Partnering with the History Channel, USA WEEKEND invited teens between ages 13 and 18 to participate. saveourhistory.com

Last month, the History Channel gathered together students, teachers, community leaders and historic preservationists from across the country to honor their efforts to preserve local history.

At a ceremony held at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., the winners of the inaugural Save Our History awards were presented with trophies and cash awards between $1,000 and $10,000.

Pop-culture pundit Mo Rocca, the event's master of ceremonies, shared photos from his personal quest to visit the grave sites and homes of past U.S. presidents. Rocca believes that preserving history is vital: "Not only is the preservation of historical places important, it's difficult and requires dedication. You can't pump a courthouse full of Botox and expect it to renovate itself. It's not going to happen."

Honorees from Los Angeles, Tampa and Gahanna, Ohio, took home the top prizes; others from cities such as Dallas, Denver and Dayton, Ohio, were lauded for preserving history at a grass-roots level. Additionally, the History Channel honored national leaders who promote historic preservation: Secretary of Education Rod Paige, Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton.

Dan Davids, executive vice president and general manager of the History Channel, is pleased with the enthusiasm that students, teachers and community leaders showed for the Save Our History program.

"It's been beyond our expectation," Davids says. "A lot of people think historic preservation is just preserving a landmark or a building, but these children have demonstrated there's a lot more, from saving documents to oral history to timelines. They've learned that there's history all about them and they play a big part in it."

USA WEEKEND partnered with the History Channel to offer $1,000 to the teen who presented the best idea for preserving journalism history in his or her town or school. Students across America wrote in with ideas, and the grant will go to Sarah Phlipot, 16, of Sidney, Ohio, who plans to help her local historical society commit to microfilm several decades' worth of editions of a now-defunct local newspaper.

Says USA WEEKEND Executive Editor Jack Curry: "We were really surprised and delighted by the quality of the responses we received. Being journalists ourselves, we, of course, find it gratifying to know how much value so many people put on the profession's history and place in the American story. And as a pilot program -- this was the first year we ran the contest -- it holds great promise for the future for us."