The 1823 Demerara Rebellion will be under scrutiny from schoolchildren, Grades 5-12, as the University of Guyana [UG] this week launched the 1823 Revolt Bicentennial Essay Competition.
The objectives of the competition, according to a press release from UG, is to assist children to gain a deeper understanding of historical events, people, and ideas that shaped Guyana’s history; that through research and writing, students can develop critical thinking skills and learn to analyse primary and secondary sources to support their arguments. Further, the 1823 Revolt Bicentennial Essay Competition, according to the release, provides an opportunity for students to engage with history in a meaningful way beyond memorizing dates and names. By focusing on a specific topic related to the revolt, children can delve into the historical context, analyse the significance of the events, and explore the various perspectives that shaped those outcomes.
The release itemized the different topics and number of words by grades for children from all administrative regions across Guyana who intend to participate in the competition. For Grade 5-6 the subject is – Imagine you are one of the enslaved people on the East Coast of Demerara in August 1823. Do you think you would have participated in the rebellion and why? (300-350 words). For Grade 7-8: How important was the 1823 Demerara Slave Revolt to Britain’s decision to abolish slavery? (350-500 words), and for Grade 9-12: How important was the 1823 Demerara Slave Revolt to Britain’s decision to abolish slavery? (1500-2000 words).
The outline for the essay should include a cover sheet and must be the original work of the children. The release says that plagiarized work, including AI-generated submissions, will be disqualified and any work considered not an original idea must be properly documented. All submissions must have a cover sheet containing the following information: the essay title; the participant’s name (first, middle and last); date of birth; contact details (home address; contact number (landline and cell), and email address (if available). Other submission information must include the school of the participant, their grade, the school’s address (region, district) and the school’s email address which is optional. General rules for submissions are – Only one original essay per person must be submitted (the Departments of Education may submit on behalf of the schools); each entry in each category should not exceed the word limit set out for that category; each essay must be original and written by the child. The cover page and essay must be sent as a separate Word document attachment in an email, and saved using the following format: First name, Last name. For example: Mary Jones. The subject line of the email should read ‘1823 Demerara Rebellion Essay Writing Competition’. Essays must be received no later than Monday August 14, 2023 at 11:59 pm. Essays received after this date and time will not be considered.
The winning essays will be assessed for: accuracy and the essay must demonstrate a thorough understanding of the historical context of the topic; must be well-written, organized, and presented in clear argument; ideas must flow logically from one to the next and must be easy to follow; the essay should be an original one and the author is allowed to be creative in their approach to the topic; the essay must be relevant to the topic and address it directly; the author must properly cite primary and secondary sources using a recognized citation style, such as the APA, Chicago Manual of Style or the MLA Manual of Style. This applies especially to students in Grades 10-12. Each essay is to be typed double spaced (between lines), using black type in a Times New Roman font no smaller than 12 point and should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.
The press release said that 1st to 3rd place winners will receive plaques and monetary prizes as well as Certificates of Participation and the winning essays will be publicised on the university’s Faculty of Education and Humanities’ website, Facebook page and through other media. All essays should be submitted via email to the following email address – feh.events@uog.edu.gy – and the deadline for submission is Monday August 14, 2023.
