The League of World War I Aviation Historians is a nonprofit organization chartered with furthering the study of aviation history encompassing the World War I period. To this end, the League publishes a quarterly Journal entitled "Over the Front," which circulates to well over 1,000 readers worldwide. The League also sponsors a biennial seminar on the subject of WWI aviation history.

The Mike Carr Student Paper Competition, sponsored by The League of World War I Aviation Historians, is not a scholarship, but rather an annual essay competition open to both graduate and undergraduate students attending any accredited educational institution. Monetary prizes will be awarded for the best original paper on any aspect of aviation (eg., personal history, unit history, citations, tactics, technical development, political ramifications, aircraft development, balloon activities, etc.) during the 1914-1918 War.

Papers must be at least 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including bibliography), and if submitted in hard copy, must be cleanly and clearly typed (i.e., no hand-written or faint dot matrix-printed entries). Any generally accepted format can be used. The topic of the essay can be of the student's choosing, except that it MUST deal with some aspect of aviation during the 1914-1918 World War I years.

All entries will be judged by a panel of knowledgeable members of the League of World War I Aviation Historians. Judging will be based on the criteria of originality, technical accuracy, thoroughness of development of the subject, and source documentation. The award for first place is $500, while $200 will be given to each of five honorable mention awardees. The League reserves the right, solely at its discretion, to publish one or more of the winning papers in a future issue of "Over the Front." If the article is published, full credit will be given to the author.

Papers should preferably be submitted in digital form to papers@overthefront.com. Alternatively, disks or hard copies can be sent to:

Steven A. Ruffin
2125 Hillrise Circle
Bellbrook OH 45305

Website Address

http://www.overthefront.com