GAYARRE CONFERENCE

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Paper Proposal Deadline:

Friday, February 5, 2026

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The Gayarre History Club of C.E. Byrd High School, Shreveport, Louisiana, a chartered member of the National History Club, is pleased to announce and invite submissions for the 15th annual Gayarre Conference for secondary students.

Papers should be based on primary and secondary sources and provide innovative perspectives on the theme. If selected, the author will be given the opportunity to present his/her paper at the Conference.

Proposals should be include the title of the paper and an abstract of the proposed paper of no more than 200 words. Include a biography of the author of no more than 100 words written in the third person.

Submit proposals at www.gayarre.org

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Possible approaches to the theme (Others encouraged):

     Originally, the term ‘uncharted’ referred to the places on a map that had yet to be explored and remained unknown. It is now regularly used to describe any action or idea that has been previously unknown or untested. For this year’s conference, consider topics that evaluate moments in history when individuals explored the previously unknown, whether that be in the physical world through geographic and scientific advances, or entering metaphorical uncharted territory in politics, economics, the arts, or philosophy. 

     Historians rely on primary source documents to understand the past. However, not all events have copious documentation, nor have all events in history been significantly explored by historians. Studying a previously ignored, under-studied, or under-documented event might place historians in “uncharted territory.”

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Use the form below to submit your proposal OR click here. 

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