NATCHITOCHES – Emmy Habetz of Southside High School in Youngsville has been named first-place winner of the 18th Annual Northwestern State University Louisiana High School Essay Contest. Habetz won the honor for her essay “More Than a Louisiana Champion.” Claire Hebert of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches won second place for her essay “This isn’t a foreign language; this is the language of your ancestors” and Ellise Bryant of C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport won third place for her essay “Homer Plessy.”
This year marked the inauguration of a second high school contest sponsored by NSU, the Creative Expressions Contest. The first-place winner of the initial Creative Expressions Contest is Lauren Bright of St. Scholastica Academy in Covington for her original photo and descriptive essay “The Hidden Treasures of the Tammany Trace.”
Both contests featured the 2026 contest theme “Remembering Louisiana” in which they reflected on the people and places in Louisiana they felt held special cultural, historical and personal significance.
“It’s a privilege to be able to spend time with work by young writers from all over the state each year,” said Dr. Rebecca Macijeski, associate professor of English and coordinator of the Creative Writing Program at NSU. “The range of creativity, research, and expression is always inspiring. If I get to work with writers like these in the creative writing program at NSU, I will be one lucky individual.”
Several contest winners read their work at the 18th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference. They will also have their work published in the Louisiana Folklife Journal which is published by the Louisiana Folklife Center.
The first, second and third prize winners will each receive a $200 per semester NSU scholarship with a value up to $1,600 for four years as well as a cash prize in honor of their accomplishment. The essay contest is open to all Louisiana students in grades 9–12 regardless of type of school institution, including students in all types of private educational environments, as well as home schooled students.
This year’s essay contest judges were Jason Church, chief of Technical Services at the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training; Daniel Gordy, assistant professor of criminal justice and English at NSU; Shea Montgomery, instructor of English at NSU; Dr. Shane Rasmussen, director of the Louisiana Folklife Center and professor of English at NSU; and Macijeski.
The contest was sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center, the Department of English, Languages, and Cultural Studies, the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Recruiting at NSU. The contest is held annually, with a new theme to be announced in early Spring 2027.
For more information contact Rasmussen at the Louisiana Folklife Center, Natchitoches, LA 71497, rasmussens@nsula.edu, or call the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4327.