Black History Month essay, video contest

The NAACP Culpeper branch is hosting an essay and video content for students in Culpeper, Madison and Rappahannock counties to compete for cash prizes up to $200 and a chance to win a trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

Students who wish to compete must submit a 500-word essay or a video accompanied by a script by Feb. 28 answering the question: “Do we need black history month? Why or why not?”

This is the first year where the organization is allowing video submissions in a bid to attract more participation since kids are often enthusiastic about sharing videos, according to Culpeper NAACP Education Chair Laurel Blackmon.

“We’re encouraging excellence, we’re encouraging people to be thoughtful about their product. But we also just want to encourage people to be thinking about these things,” she said. “So the more entries the better because it means that people are, in some ways, in conversation about the question.”

Submissions should be sent to education@naacpculpeper.org and include the contestant’s full name, age, grade, school, phone number and email.