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SUBJ/2025 NAVY AND NATION 250 CNO NAVAL HISTORY ESSAY CONTEST//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/
1. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) announces the 2025 CNO Naval History
Essay Contest, commemorating the U.S. Navy's 250th anniversary and
highlighting America's Warfighting Navy's contributions to our great nation
and our 250 years of independence.
On 13 Oct 25, we mark our Navy's 250th birthday and 04 Jul 26, will mark our
Nation's 250th birthday. We invite participants to submit their essays no
later than 30 Apr 25. This contest is an excellent opportunity to engage in
the rich legacy of naval history.
2. The Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) is the lead for the
contest. The United States Naval Institute (USNI) supports it.
3. The CNO invites essay submissions that draw on insights from naval
history to address the serious challenges confronting today's Navy.
a. In a globalized world in which 90 percent of international trade by
volume and a significant proportion of global communications rely on the seas
and undersea cables, the importance of navies, sea control, and strategic
partnerships with allies and partners has increased, underscoring the
critical role of maritime power in maintaining global economic stability and
security.
b. The U.S. Navy faces a major transformation fueled by a shifting
strategic environment and technological advancements. Over the course of our
and our Nation's 250 years, there are rich examples of shifting strategic
environment and technological advancements that can inform and enlighten our
current thinking and discussions.
4. Areas of Historic Interest:
a. Historic Approaches in Countering Disruptions to the Rule of Law in
the Maritime Domain. Current Day Context: Potential adversaries' increasing
opposition to the rules-based global order poses a serious threat to the
security and prosperity that benefit all who rely on the global stability
afforded by these rules.
b. Historic Approaches in Addressing Change in Maritime Philosophies,
Techniques, and Capabilities. Current Day Context:
The rapid growth of uncrewed systems and artificial intelligence
(AI) advancements are revolutionizing autonomous naval operations and
decision-making processes, impacting all aspects of planning and warfare,
from force structure to combat strategy.
c. Historic Approaches in Addressing Maritime Competition.
Current Day Context: From seabed to space, in cyberspace, and in the
information environment, the Navy delivers power for peace. China's
emergence as an important economic and maritime competitor underscores the
need for the United States to develop integrated, multi-domain operational
concepts and capabilities that leverage the unique strengths of our maritime
services (the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine),
industrial base, and the complete Joint warfighting ecosystem.
d. Historic Approaches of America as a Maritime Nation.
Current Day Context: For 250 years, America's Warfighting Navy has Deterred
aggression, defended our national security interests, and Preserved our way
of life. Since before our nation's inception, America's Warfighting Navy has
sailed the globe in defense of freedom. How has the Navy's ability to
control the sea and project power kept conflict far from our shores?
e. Historic Approaches of the American Sailor leaving their mark on our
Navy and Nation's 250 years. Current Day Context:
America's Warfighting Navy operates the world's most sophisticated weapons
systems, how have our Sailors and Civilians given us an unmatched strategic
advantage over the last 250 years?
5. CNO Intent:
a. Navigation Plan 2024 and her philosophy of America's Warfighting Navy
of Warfighters, Warfighting, and the Foundation that support them emphasizes
that strategic agility stems from proactive and practical thinking and that
there is no time to waste.
This essay contest aims to harness the collective expertise and intellectual
engagement of the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine, as
well as cadets and midshipmen.
b. The goal of the contest is to examine and reflect on historic
approaches to similar conditions and stimulate discussion and insights on
achieving and maintaining maritime superiority in the context of renewed
great power competition and how our 250th birthday is a unique, once-in-a-
generation opportunity to demonstrate the importance of the U.S. Navy and the
exceptional contributions of our active and reserve Sailors, and Navy
civilians.
6. Eligibility. Essays are accepted from entrants qualified in the
Professional Category, the Rising Category, or the Midshipmen and Cadets
Category.
a. Professional Historian Category:
(1) Historians, professors, history curators, archivists, and persons
with history-related doctoral degrees;
(2) Authors of books on naval history (not including self- published
works); or
(3) Civilians who have published articles in an established
historical or naval journal or magazine.
b. Rising Historian Category: Those that do not fall in the Professional
Category and are either:
(1) Active duty, reservists, veterans, and federal civilian personnel
of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine; or
(2) Members of foreign militaries that have orders and are serving in
an official billet in one of the above services.
c. Midshipmen and Cadets Category:
(1) Students enrolled at the United States Naval Academy, United
States Coast Guard Academy, United States Merchant Marine Academy, and the
State Maritime Academies or
(2) Students enrolled in an official Naval ROTC Program.
