The 2017 North Country Historical Writing Contest is now accepting entries from local writers.

The contest, sponsored by Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne and NorthCountryNow.com, offers aspiring authors of all ages a chance to tell their stories.

Assemblywoman Jenne is encouraging writers to get creative while exploring the North Country’s history.

“This region played a crucial part in the War of 1812 and has long served as an educational center drawing people from across the globe to this beautiful part of the world.” Assemblywoman Jenne said.

“There are interesting stories to be told from all corners of the North Country - from the loggers who built a thriving economy along the many rivers that crisscross the region in the 1800’s to the guides along the St. Lawrence River who enticed presidents to spend their vacations in the Thousand Islands,” she said.

“As a seventh generation resident of the North Country, I grew up hearing stories from my family’s history, and every family has their own story to tell,” Jenne added. “I love learning more about the individuals from the past who played large and small roles in making the North Country what it is today.”

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.

Contestants must live in either Jefferson or St. Lawrence County to enter. While true stories about North Country places and heroes are welcome, the contest is also open to writers who want to explore the region through historical fiction. Stories must be 2,000 words or fewer to be eligible for consideration.

Authors should submit their stories to Sean Ewart at ewarts@nyassembly.gov with “Historical Writing Contest” in the subject line, with entrant’s name, age, and address at the top of the submission. Please copy and paste your story into the email itself. Do not submit the story as an attachment.

The deadline is March 3.

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 Theresa Free Library Director Kristy Perry, Reading Room Association of Gouverneur Director Linda Adams, and Canton Free Library Director Emily Owen.

An awards ceremony will be held on April 29 at the Potsdam Public Library for the winners and runners up.

Winners will be notified at least a week prior to the ceremony.

Winners’ and runners-up’s biographies and stories will be featured on NorthCountryNow.com. Full stories will be published online at http://northcountrynow.com/contest.

For more information, email Sean Ewart at ewarts@nyassembly.gov.

“This is the second year we’ve hosted this contest, and I’m excited to see what North Country writers have in store for us in 2017,” Jenne said. “Our history in the North Country is rich and makes me so proud to call this region home.”