Overwhelming Support for Estonian Competition
After being unable to hold on-site events for the past two years, the organisers of the Estonian History Competition honored this year’s Estonian prize winners by holding a festive event in the Hall of the Ministry of Education and Research in Tartu.
On 13 May 2022, the Estonian prize winners were honoured for their successful entries on the topic of “Signs of the Times - Time, Place, Human”.
Students from all over Estonia handed in a total of 49 works, including 36 research papers and 13 creative works. The entries were evaluated by a jury consisting of representatives of the University of Tartu and the Estonian National Museum.
This year’s competition was supported by the Cultural Foundation of the Estonian President, the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research and the Estonian Cultural Endowment. In addition, further educational and cultural institutions awarded special prizes: the Estonian National Museum, the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, the Estonian Art Museum, the Estonian War Museum, the Occupation and Freedom Museum, the Tallinn City Museum, the Foundation of Virumaa Museums and the National Archives.
In early September 2021, former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid announced the 2021/2022 history competition. The topic aimed at featuring works that capture moments, people and places which would otherwise disappear into “the abyss of history”. As the general topic of the competition was formulated quite broadly, the works were dedicated to various individual issues such as victims of communism, the history of place from several angles, as well as history and stories related to various institutions, monuments or insignia. According to the jury, a school garden marked one of the most original topics of research.
The Estonian History Competition is open to students in grades 7-9 and 10-12 and it is organised by the Estonian History and Civics Teachers’ Association.