The deadline is approaching for the 2016 North Country Historical Writing Contest, sponsored by Assemblywoman Addie Russell and NorthCountryNow.com, and the upcoming school vacation could be a great time for young writers to work on their stories about the history of the region.

The contest is designed for aspiring authors of all ages who want to tell those stories. Those stories could focus on your family’s history in the region, the role your hometown played in the nation’s history or a story surrounding a North Country landmark.

The writing contest is open to people of all ages with three age brackets: children up to age 12, young adults from age 13 to 18, and adults 19 or older.

“I know our school’s classrooms are filled with gifted writers. The school break will provide children and young adults with the time to share their stories,” Russell said.

Those stories range from the construction of Boldt Castle in Alexandria Bat and the War of 1812 battles in Sackets Harbor to the immigrants that traveled to Massena for the construction of the power canal in the late 19th century and the work that went into the construction of St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project in the 1950s.

“Our region is rich with history dating back to the earliest days when settlers first started moving into the region, and I look forward to reading the submissions to this year’s writing contest.” Russell said.

Contestants must live in Jefferson or St. Lawrence County.

While non-fiction stories about North Country places and heroes are welcome, the contest is also open to writers whose stories are historical fiction.

Only entries 2,000 words or less will be eligible for consideration.

Authors should submit their stories to Sean Ewart at ewarts@assembly.state.ny.us with “Historical Writing Contest” in the subject line.

Include one's name, age and address at the top of the submission. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Feb. 29.

An awards brunch will be held on March 26 to celebrate the winners. Winners will be notified at least a week prior to the brunch.

Winners and runners up from each age bracket will have their biography and story featured on NorthCountryNow.com.

Their full story will be published online at:http://northcountrynow.com/contest

Stories will be judged based on their historical and dramatic content style, and connection to the region.

The ideal story is one that demonstrates knowledge about the North Country’s history and people while creating a narrative that’s hard to forget.

The contest judges are SUNY Potsdam History Department Chair Thomas Baker, Jefferson County Historical Society Director Diana Page Jordan, Watertown’s Flower Memorial Library Director Yvonne Reff, Theresa Free Library Director Kristy Perry, Reading Room Association of Gouverneur Director Linda Adams and Canton Free Library Director Emily Owen.

Email Sean Ewart at ewarts@assembly.state.ny.us for more details.