2024 Mayflower Awards

As part of the 2023–24 Florida History Day program, the Florida Society of Mayflower Descendants is sponsoring two scholarships for students and an award to recognize an outstanding FHD educator. Recipients will be announced at the Florida History Day Awards Ceremony in Tallahassee. Criteria for these prizes is presented below. For additional information about the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Florida, please go to flmayflower.com.

Mayflower Legacy Scholarships

A scholarship of $500 will be presented to a junior division and a senior division individual or group entry that represents scholarly and historically accurate research and fulfills the following criteria.
• Scholarships are open to historical paper, website, or documentary entries competing at the state contest.
• Entries must follow National History Day Contest Rule Book guidelines.
• The topic must adhere to the NHD annual theme.
• The topic must relate to a person, event, or idea that lived or occurred in the 16th, 17th, or early 18th century in Western Europe or North America. It also must focus on the impact of that person, event, or idea on the development of the United States as a nation today with a unique heritage of liberty and law.
• The deadline for applications is March 27, 2024.

Entries will be evaluated by a special judging team that includes Society members. A scholarship awarded to a group entry will be divided equally among the participating students. Applying for a Mayflower Legacy Scholarship does not prohibit a student(s) from nominating the paper or documentary for other Florida History Day special prizes.

To apply for a Mayflower Legacy Scholarship, send the Mayflower Legacy Scholarship application form (PDF) and four copies of the historical paper or four DVDs or USB Drives containing the documentary to FHD Coordinator. If applying with a website include the NHD WebCentral URL on the application form.

Mayflower Outstanding Teacher Award

To be eligible for the Mayflower Outstanding Teacher Award, an individual must be a Florida History Day participant with at least three years of experience. The recipient will receive a $250 prize, sponsored by the Florida Society of Mayflower Descendants and presented at the FHD state contest Awards Ceremony. Mayflower candidates may apply for other Florida History Day teacher prizes. Interested educators must submit a Mayflower Teacher Award application form (PDF), a narrative (1–3 pages) that describes how they fulfill the eligibility criteria, a personal resume (1–2 pages), and three letters of support by individuals who can give examples of excellence in history teaching. The deadline for applications is March 27, 2024.

Evaluation criteria for the Mayflower Outstanding Teacher Award are presented below.

Development and use of creative teaching methods that interest students in history and help them to make exciting discoveries about the past.

Examples include:

• active learning projects within and outside the classroom, such as mock debates between historical characters or oral history projects within the community;
• innovative use of primary historical source material in the classroom
• use of communication technology in history research and classroom learning;
• practice of teaching methods that link history to students' broader interests-for example, through interdisciplinary approaches to history topics or the development of projects that link history to current events and debates; and
• use of teaching methods that build a range of skills in students as they study history.

Exemplary commitment to helping students develop their interest in history and recognizing their achievements.

Examples include:

• exemplary support and guidance for students working on history fair projects;
• helping students showcase their history projects within the community and/or publish their material;
• overall commitment to the intellectual development of individual students; and
• encouragement of students to use their understanding of history to become engaged, informed citizens in their community and beyond.