“Thank you for your contest. I am happy to be able to have a forum where Native insights are considered from people who experience the hardships first hand rather than observing from thousands of miles away. I’m hopeful that this produces great results for Native peoples everywhere.”
- Jake Kenick, Nome Eskimo Community
Entries that do not adhere strictly to these rules and guidelines will not be judged.
ELIGIBILITY
The Native Insight Competition is open to Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and American Indians of all ages. Students are strongly encouraged to participate. Applicants must have a significant and current relationship with a Native tribal community.
SUBMISSIONS PROCESS
ONLINE SUBMISSION: Online submission is strongly encouraged. All online submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. (Alaska time) on Tuesday, September 15, 2009. All submissions must be accompanied by an official competition entry form, available for download here or by mail upon request.
SUBMISSION BY MAIL: Hard-copy submissions must be postmarked to later than September 15, 2009 and can be mailed to:
ATTN: Native Insight Competition Alaska Federation of Natives 1577 C Street, Suite 300 Anchorage, AK 99501.
All submissions must be accompanied by an official competition entry form, available for download here or by mail upon request.
WORD COUNT: Essays should be comprised of no less than 500 and no more than 1,600 words.
LANGUAGE: Essays may be written in your Native language, but must include an English translation.
SUBMISSION FORMAT: Written submissions must be in prose format and may be a commentary or interpretation of primary and secondary source material such as: historical and reference materials; interviews; eyewitness accounts and oral histories; official documents and other primary sources; readings from diaries, letters, autobiographies, and works of poetry; video, or audiotapes, films, art, CD-ROM and Internet sources. The essay must be primarily directed toward examining the writing prompts. Submissions must be double-spaced, Microsoft Word or Simple Text documents with 1-inch margins in 12-point, Times New Roman font.
APPLICANT IDENTITY: Please do not include your name anywhere on your written submission. Your name and contact information should only appear on your official competition entry form. If you mail your essay, make sure it includes your entry form clipped or stapled to your essay. If you submit your essay via email, be sure to attach both your entry form and your essay as separate documents.
AUTHORSHIP: Each essay must be the original work of one individual or collaborative team. If the essay is a work of a team, all team members must be identified clearly. By submitting an essay, applicants are certifying that their essays are original, authored solely by them, and that in writing their essays they did not plagiarize or otherwise infringe upon the rights of any third parties.
JUDGES & JUDGING
JUDGES: Panels of five judges from each of the three competitive groups (Alaska, Hawaii and Indian Country) will be selected to review and rate submissions. Each panel of judges will include at least one Native Leader, one Business Leader and one Nonprofit Leader. The top six essays from each group (12 essays total) will undergo a final review by the president of the Alaska Federation of Natives and a designated Committee of the AFN Board of Directors, and the authors of the top three Alaska Native essays and the top three National essays will each be awarded $10,000 in prize money.
JUDGING: Entries will be judged anonymously and will not be returned to applicants. Submissions that adhere to the guidelines will be judged with special attention to (1) incorporation or application of traditional or Native values; (2) treatment of the assigned themes; and (3) clear and effective language and a coherent plan of organization. Mechanics and grammar will not be considered.
AWARDS & PUBLICATION
NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS: Winners will be notified by email and phone, and the winning essays will be posted on the Native Insight and AFN websites by October 22, 2009. The winners will be publicly recognized during the 2009 Annual AFN Convention in Anchorage, slated to take place October 22-24, 2009.
POSTING ESSAYS: All essays submitted may be used or published in whole or in part by the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) or by other parties with AFN’s written permission. AFN reserves the right not to publish any essay it deems inappropriate for any reason.
