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EXCITEMENT: Students from Prendergast School attending the Made by History competition finals at the House of Commons last year. Winner Monique Stewart is pictured in the centre

FOLLOWING THE previous successes of our annual essay writing competition, Made By History, 'The Voice' are proud to announce that it is back and open for entries.

The competition asks students in schools across the UK to submit a 500-word essay entitled either,'Who is your favourite black inventor?' or 'Which black inventor hero do you admire the most and why?'

The Made By History competition, which runs as part of Black History month, aims to help students in their study of history and inspire them to connect with icons of the present and past through unassisted research on an exciting journey of self-discovery.

Last year’s essay question was, 'Who is your black hero?'.

This year, The Voice has decided to focus on the great black inventors. By doing so we hope to encourage students to immerse themselves in knowledge about some of the most prolific and underrated black inventors of all time.

The winning entry from this competition, selected by an independent panel from the community, will be published in The Voice newspaper, alongside a picture of the successful pupil. The winner will also receive a prize of an Amazon 7 inch Fire tablet. A presentation will be hosted to acknowledge the
shortlisted students and to announce the winners and present each participant with a certificate.

PROUD: Nana Nyarko Mensah

Last year’s Made by History competition saw hundreds of entries from pupils across the UK, with 183 finalists gathering at the House of Commons to receive their certificates for participation. The prestigious event, which was attended by Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Dawn Butler MP to name a few, saw the young students gather together, with some getting the chance to recite their essays to the audience.

Black history enthusiasts across 20 different schools took part in the competition. South London, north London, Enfield, Birmingham, Middlesex and Hampshire were just some of the areas that produced finalists for Made By History last year.

Among last year’s winners were Nana Nyarko Mensah, who wrote about Nelson Mandela, Cleotha Menzies-Thomas who explained why Gabby Douglas was her black hero, and Nysa Ridrugi, who wrote about her knowledge of Mary Seacole.

Made by History provides an opportunity for pupils of all backgrounds to research, embrace and celebrate the contributions of black people from the past and present. Hopefully, this competition allows us to nurture talented young people of the future and help contribute towards their success.

For those interested, apply by email to madebyhistory@thevoicemediagroup.co.uk or post to: The Voice newspaper, Unit 220, Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre, London, SE1 6TE. The deadline for all entries is October 31, 2017 at 12 noon.

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