Community Programs, Contests, & Internships
Read, write, think, and create with The Mark Twain House & Museum!
In addition to our regular educational programming available on site and online, there are lots of other ways for students to engage with The Mark Twain House & Museum. We host on-site and remote interns from high school through graduate school, and we’re proud to partner with schools and community organizations to offer special programs and contests to students throughout Connecticut.
Hartford Creative Contest
The Hartford Creative Contest is an annual competition open to all Hartford School students and residents in grades 4-12. The contest consists of student’s submissions of original essays, poetry, and artwork that best reflects 1 of 3 yearly topics. Submissions are judged and have a chance of being selected as the winners.
To enter the Hartford Creative Contest you must be a Hartford resident in grades 4-12 or you must be a non Hartford resident attending a Hartford school. You must create an original essay, poem, or piece of artwork that fits into one of the three prompts.
2023 Hartford Creative Contest Prompts:
- What is bullying and why does it hurt people?
- What can I do to help take care of the Earth?
- What three things would I do if I were school principal?
- How has COVID changed my life?
Once you finish your artwork, you can either SUBMIT HERE electronically or deliver it in person at to Mark Twain House, 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford or Beckett Law, LLC, 543 Prospect Avenue, Hartford. Submission DEADLINE: March 3, 2023
The contest award ceremony is held here at the museum on May 20, 2023.
Sponsored by The Mark Twain House & Museum, Step Up Step Out, Mothers United Against Violence, and Beckett Law Group.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MOREStudent Internships
The Mark Twain House & Museum is always looking for talented and engaged student interns. For more information or to begin the process of setting up an internship, contact Erin Bartram, School Programs Coordinator, at erin.bartram@marktwainhouse.org.
If possible, please include your grade level, areas of interest within the museum, and any parameters placed on the internship by another institution. For example, if you are looking for an internship at The Mark Twain House & Museum for college credit, please include the required number of hours, expected start and end dates, etc.
See What Some of Our Interns Have Been Up To Lately!The Nook Farm Writers Collaborative
The Mark Twain House & Museum is proud to be part of the Greater Hartford Arts Council‘s Creative Youth Workforce program which offers paid summer apprenticeships at six Hartford locations. Our program, The Nook Farm Writers Collaborative, is inspired by Mark Twain’s life and career as a writer, editor, and publisher. Under the guidance of master teaching artist Victoria Nordlund and program coordinator Dr. Erin Bartram, participants will produce individual portfolios and collaborate on the creation of an online literary journal to showcase the work produced throughout the program. They will also benefit from a series of workshops with working writers, editors, publishers, and web developers from around the country.
The Greater Hartford Arts Council’s Neighborhood Studios develops emerging artists and teaches teens the value of creativity and fundamental career skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce.
Made possible by support from the Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation
Twainiac Program with Capital Preparatory Magnet School
Sophomores from Hartford’s Capital Preparatory Magnet School participate in the annual “Twainiac Program,” which has been generously supported by the Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation. The students read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, using the Museum’s exhibitions, library, and resources. This experience culminates in students writing individual essays that address the question “What, if anything, can we learn about eliminating racism through Mark Twain and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?”
Visit the Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest's website to learn moreThe Celebrated RoboFrog Race of Hartford County
The Jumping Frog Contest was an important and lively annual event at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut for many years, but was discontinued in 1979. Now, forty years later, The Mark Twain House & Museum is proud to bring the Frog Jumping Contest back, this time with a very modern twist: robotics. We are inviting robotics teams, clubs and individual makers to participate. If a participant is under the age of 18, they must have their parents’ approval. Registration is open to all.