7. Submission Requirements:
a. Deadline: 2359 Eastern Standard Time, on 30 Apr 25.
b. Citations: All entries must include numbered footnotes or endnotes; a
bibliographic list is not a substitute.
c. Word Count: Please adhere to the following limits: 3,500 words for
the Professional Category and 3,000 words for the Rising and
Midshipmen/Cadets categories.
d. Co-authoring: Essays in the Rising Historian category may be co-
authored, with both authors meeting the Rising Category qualifications.
e. Original Work: Submit original essays that have not been published,
are not under consideration elsewhere, and have not been previously submitted
to the CNO Naval History Essay Contest.
f. Multiple Submissions: Entrants may submit multiple essays, but only
one winning essay will be selected per individual.
g. Entry Submission: Entrants must submit essays electronically as a
Microsoft Word attachment using the appropriate link:
(1) Professional Historian Category, go to:
https://www.usni.org/essay-contests/2025/2025-cno-naval-history-essay-
contest-professional-historian.
(2) Rising Historian Category, go to:
https://www.usni.org/essay-contests/2025/2025-cno-naval-history-essay-
contest-rising-historian.
(3) Midshipmen and Cadets Category, go to:
https://www.usni.org/cnonhessaycontestmidn-cadet.
h. Eligibility confirmation: When completing the electronic form, ensure
the short biography provides necessary details about the author and the
author's eligibility for the contest.
i. Word Count: Include the word count (excluding footnotes, endnotes,
and sources) on the essay's title page.
j. Essays will be judged anonymously; please do not include the author's
name or any identifying information within the essay.
8. Essays will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
a. Relevance to the topic: leveraging naval history to address current
challenges;
b. Clarity and readability;
c. Thoroughness of research;
d. Quality of insights derived from historical events; and
e. Originality and uniqueness of ideas presented.
9. All essays will be evaluated through a blind judging process:
a. A six-member panel will determine the winning, second-place, and
third-place essays in the Rising Historian Category.
b. A separate six-member panel will select the winning and runner-up
essays in both the Professional Historian Category and the Midshipmen and
Cadets Category.
10. The winning authors will receive:
a. Invitational travel orders to the 2025 CNO Naval History Essay Awards
Reception (to be determined) to meet the CNO and present papers.
b. Contest Awards Reception (to be determined) to meet the CNO and
potentially present their papers.
c. Cash prizes (courtesy of USNI). Cash prizes for co-authors will be
split equally:
(1) First Place - $5,000 (Professional and Rising Historians);
(2) First Place - $4,000 (Midshipmen and Cadets Category);
(3) Second Place - $2,500 (Professional and Rising Historians);
(4) Second Place - $2,000 (Midshipmen and Cadets);
(5) Third Place - $1,500 (Rising Historian Category); and
(6) Third Place - $1,000 (Midshipmen and Cadets Category).
d. Publication of the essays in the USNI's Proceedings magazine and
Naval History periodicals (first-place essays) and on the NHHC website (all
winning essays). Some non-winning essays may also be selected for
publication. Submission of essays constitute consent for such publication.
e. Copper sheathing from the USS CONSTITUTION (provided by NHHC).
f. Recognition on the NHHC website.
g. A one-year USNI membership and a one-year subscription to USNI's
Naval History Magazine (courtesy of USNI).
11. Responsibilities. The Director of NHHC shall:
a. Coordinate receipt, acknowledgment, and blind judging of submissions;
b. Nominate three senior staff members as judges, one for each category.
c. Coordinate with the staffs of the Offices of the Chief of Naval
Operations (OPNAV), U.S. Naval Academy, Naval War College, Naval Postgraduate
School, and USNI, each of which shall nominate two judges, one for each
category;
d. Coordinate announcing the contest winners;
e. Coordinate the 2025 CNO Naval History Essay Contest Awards Reception
with the USNI and invitational travel for the winning authors;
f. Coordinate NHHC website publication IAW paragraph 9.c. and
dissemination to Navy leadership of winning and selected essays; and
g. Capture and forward lessons learned.
12. For more details about the contest:
a. Please visit: https://www.history.navy.mil/get-involved/essay-
contest.html
.
b. For questions, please contact Mr. Steve A. Hill, NHHC,
email: stephen.a.hill6.civ@us.navy.mil.
c. For advice and guidance on writing essays, please email:
essayquestions@usni.org.
13. Released by VADM Michael E. Boyle, Director, Navy Staff.//
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