Published: July 19, 2008 04:44 pm            

4-H Essay contest approaches

Cash Prizes to three top winners:

•1st Place — $750.00

•2nd Place — $500.00

•3rd Place — $250.00

Each state winner, including the national winners, receives an appropriate book about honey bees, beekeeping, or honey.

For the 2009 essay contest, the essay topic is: “The Dance Language of Bees”

Honey bees possess the ability to communicate the distance and direction of resources to their nest-mates. They employ a symbolic dance language in which the position of the sun is symbolically represented by gravity, and a trained observer can watch their dances and predict where they are foraging. The use of symbolic language by an insect has made them one of the most studied animals. This year’s essay contest invites participants to learn about the honey bee’s dance language, how it was discovered, how it works and how it provides colonies the ability to find and exploit floral resources.

1. Contest is open to active 4-H Club members only. 4-H’ers who have previously placed first, second, or third at the national level are not eligible; but other state winners are eligible to re-enter.

2. Requirements (failure to meet any one requirement disqualifies the essay)

• Preparation for National Judging: Typewritten or computer-generated, double-spaced, 12-pt. Times or similar type style, on one side of white paper following standard manuscript format.

• Write on the designated subject only.

• All factual statements must be referenced with bibliographical-style endnotes.

• A brief biographical sketch of the essayist, including date of birth, gender, complete mailing address, and telephone number, must accompany the essay.

• Length – the essay proper: 750 to 1000 words.

• The word count does not include the endnotes, the bibliography or references, nor the essayist’s biographical sketch – which should be on a separate page.

3. Essays will be judged on (a) scope of research - 40percent; (b) accuracy - 30 percent; (c) creativity - 10 percent; (d) conciseness - 10 percent; and (e) logical development of the topic - 10 percent.

4.Individual essayists should not forward essays directly to the Foundation office. Each state 4-H Office is responsible for selecting the state’s winner and should set its deadline so state judging can be completed at the state level in time for the winning state essay to be mailed to the Foundation office before March 1, 2009. No essay received after March 1 will be considered.

Entries must be submitted to the state 4-H office by February 2.

For more information about this and other 4-H activities call 423-4120 or e-mail greg.owen@okstate.edu.

        

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