On August 14, 2023, the Lockwood-Matthews Mansion Museum announced the dates for its tenth annual Young Writers’ Competition. The competition will be open to all middle school students in sixth through eighth grade in the Tristate area and include an Award Ceremony and prizes for the winners in early 2024.
The competition, which is in its tenth year, includes providing students with a theme and prompt, and tasks them with creating an essay. This year’s theme is “My Museum Adventure.” Young writers are tasked with writing about a museum or historical site that they’ve visited in the past or plan to visit in the future. According to the Lockwood-Matthews Mansion museum website, for this assignment, students will answer questions such as, “What did they see and learn? Who was the most inspiring or memorable person featured? What was the most intriguing artifact displayed and why?”
This contest involves researching the student’s site or museum of choice, incorporating relevant details and stories, and referencing noteworthy images, works, and architectural details. The Young Writer’s Competition provides challenges in requiring writers to work on a timeline and also in researching and synthesizing information to strengthen personal stories.
This year’s theme is “My Museum Adventure.” Young writers are tasked with writing about a museum or historical site that they’ve visited in the past or plan to visit in the future.
Award recipients and their families will be Guests of Honor at the awards ceremony at City Hall in Norwalk and will receive prizes for their winning submissions. While the competition officially began on September 14, the deadline for submissions isn’t until December 1, 2023, so writers have plenty of time to conduct research and inspiration and tell their stories.
The competition is made possible by generous benefactors ranging from organizations to individuals. Groups such as the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/ Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA), and individuals such as LMMM’s Founding Patrons: The Estate of Mrs. Cynthia Clark Brown; LMMM’s Leadership Patrons: The Sealark Foundation; and LMMM’s 2023 Season Distinguished Benefactors: The City of Norwalk, The Maurice Goodman Foundation, and Lockwood-Mathews Foundation, Inc. all help to make this contest possible.
For more information on LMMM’s Young Writers’ Competition and submissions, please contact Education Program Coordinator Charles Hill at 203-838-9799 ext. 117 or email education@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com. For more information on tours and programs, please visit www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, email info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.
