The 20th Annual Lincoln Essay Competition. One hundred and forty guests. Every student voice heard clearly.

On May 17, 2026, Vermont’s eighth-grade essay winners came to Lincoln Hall for the 20th Annual Lincoln Essay Competition — a milestone year tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Hildene received 147 essays statewide; first-, second-, and third-place winners were named in four regions, plus three statewide honorable mentions. About 140 students, families, teachers, and community members filled the room for the awards luncheon.

Three large screens carried the program: custom graphics for each regional award category, looping branded content through the reception, then a clean handoff into the ceremony. Multiple sources ran at once — laptop inputs, video playback, live switching — so every transition felt intentional. A looping welcome slideshow ran as guests arrived; holding slides kept the displays quiet between segments. Nothing on screen ever looked accidental.

Audio was a six-speaker distributed system — two mains, two center fills, two delays — so every student at the podium was heard clearly from the front row to the back. Two LED ellipsoidal fixtures on stands lit the stage for the room and for camera. We worked directly with GNAT, feeding them clean audio and production support for a full-event recording. We’ve supported this program in this hall long enough that consistency is the point.