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42nd Annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest
2026 Theme: "Your Heritage is Calling - Stories from your Past"
The Los Altos Historical Commission and the Los Altos History Museum are co-sponsoring the 42nd annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest, open to third- through sixth-graders who live in the area and/or attend local schools.
Who gets to tell our historical stories and who gets to write them? Is history just told and written about leaders and events that happen or is history the everyday occurrences that influence our lives? At Los Altos History Museum, we believe that each of us plays a role in creating, remembering, communicating, and writing our history. All of your ancestors have contributed to the story of your roots. YOU can preserve and communicate your family’s history to be passed down to others.
To learn about the past and its current influences on some members of the Los Altos community, you are invited to visit the Museum’s exhibition opening on January 29, “10,000 Memories: Partition, Independence, and WWII in South Asia”. For more information on this exhibit, please visit Stories of Partition
The deadline to submit essays is Friday, March 6. Please click the following links for important contest information.
Essay Prompt Essay Rubric General Instructions Cover Sheet