Medal, Prize
Object number2012.7.97
Date1919
Mediumbrass
Credit LineGift of Nancy Page
DescriptionRectangular prize medal with protruding triangular corners (shield-shaped); hole in top center. Obverse has embossed profile of George Washington, looking proper left; stars and stripes in background. Reverse has embossed prize information with decorative swirls.Dimensions1.5 x 1.25 in. (3.8 x 3.2 cm)InscriptionsReverse: embossed, "AWARDED BY / THE [decorative swirls on each side] / PITTSBURG / [decorative swirl] PRESS / WASHINGTON / STORY CONTEST / FEB. 22, 1919".
Historical NotesThis medal was given to donor Nancy Page's great-great-great grandfather for winning the Pittsburgh Press story contest in 1919. Every January and February, the Pittsburgh Press offered the George Washington Essay Contest. Anyone under the age of 16 who submitted an essay by February 21, could receive a prize. The prize could be a portrait of George Washington, a set of books, a study lamp, medallions, or even a free movie, as was the case in 1927. In 1911 they gave out 1,000 of these medallions. What prize the contestants received partially depended on their ages. The essays had to be either on George Washington’s life or a story involving him. Entering the contest was free. In addition to the George Washington Essay Contest, there was also an Abraham Lincoln essay contest. These contests seem to have run from around 1910 through the late 1920s.
Related person
George Washington
(American, 1732 - 1799)
Related institution
The Pittsburgh Press
Previous owner
Nancy Page
On View
Not on view
Related Object
1917
1920
c. 1944
1944-1945
1944-1945
Related Object