not limited to PowerPoint, short film, and website design.  Please note:  all digital media will be judged according to the same criteria as other entries.

PAPER REQUIREMENTS

Middle School:

• Entries should be typed, double spaced, and printed on one side of paper only.
• Entries must include an Official GRHS Essay Contest Entry Form.
• Contestant’s name should be on the entry form only and should not appear on the essay.  

High School:

• Entries must include a Works Cited/Bibliography page.
• Research papers must show footnotes or use either MLA or APA citation.
• Creative writing endeavors are welcomed and should include a bibliography of reference materials evidencing an exploration of German-Russian history.
• Maximum length:  5 pages, not including Works Cited and cover sheets.  
• Entries should be typed, double-spaced, and printed on one side of paper only.
• Entries must include an Official GRHS Essay Contest Entry Form.
• Contestant’s name should be on the entry form only and should not appear on the essay.

College/University:

• Creative writing endeavors are welcomed and must include a bibliography of reference materials evidencing an exploration of German-Russian history.  
• Research papers must include either footnotes or citation using MLA or APA.  If an alternative citation format is used, that format should be listed at the top of the works cited page.
• Maximum length:  5 pages, not including Works Cited and cover sheets.  
• Entries should be typed, double-spaced, and printed on one side of paper only.
• Entries must include an Official GRHS Essay Contest Entry Form.
• Contestant’s name should be on the entry form only and should not appear on the essay.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION:

• Contact the Information Desk at your local public library for material to assist in research on German-Russian history. Many GRHS chapters and genealogical societies have donated or provided books and periodicals for their local libraries. The library genealogy and history sections may contain helpful information.
• Contact members of your family. Elderly members of your family may have useful information and some members of your family may have worked at transcribing your family’s history.
• Helpful websites:
  • Germans from Russia Heritage Society www.grhs.org.  
  • Germans from Russia Heritage Collection http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc.
  • AHSGR: http://www.ahsgr.org/.

JUDGING CRITERIA:

Entries are judged solely on the quality of research underlying the entry, and the writing style of the entry. NOTE:  a substantial portion of the scoring rubric is based upon how the paper addresses German-Russian history and heritage.  All entries are submitted anonymously to a panel of judges, who complete a scoring card for each entry. Scores are then totaled to determine contest winners. Criteria for judging include historical accuracy, clarity, and originality of thought, creativity, and style.  Winning entries, regardless of format, must show evidence of serious research on German-Russian history and culture.

AWARDS:  

With the winner’s authorization, winning essays may be published in the GRHS Heritage Review and/or electronically on the GRHS website. In addition, winners in each category will receive the following:

• Middle School:  First Place: 1st place Trophy and $150; 2nd Place: Runner-Up Trophy and $100.
• High School:  First Place: 1st place Trophy and $150; 2nd Place: Runner-Up Trophy and $100.
• High School Senior Scholarship: Trophy and a $1000 Gwen Pritzkau Scholarship will be awarded to the highest scoring high school senior entry. This scholarship is provided by the Heritage Foundation for Germans from Russia.
• College/University:  Trophy and a $1000 Vera Hoff Scholarship will be awarded to the highest scoring university entry.
• 2nd place will receive a Runner-Up Trophy and $250.