Margaret Chase Smith essay contest announced

Photograph by Brian Vanden Brink

The Margaret Chase Smith Library is pleased to announce the topic of its 24th annual essay contest. As the Pine Tree State commemorates the past during its bicentennial year of 2020, we invite Maine high school seniors to look to the future and share with us ideas of how they would propose to make the state “the way life should be” for young people so that more of them will choose to live in a place with one of the oldest populations in the nation.

Entries are due by April 1, 2020 and decisions will be announced by May 4. Prizes are $1000 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place, and five $50 honorable mention prizes. For more information, visit the Library’s website at or contact John Taylor at 474-7133.

Located in Skowhegan, Maine, the Library is owned by the Margaret Chase Smith Foundation and operated under its auspices by the University of Maine. The Margaret Chase Smith Library is an archive, museum, educational facility, and public policy center devoted to preserving the legacy of Margaret Chase Smith, promoting research into American political history, advancing the ideals of public service, and exploring issues of civic engagement.