About the award
Objective
To help strengthen both literacy skills and Canadian historical knowledge by encouraging Canadian kids between the ages of 7–14 to create their own illustrated story based on any element of Canada’s past they find of interest.
Children should be encouraged to write an original story based on any aspect of Canadian history and heritage. Stories should be between 500–1200 words in length and should include 1–3 illustrations or archival photographs to accompany the story. Comic Strip formats are eligible; students should keep in mind a 5-page comic typically entails 500 words. Stories can be written in either English or French.
Stories will be evaluated by a panel of judges on the following basis:
-
Creativity and originality
-
Content and story composition
-
Grammar, spelling and quality of writing
-
Use of illustrations to support the story
The top two writers, one French and one English, will receive a trip for two to Ottawa. All participants will receive a special certificate commending them on their participation.
Find out how to submit an entry.
Feel free to provide either of these two templates to your students to help them plot their story depending on the type that they want to write: a Graphic Comic or an Illustrated Story. These pages do not have to be followed to the letter, they are merely a guide to how illustrated stories and comics can be laid out. You can also take a look at our past winning entries!
UPDATE REGARDING COVID-19
Travel may be disrupted in 2020/2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While Canada’s History will make all efforts to award an appropriate prize to the contest winners, equivalent prize substitutions or deferrals are not guaranteed.
Canada's History will not be mailing certificates of participation for the 2020 contest.