Presidential Support at Estonian Award Ceremony
On 12 May 2023, the best entries of the 24th Estonian History Competition were celebrated in a festive award ceremony in the presence of the First Lady of Estonia, Sirje Karis. Her husband, President Alar Karis, serves as the national patron of the Estonian EUSTORY History Competition.
On the 2022/23 topic of “Freedom. Equality. Fraternity”, a total of 60 participants handed in 55 works. The number of submissions was slightly higher than in the previous year, and submissions came from all across Estonia.
The overall competition topic was meant to encourage young people to explore topics such as life in free Estonia before World War II and the loss of freedom during the German or Soviet occupations. The organisers stressed that the submitted works highlighted the importance of understanding national values and preserving one's cultural identity. Students had used a wide array of primary and secondary sources, such as family archives, in their research.
The Estonian competition is open to students in grades 7 to 9 and 10 to 12, with three best works selected from both elementary and high school categories. Additionally, The Estonian History and Civic Teachers’ Association awarded the best creative works.
A total of 13 works were submitted by elementary school students, 26 by high school students, and a total of 16 creative works were submitted. A four-member jury judged research papers, while a separate two-member jury evaluated the creative works.
In the elementary school category, the winning entries were “Jewish community in Tartu before World War II” by Carolin Raukas (Tartu Mart Reinik´s School), “Moments from the history of coastal Swedes in 1822, 1922, and 2022 the family in the background of Rohberg's story” by Otto Arro (Loo Secondary School), and “My Tõnija” by Elina Kurgpõld (Valjala Primary School).
In the high school entries, Triinu Aru (Hugo Treffner High School) won first place with “Intelligence test data sheets from 1933 as material illustrating the student body of the Hugo Treffner Gymnasium.” Liisi Parm (Võru High School) secured second place with “Misso parish peasant lawsuits in the last quarter of the 19th century". Tim Juksar (Tallinn Real School) achieved third place with “Formation of the prison system in the United States, specific features and its possible reformation”.
The winners of the creative works category included Helyana Kakko (Are School) with “Board game 'The road to freedom' about the restoration of Estonian statehood”, Kairit Kõomägi (Vastseliina Gymnasium) with “Pattern belt as a transmitter of Seto culture”, and Ellen Ingrid Aadamsoo (Tallinn French Lyceum) with “Ruhnu-Swedish folk music: forgotten songs of one woman".
The history competition and the award ceremony were organised by the Estonian History and Civics Teachers’ Association. Right now, the association is already preaparing for a new competition round, titled “Winners and Losers”. It will start on 1 September 2023.