Login | Register
Register | Forgot password?

GRHS Scholarship Essay Contest

Scholarship Value: $1,000

Awards Available: 6

Award Deadline: Mar 31, 2025


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.
How to Apply:
Go To Scholarship Application
Niche $50,000 Scholarship
Deadline: Dec 31, 2024
$50,000
Covering the cost of college expenses for four years without writing a single essay? Sounds too good to be true.It isn't with Niche. We are giving one student $50,000 (our biggest scholarship yet) to help pay for tuition, living expenses, books, and other educational expenses.Who Can ApplyAll high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college...
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE
Be Bold Scholarship
Deadline: Jan 01, 2025
$25,000
The "Be Bold" Scholarship is a no-essay scholarship that will be awarded to the applicant with the boldest profile. It takes less than 2 minutes to apply.To us, boldest does not mean "best", or "most accomplished". Being bold means being:EarnestDeterminedMovingThe scholarship will be awarded to the student whose profile is most bold, according to these characteristics.Furthermore, the scholarship will be...
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE
ScholarshipOwl No Essay Scholarship
Deadline: Dec 29, 2024
$1,000
ScholarshipOwl is your source of relief from the dreaded application process. We put students on the fast-track to success by providing direct access to the scholarships they need the most. Take the hassle out of financial aid and maximize your chance at a free ride in college. No matter how much funding you need for school, we have the opportunities...
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE
College Mix Christian College Scholarship
Deadline: May 31, 2025
$3,500
The Christian Connector offers various scholarship drawings for Christian colleges. All of the information services provided by The Christian Connector are offered absolutely free!Eligibility:Students applying to the Christian Connector Scholarship must be current high school students (Class of 2025, 2026, or 2027) interested in attending a Christian university or college.About:The Christian Connector offers a "one-stop-shop" for receiving free information from...
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE
No Essay Scholarship by Sallie
Deadline: Dec 31, 2024
$2,000
The $2,000 No Essay Scholarship by Sallie is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and any US Territory age 17 or older at the time of entry, and who meet one (1) of the four (4) following eligibility requirements at the time of entry:A parent who currently has a child enrolled in...
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE
Winter Wonderland Scholarship
Deadline: Dec 31, 2024
$2,000
Since 1995, our mission has been to help connect students with the right schools for them. Carnegie Dartlet, the organization that houses CollegeXpress, is an educational publisher and higher education marketing agency. Every year, thousands of students across the United States and around the world discover their colleges using our websites, magazines, and services.To be eligible for the Scholarship you:A)...
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE
The Future is Now Scholarship
Deadline: Dec 31, 2024
$1,001
The Lenny Scholarship offers $1,001 US to support young individuals aged 16 and above, enrolled in college and residing in the US or India. Automatic disqualification may occur for multiple applications.EligibilityYou must be a resident of the US or IndiaYou must be 16 years of age or olderYou must be enrolled in a college
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE
Scholarships360 "No Essay" Scholarship
Deadline: Jun 30, 2025
$10,000
The Scholarships360 $10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship is open to all students who want some extra help paying for their education. Whether you are a high school student who hopes to go to college, a graduate student who’s in a master’s program, or an adult learner who wants to return to school, you are eligible for our no essay scholarship.This scholarship...
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE
Appily Easy Money Scholarship
Deadline: Dec 31, 2024
$1,000
The Appily scholarship application is fast and easy.Scholarship Eligibility: This scholarship is open to high school sophomores, juniors, and first semester senior students for all majors and schools. We will judge this scholarship based on other criteria such as volunteer work, extracurricular activities, special circumstances, etc.About the sponsors of the scholarship (EAB and Appily):EAB is the market leader in helping colleges...
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE
10 Words or Less Scholarship
Deadline: Apr 15, 2025
$1,000
Scholarship Eligibility:A) Anyone who is between the ages of 14-25 who will be attending school in the Fall of 2025.B) This scholarship is provided by StudentScholarships.org. In order to apply for our scholarship follow these instructions:1. Go to www.facebook.com/myscholarships and place a comment on any post you see answering the question:In 10 words or less, tell us why you deserve...
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY PAGE