The 19th annual Lincoln Essay Competition. Civic engagement, student voices, and a room that had to hold both.

The 19th Annual Vermont 8th Grade Lincoln Essay Competition brought fourteen regional winners and roughly 100 guests to Hildene’s Lincoln Hall on May 18, 2025. That year’s prompt asked Vermont eighth graders to write about political polarization in their communities and how to bridge it — drawing on the words of Lincoln’s first and second inaugural addresses. The award ceremony, held in a red, white, and blue decorated Lincoln Hall with American flags throughout, asked the production to match the formality of the occasion without competing with it.

Three large-format screens carried custom-designed presentation graphics for each regional award category. A key production element was Governor Phil Scott’s pre-recorded congratulatory video message, which played as part of the welcome program. Managing live presentation content, video playback, and a multi-source video switching workflow meant every transition landed without the visual seams that undermine a formal ceremony. Custom looping content welcomed guests during the reception and held the screens cleanly between program segments.

The sound system provided even coverage across the full room through a six-speaker distributed configuration — two mains, two center fills, two delays. First-place winners from each region read their essays from the stage to the full audience. The system held steady through student presentations, award remarks, and the extended closing program. Two LED ellipsoidal fixtures on stands gave each student at the podium clear, broadcast-quality stage light. Lincoln Hall earned another event worth coming back for — and we did, in 2026.