The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration, is a writing contest for students in the U.S. grades 4-8 and homeschool or international students aged 9-14. The students interview someone from an older generation of their family; then they write something they learn about their family's history. They submit the stories to The Grannie Annie and might have their story selected for publication in an anthology of family stories (published annually). There is no entry fee, and students whose stories are selected for publication receive two free copies of the book in which their stories appear. The submission deadline for this year's contest is February 14. The book will be published in May.

You can get all of the details -- including guidelines and required entry form -- at TheGrannieAnnie.org. In addition, you can read all of the stories from the 2006 volume. They are a great complement to the study of history and can be helpful to writers who are preparing their own stories for submission.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB