To support the America 250-Mississippi Commission in their work to promote the historic and important 250-year milestone, the Mississippi Library Commission has designed a plan that honors the accomplishment through a patriotic literacy campaign. We are calling it “COME READ WITH US: Great Readers can become Great Leaders.” Of course, this is an endorsement of the Mississippi Department of Education’s “Strong Readers Strong Leaders” Program and the strides they are making towards improved literacy.
For more information, visit Help Mississippi Celebrate 250 Years of American History – America 250 – Mississippi
For an America 250 suggested reading list, visit our MLC Good Reads recommendations
MY AMERICA is a nationwide, youth-driven art and civic engagement campaign
that will honor our past, reflect on our present, and inspire our future.
Through artistic expression, civic action, and public commemoration, MY AMERICA will empower young people across all 50 states to reflect on what unity, democracy, and being American means today by creating a large mosaic of an American flag made up of thousands of individual tiles with messages, drawings, and poems. MY AMERICA is a movement of purpose and participation. It demonstrates that youth voices still shape the direction of our democracy, just as they did in 1776. It reminds us that the American story is ongoing, and that the next chapter will be written by those who believe in the ideals that bind us together.
Completed MY AMERICA USA Flag Kits must be returned using the pre-paid postage by Thursday, October 1, 2026.
For more information, visit:
https://www.myamerica2026.org/
To register your class & request a Flag Kit, complete the JotForm at:
https://form.jotform.com/EmpowerPeace/my-america-usa-flag-kit
Help make 2026 a record-setting year of volunteer service. Join people and organizations across the country in giving back – from service projects to donations – to honor America’s 250th.
Add your volunteer hours!
America Gives is an initiative that challenges businesses, non-profits, schools, youth groups, faith-based networks, and organizations of all kinds to commit to increasing their level of volunteering and impact starting on January 1, 2026. Together, we will build on America’s legacy of giving back and inspire a renewed culture of service for years to come.
For more information & to register your individual hours or your organization’s hours, visit:
Your story is America’s story.
For nearly 250 years, Americans from all walks of life and every corner of the country have had a hand in shaping our nation’s history. America’s Invitation is your opportunity to get involved in the countdown to 2026. We want to hear from you—your reflections on our past, present, and future. We will use these stories to tell the American story on social media, through videos, and to create the largest commemoration in our history.
No story is too small. Share yours with us.
You can say it any way you want. Play a song. Show a picture.
Read a poem. Or just tell your thoughts.
For more information & to learn how to submit your story, visit:
American Civics & History Competition
Grades 9-12 – $250,000 in Scholarships Awarded
Presidential 1776 Award – Welcome
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Promotion/Registration |
December 15, 2025 – February 21, 2026 |
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ROUND ONE: Multiple Choice Test (online) |
February 22, 2026 – February 28, 2026 Regional Finalists identified by March 30, 2026 |
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ROUND TWO: 5 Regional Contests |
May 2, 2026 National Top 20 Spotlighted May 15, 2026 |
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FINAL ROUND: Washington, D.C. |
June 2026 (Televised) |
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Top 3 Winners Honored |
July 4, 2026 at America 250 Celebration |
For More information, visit Competition Rules | Presidential 1776 Award
A Kindergarten Through 12th Grade Student Competition:
Artificial intelligence (AI) can be harnessed to address emerging local, state, and regional problems, driving innovation and the renewal of America in our nation’s Golden Age.
The Presidential AI Challenge seeks to inspire young people and educators to create AI-based innovative solutions to community challenges while fostering AI interest and competency. Students and educators of all backgrounds and expertise are encouraged to participate and ignite a new spirit of innovation as we celebrate 250 years of independence and look forward to the next 250 years.
The Presidential AI Challenge will foster interest and expertise in AI technology in America’s youth. Early training in the responsible use of AI tools will demystify this technology and prepare America’s students to be confident participants in the AI-assisted workforce, propelling our Nation to new heights of scientific innovation and economic achievement.
Student participants will complete a project that involves the study, development, or use of an AI method or tool to address community challenges, while educators will focus on creative approaches to teaching or using AI technologies in K-12 learning.
For more information, visit https://www.ai.gov/initiatives/presidential-challenge
America’s Field Trip is a contest that invites students across the country in grades 3–12 to be part of America’s 250th anniversary by sharing their perspectives on what America means to them — with the opportunity to earn an unforgettable field trip experience at some of the nation’s most iconic historic and cultural landmarks.
Students are asked to submit writing or original artwork in response to the contest’s prompt: “What does America mean to you?”
For more information, visit America’s Field Trip – America250
(America’s Field Trip contest for the 2025-2026 school year is AVAILABLE NOW!)
250 Student Winners! 3 Educator Winners!
Deadline: Monday, March 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET.
★ Eligibility: Any student in grades 3–12 who is a legal resident of any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the five U.S. territories is eligible to enter. First- and second-prize awardees from the previous two America’s Field Trip contests are not eligible to enter or win.
★ Submission Requirements: Students at each grade level may create artwork, including physical artwork submitted through a high-res photo, a digital drawing, or a written response.
★ Judging Criteria: A panel of current and former educators will evaluate submissions based on:
Student Voice (50%), Clarity of Idea (25), and Presentation (25%)
★ Prizes: NEW! Award recipients will be notified in late April 2026.
– 125 first-place awardees and their designated chaperones will receive travel/lodging for a 3-day, 2-night trip to a select historical or cultural site in July-August 2026.
– 125 second-place awardees will receive $500 cash awards
– 3 educator awardees will each earn $1,000.
Congratulations to the 2025 Awardees! Two of the twenty-five first place and five of the twenty-five second place high school winners are Mississippians – see them here!
A Kindergarten Through 8th Grade Student Competition:
VFW Auxiliary National Art Contest
Illustrating America
2025-2026
Download the Illustrating America Art Contest 25-26 PDF
VFW Auxiliary National is pleased to present this national art contest to introduce, encourage and recognize young artists with patriotism through art. Entries will be judged on patriotic themes and technique.
VFW Auxiliary National Level Awards
First place: $100 gift card
Second place: $50 gift card
Third place: $25 gift card
First place: $100 gift card
Second place: $50 gift card
Third place: $25 gift card
First place: $100 gift card
Second place: $50 gift card
Third place: $25 gift card
Contest Eligibility
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- Students do not have to be related to a VFW or VFW Auxiliary member to participate.
- Students in grades K-8 by March 31 deadline who are enrolled in a public, private, parochial or home school program in the United States, its territories and possessions, or dependents of U.S. military or civilian personnel in overseas schools.
- Although U.S. citizenship is not required, students must be lawful U.S. permanent residents or have applied for permanent resident (the application for which has not been denied) and intends to become a U.S. citizen.
To Review our list of Mississippi military veterans who are already included, or to nominate a veteran whose story you believe should be included, visit our MLC Veterans History Project
All 6 episodes now streaming at https://www.pbs.org/show/the-american-revolution/
Y’ALL LOOK WHO’S COMING TO VISIT…
Dates & Details
COMING SOON!
For More Information, visit The National Folk Festival
America250 Mississippi Grants
Grants Offered
Legacy Grants – Up to $20,000 to support larger projects that enhance a community’s capacity to explore and promote local history, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations. Deadlines: Dec. 1, 2025 and Feb. 1, 2026.
Program Grants – up to $10,000 to support local celebrations of the semiquincentennial and public programs that explore the themes of Mississippi250. Deadlines: Sept. 15, 2025; Nov. 15, 2025; Jan. 15, 2026; March 15, 2026.
Minigrants – Up to $5,000 to provide accessible, flexible funding for small-scale, grassroots projects and local activities commemorating America250. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis beginning Sept. 15, 2025.
For More information, visit America250 Mississippi Grants – Mississippi Humanities Council
