INDIANA – The Indiana Center for the Book, a program of the Indiana State Library and an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is once again hosting the Statehood Day Essay Contest, an essay contest for Indiana’s fourth graders to commemorate Indiana’s 210th Statehood Day on Friday, December 11.
The theme of this year’s contest is “Proud to be an American, Proud to be a Hoosier!” The theme can encompass a wide range of subjects, including history, geography, tourism, famous people, or anything a student is proud of relating to Indiana. Three winners will be selected. Winners will receive an Indiana529 deposit of $529 made possible by the Indiana Education Savings Authority. Winners will also be honored at a Statehood Day ceremony.
The competition is open to any Indiana fourth-grade public, private, or homeschooled student in the 2026-2027 school year. Essays should be well organized, reflect the “Proud to be an American, Proud to be a Hoosier!” theme, and must range from 100 to 300 words, handwritten or typed.
Essays must be submitted with an entry form. Individual entries should use the 2026 Individual Entry form. For individual entries, the following information should be included with each essay: student name, hometown, and school, if applicable. Class sets should use the 2026 Group Entry Form. In addition, the following information should be included with each essay for class sets: student names, teacher name, and school name. All information on how to enter can be found on the contest website.
The submission deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 20. Please email the Indiana Center for the Book with any questions about the contest.
