A key skill for 21st-century historians, whether they work in the professoriate, public history, government, publishing, or beyond, is the ability to communicate through a variety of media to different audiences. Many historians have turned to blogging in their efforts to reach a broad public, and the success of historical writing on the web demonstrates a certain hunger for a historian’s point of view.

The AHA is seeking two aspiring graduate-student bloggers—each to write a series of posts chronicling a summer project. If you are looking to hone your blogging skills and share the joy of doing history with a wide audience, consider applying for our first-ever AHA Today Blog Contest, and show readers how a historian’s habits of mind shape the way she sees the world.

The subject matter of each post is up to you. You might reflect on the creative things you did to get into the archive, the feeling when you find a document after a weeks-long search, or the challenge of working with non-traditional sources. You might discuss the work that goes into organizing a community history event: how you conduct oral histories, the day-to-day process of putting together an exhibit, or the experience of hearing local history firsthand from the community itself. Tell us the things that are central to historical work but aren’t much talked about—the tangential experiences that are never in footnotes but are integral to the way you’ve come to see your subject. Let us into the experience of being a historian.

As part of the process, each blog will be edited by AHA staff, who will provide feedback to the blogger before and during the revision process.

Who is eligible? Graduate students in history.

What is required? The two students who are selected will write four blog posts each, roughly one per month from May through August. The winners will each receive $50 worth of AHA publications of their choosing. They will also have the opportunity to share their projects with the wide readership of AHA Today.

Application Procedure:

To apply, write a blog post introducing yourself and your project and how you see your blog series enriching discussions on the historical profession. Your proposal should be no more than 500 words and follow AHA Today submission guidelines. Please provide a title for the blog series. The selected applicants’ entry blog posts will be published on AHA Today to introduce each blogger. Please submit your proposal through Interfolio.

The deadline for submitting blog proposals is 11:59 p.m., EDT, April 12.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.