Help the Museum celebrate our 50th Anniversary!
Winners in each category and age bracket will receive prizes including gift cards to local businesses and have their submission displayed at the museum.
Come visit the museum to learn about Lafayette history to create your submission!
Prompt: What is something from Lafayette’s history that makes the city extraordinary?
¡Próximamente estará disponible la versión en español!
You can enter in any of the three categories:
A LAFAYETTE KID STORY
Write a short story or poem set in Lafayette during any time period before the year 2000. Ask parents, grandparents, neighbors, teachers, or research a Lafayette citizen with a great story!
Poems must have at least 10 lines. Short stories must be no more than 2,000 words. Stories must be typed in Times New Roman or similar font, size 12, and double-spaced.
PICTURE PERFECT LAFAYETTE
Draw a picture of a place, person, or event in Lafayette’s history. Include a short description on the back. Must be no larger than 11.5 x 14″.
LAFAYETTE COMES TO LIFE
Make a diorama, poster, collage, or an object of someone, something, or an event in Lafayette’s history.
No larger than 10 inches square for an object, or 11.5×14″ for a poster.
Important Info
All submissions and their accompanying submission form must be submitted by 5pm MT on October 15, 2026.
Submissions will be judged on creativity, skill, historical accuracy, and celebration of Lafayette history.
All entrants must be 18 years old or younger, and have the signed permission of a parent or legal guardian.
Winners will be announced at the Museum’s ’70s Throwback Anniversary Event on October 31 during the Fall Harvest Festival. Winning submissions will be displayed at the museum for November and December 2026.
How to Submit
Download and complete the submission form below.
For stories and poems, email the submission as a PDF document and a scan of the signed form to info@lafayettehistoricalsociety.org with the subject line “Kids Contest.”
For pictures and Lafayette Comes to Life submissions, bring the submission and the signed form to the museum (1o8 E. Simpson Street) during open hours (Wednesday-Friday, 10am-12pm and Saturdays 8am-12pm). If you leave your submission on the front porch, we cannot guarantee its safety. If these hours don’t work for you, email or call the museum and we can set up an alternate drop-off time.
All submissions and their accompanying submission form must be submitted by 5pm MT on October 15, 2026.
OFFICIAL RULES
- Entrants must be 18 years old or younger.
- There is no entry fee.
- Must have permission of parent or legal guardian to enter the contest.
- Only one entry per person per category.
- Entrants can enter in multiple categories, but cannot win in more than one.
- If the submission does not follow the guidelines outlined above or the official rules, the museum reserves the right to disqualify the submission.
- Family members of staff or Board of Directors of the Lafayette History Museum are not eligible.
- The submission must be the child’s original work, without significant help from an adult.
- The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools or technologies to create, in whole or in part, any portion of the submission is prohibited. The museum reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any submissions found to have used or suspected of having used generative AI.
- The entry cannot contain any content that violates a third party’s copyright, is derogatory or offensive, or promotes hatred or harm against any group or person.
- By entering the contest, the entrant and their guardian agree to let the Lafayette History Museum share the submission online (including on our website, email newsletter, and social media pages) with the entrant’s first name, last initial, and school grade.
- The selection of finalists and winners will be made at the sole discretion of the Lafayette History Museum and judges it appoints.
- The entrant agrees to let the Lafayette History Museum display the submission at the museum if it is chosen as a winner.
- All submissions and their accompanying submission form must be submitted by 5pm MT on October 15, 2026.
- Finalists will be notified on or around October 25, 2026. Winners will be announced at the Museum’s ’70s Throwback Anniversary Event on October 31 during the Fall Harvest Festival.
- Winning entries will be displayed at the museum through the end of 2026. Entries must be retrieved by January 31, 2027 or they will be discarded unless previous arrangements have been made.
- Entries not chosen for display must be retrieved by December 1, 2026 or they will be discarded unless previous arrangements have been made.