Environmental Awareness Competition Guidelines
Welcome to the Environmental Awareness Middle School Competition. This annual contest is open to all South Carolina middle school-aged students - 6 th, 7 th and 8 th graders in a public, private or home school setting.
- Students are invited to enter the essay, poster, photo, and/or public service announcement (PSA) divisions.
- Savings bonds will be awarded for the first three places in each division –
1 st place = $300, 2 nd place = $200 and 3 rd place = $100
- Winners will be recognized at the Champions of the Environment Year-end Celebration to be held at the South Carolina State Museum on
May 1, 2008.
- The theme for 2008 is: “Taking Care of the Land, Water and Air.”
Students may submit entries on their own, or a teacher may send a batch of entries at one time.
Entries are due March 14, 2008
Mail entries to:
Champions of the Environment
S.C. DHEC
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29201
(The Champions Program is not responsible for late or misdirected mail.)
Entering Champions of the Environment’s Environmental Awareness Middle School Competition
- As an entry is created for any of the divisions, please review the theme and consider, "What message do I want my entry to deliver?"
- Follow the guidelines for the division you are entering. If an entry does not follow the guidelines it may be disqualified.
- Provide all contact information on the information sheet to accompany your entry. Incomplete information sheets will disqualify your entry.
- Each division will be judged by a panel of South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control staff based on the criteria listed in the division guidelines.
- Entries need to be received by March 14, 2008.
- Champions of the Environment is not responsible for late or misdirected mail.
- Winners will be notified by April 11, 2008 and will be invited to attend the Champions of the Environment Year-end Celebration and luncheon at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia on May 1, 2008 to receive their award.
Essay division guidelines
- The topic for the essay is this year’s theme: “Taking Care of the Land, Water and Air.”
- The essay length is 500 words (approximate) and should be typed (double-spaced) or neatly hand written. Handwritten essays must be in ink and double-spaced on lined white paper, one side only.
- The essay must be the work of the student who enters it.
- Do not put your name on the front of your entry . Print your name on the back of your essay and attach to the completed essay a sheet with the following information – first and last name, grade, home address, home phone, school name and teacher name.
- Your entry will become the property of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and will not be returned.
- One essay entry per student.
- The entry deadline is March 14, 2008.
- Essays will be judged on content (as it relates to the theme), originality, writing skill (to include spelling, grammar and punctuation), and adherence to guidelines.
Poster division guidelines
- The poster needs to reflect this year’s theme: “Taking Care of the Land, Water and Air.”
- Posters must be at least 14” x 22 “ and no larger than 22” x 28”. A third dimension including glued on attachments may not be used.
- Please do not use foam core for the poster.
- The poster must be the work of the student who enters it.
- Do not put your name on the front of your entry . Print your name in pencil on the back of the poster and attach a sheet with the following information - first and last name, grade, home address, home phone, school name and teacher name.
- Your entry will become the property of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and will not be returned.
- One poster entry per student
- The entry deadline is March 14, 2008.
- Posters will be judged on content (as it relates to the theme) – including spelling, creativity and originality, artistic quality, and adherence to guidelines.
Photography division guidelines
- The photo needs to reflect this year’s theme: “Taking Care of the Land, Water and Air.”
- Photographs must be no larger than 8” x 10” and may be black & white or color. The picture may feature the natural world, inanimate objects or, a combination of both. The photo may not be a digital montage or have digitally added words or images.
- You may include a short write-up about the content of the photo. Please type or handwrite neatly. (Points will not be added or subtracted for having a write-up.)
- Photos may not be matted, framed or mounted.
- The photo must be the work of the student who enters it.
- Do not put your name on the front of your entry . Print your name lightly in pencil on the back of your photo and attach a sheet with the following information - first and last name, grade, home address, home phone, school name and teacher name.
- Your entry will become the property of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and will not be returned.
- One photo entry per student.
- The entry deadline is March 14, 2008.
- Photos will be judged on content (as it relates to the theme), composition, general appeal, and adherence to guidelines.
Public service announcement (PSA) division guidelines
- The PSA needs to be based on this year’s theme: “Taking Care of the Land, Water and Air.”
- The PSA must be no longer than 30 seconds.
- Entries must be on either a CD-R or a DVD+/-R (no CD-RWs or DVD+/-RWs, please) and the PSA should be playable with either Windows Media Player or QuickTime. It would be a good idea to test your entry on more than one computer to be sure it will play with either Windows Media Player or QuickTime. If the judges cannot open your submission with either of those applications, it will not be judged.
- A single student or group of up to three students may work on the PSA. If a student group wins, they will share the prize amount for their placing.
- The PSA must be the work of the student(s) who enter(s) it.
- It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that no copywrited logos or music appears in the PSA.
- A written script must accompany the PSA (81/2” x 11” paper).
- Your name should not appear anywhere in the PSA. Print your name and school name on the face of the DVD. Attach to the script a sheet with the following information - first and last name, grade, home address, home phone, school name and teacher name. (If this is a group entry, include information for each group member on one sheet.)
- The entry deadline is March 14, 2008.
- The PSA will be judged on content (as it relates to the theme), creativity, effectiveness, and adherence to guidelines.
Checklist for submitting entries
- Entry(ies) meet the guidelines for the division being entered.
- For essay, poster and photo divisions – each entry has been labeled on the back by the entrant in pencil.
- For PSA division – the DVD is labeled with the student(s) name(s) and name of the school.
- A student information sheet accompanies each entry. Incomplete information sheets may disqualify the entry.
- Teachers submitting entries include a contact sheet with their name, a contact email address, school name, school phone and school mailing address and the number of entries.
- Entries are mailed in time to be received in Columbia by March 14, 2008.
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