UG Hosting 1823 Revolt Bicentennial Essay Competition

1. RATIONALE 

By exploring different topics related to the 1823 Demerara Rebellion, primary and secondary  school students can gain a deeper understanding of the historical events, people, and ideas that  shaped Guyanese history. Through their research and writing, students can develop critical  thinking skills and learn to analyse primary and secondary sources to support their arguments.  

The 1823 Revolt Bicentennial Essay Competition provides an opportunity for students to engage  with history in a meaningful way beyond memorising dates and names. By focusing on a specific  topic related to the revolt, students can delve into the historical context, analyse the significance  of the events, and explore the various perspectives that shaped the outcome. 

This Essay Competition is being hosted as one of the activities to commemorate the 1823 Revolt  and falls within the period of the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the University of Guyana.  

Below is an outline of the process and the format of the Essay Writing Competition. 

The Faculty invites all children of Grades 5 to 12 from all administrative regions across Guyana  to participate in the Competition.  

2. WRITING PROMPT  

Grade 5-6 

Imagine you are one of the enslaved people on the East Coast of Demerara in August  1823. Do you think you would have participate in the rebellion and why? 

300-350 words 

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Grade 7-8 

How important was the 1823 Demerara Slave Revolt to Britain’s decision to abolish  slavery? 

350-500 words 

Grade 9-12 

How important was the 1823 Demerara Slave Revolt to Britain’s decision to abolish  slavery? 

1500-2000 words 

Each school is invited to submit an essay to the competition, one each from the Grades 5 to  12. Prizes will be awarded to 1st-3rd place winners in each category.  

3. ELIGIBILITY  

The essay competition is open to all Grades 5 to 12 children who will be encouraged to  write an essay based on the topics listed above. 

4. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION 

The deadline for submissions is Monday August 14, 2023. 

5. FORMAT AND RULES OF ESSAY  

The following outlines the format in which the essay should be composed:  ∙ Cover sheet (see the Cover of submission below). 

∙ Essays MUST be the original work of the children. 

∙ Any plagiarized work, including AI-generated submissions, will be disqualified.  ∙ Any work that is not your original idea must be properly documented.  ∙ Essays should be submitted via email to feh.events@uog.edu.gy  

Cover of submission 

Submissions must have a cover sheet containing the following information:  ∙ Essay Title 

∙ Participant’s name (first, middle and last) 

∙ Participant’s home address 

∙ Participant’s contact number (Home and Cell) 

∙ Participant’s Grade 

∙ Participant’s contact email address (if available) 

∙ Participant’s date of birth

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∙ School name, address (Region, District) & email address (optional) 

6. GENERAL RULES – Submission instructions 

∙ Only one original essay per person must be submitted. 

(Departments of Education may submit on behalf of the schools.) 

∙ Each entry in each category should not exceed the word limit set out for your  category.  

∙ Each essay must be original and written by the child. 

∙ Essays should be submitted via email to feh.events@uog.edu.gy. 

∙ The required cover page and essay must be sent as an attached Word document 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. 

∙ NOTE ON AUTHENTICATION and COPYWRIGHT 

NOTE: By submitting your essay, you give the University of Guyana the right to  reproduce the essay or any part of the essay, in any and all media at the Faculty of  Education and Humanities’ discretion. 

7. JUDGING 

Winning essays will be featured on the University of Guyana 1823 Revolt website and will be  assessed for the following: 

∙ Historical Accuracy: The essay must be accurate and demonstrate a thorough  understanding of the historical context of the topic. 

∙ Clarity of Thought: The essay must be well-written, organized, and present a clear  argument. 

∙ Coherence: The essay must flow logically from one idea to the next and be easy to  follow.

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∙ Creativity: The essay should demonstrate originality and creativity in its approach to the  topic. 

∙ Adherence to the Topic: The essay must be relevant to the topic and address it directly. 

∙ Citations: Students 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.  

∙ Essay is to be typed double spaced (between lines), using black type in a Times New  Roman font no smaller than 12 point.  

∙ The essay should be submitted as MS Word. 

8. AWARDS  

The 1st to 3rd place winners will receive plaques and monetary prizes as well as Certificates  of Participation  

The winning essays will be publicised on the Faculty of Education and Humanities’  website, Facebook page and through other media. All winners will be honoured with their  prizes at a ceremony organised by the Faculty in September, 2023.