Latino History Essay Competition

Founded in 2011 as an event sponsored by The University of Texas at Austin, the Latino History Essay Competition has found a new home with UIL Academics beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. In its initial year the competition was open to students in South Texas; beginning with 2012-2013 the competition was opened to students statewide.

Competition Theme

Historical and cultural legacies of Latinos in Texas history

Essays should focus on a prominent or relatively unknown Latino individual, organization or movement in Texas history. How has the subject of the essay positively and significantly influenced today's Latino communities?

Entry Deadline

February 12, 2025

Entries will be submitted electronically. All essays received on or before February 14, 2024, that meet the basic requirements of the competition will be entered for judging.

General Guidelines

• Essay with a word count between 1,500 and 2,500 words.

• Research paper format - MLA format or APA format recommended

• Source citations and bibliography required

• Essays should display original research; use of primary sources and interviews strongly encouraged

Competition Structure and Awards

• Any student in grades 9-12 who attends a UIL member high school is eligible to enter

• Open division structure - all entries that meet basic requirements will be included in essay judging

• Judges will evaluate each entry and provide comments that will be returned to contestants

• Judges will nominate essays to be considered as state finalists

• A selection committee will determine state finalists from among the nominees

• All state finalists will be invited to attend Academic State Meet in May, where state awards will be presented

• All state finalists will become eligible to apply for Texas Interscholastic League Foundation scholarships