Chicago, IL (November 3, 2025) – The Lincoln Presidential Foundation is proud to announce the nationwide expansion of its Latest Generation Film Contest, featuring a special video message (see below) by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. The Lincoln Presidential Foundation is the only national foundation focused on increasing access to history, educational programs, exhibits, and sites highlighting the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln.
The program, now in its second year, is offered in partnership with The Better Angels Society with generous support from its Amy Margerum Berg Education Fund. The Better Angels Society is the pre-eminent organization supporting excellence in American history documentaries in ways that advance education and civic engagement.
The program invites young filmmakers ages 14 to 22 to create short (5-8 minute) documentary films about a true story from the past. Participants can join filmmaking discussion forums, attend free online mentor sessions with professional filmmakers and historians, submit a film project, or all of the above. For example, the first mentor session on November 10 will feature award-winning filmmaker Patrick Wimp, who will discuss the documentary-making process from starting with an idea to making the final edit. The second session, on November 17, will feature Chris Hastings, Louise Rosen, and Jason Steinhauer and will explore the ethics of AI in documentary filmmaking.
Finalists will win additional mentorship, cash prizes, and an invitation to a red-carpet screening event in Chicago. With no entry fee and trainings offered at no cost, this program offers participants outstanding opportunities to learn about documentary filmmaking in a highly accessible environment with exciting potential reward.
The Latest Generation Film Contest derives its name from a question President Abraham Lincoln posed to an Indianapolis crowd in 1861: "Shall the liberties of this country be preserved to the latest generation?" This year’s theme—“Think Anew, Act Anew: American Innovators & Changemakers—is inspired by President Abraham Lincoln’s December 1862 Annual Message to Congress, in which he noted, “As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew.” The theme encourages projects that explore stories of people, communities, or movements in the United States that resulted in transformative change or met generational challenges with creative ideas and bold action.
“The first year of the Latest Generation Film Contest was an incredible success, and we’re honored to have The Better Angels Society’s generous support for its national expansion,” said Erin Carlson Mast, President & CEO of the Lincoln Presidential Foundation. “Abraham Lincoln recognized that unprecedented situations require creativity and leadership. This year’s theme challenges young filmmakers to uncover stories where individuals and communities recognized a need to adapt, innovate, and forge new paths to help their communities or the nation not just survive, but thrive. We’re looking forward to seeing what young filmmakers create in response to this year’s theme.”
“The Better Angels Society is proud to support the Lincoln Presidential Foundation’s Latest Generation Film Contest as it expands nationwide,” said Katherine Malone-France, President & CEO of The Better Angels Society. “This contest harnesses the creativity and digital media skills of young people to tell the stories of our history that are meaningful to them. Through outstanding trainings and mentorship, they develop essential skills, like understanding multiple perspectives, analyzing sources, and connecting events within a larger context, that prepare them to be informed, engaged citizens. We look forward to how these young filmmakers will bring to life the stories of innovation and changemaking from our shared past.”
Learn more at https://www.lincolnpresidential.org/latestgenerationfilmcontest/.
About the Lincoln Presidential Foundation
Established in 2000, the Lincoln Presidential Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity headquartered in Illinois. It is the only national foundation focused on increasing access to history, educational programs, exhibits, and sites highlighting the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The Foundation does its work in cooperation and partnership with others locally, nationally, and globally. Its vision is a world where freedom and democracy flourish, inspired by the life and work of Abraham Lincoln. Learn more at lincolnpresidential.org.
About The Better Angels Society
The Better Angels Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Americans about their history through documentary film. The Society works to ensure that films about American history by emerging and established filmmakers are completed, broadcast, promoted, and shared with wide audiences. The organization raises funds to support individual films in partnership with public media, including those by Ken Burns, and annually awards the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film to the best American history documentary in partnership with the Library of Congress. The Better Angels Society also awards Better Angels Lavine Fellowships to emerging documentaries and provides recognition and mentoring to young filmmakers through programs like the Latest Generation Film Contest and The Next Generation Angels Awards in partnership with National History Day®.
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