YOUTH ACTIVITIES

Open to all children or students from the fourth through the twelfth grades, essay submissions should speak to the fair theme: "The Business of Agriculture: The Way Forward." Entry requirements are based on grade categories as follows:

• Elementary (4th – 6th grades)      No more than 300 words
  
• Junior High (7th – 8th grades)      300 – 500 words
  
• Senior High (9th – 12th grades)      500 – 700 words

All essays should be typed, double-spaced using 1" margins on 8 ½" x 11" plain, white paper, and submitted unbound (no staples please!) and paper clipped in the upper left corner, or via email to sdahl@uvi.edu. Please include "Ag Fair Essay Entry" in the subject line. Digital entries should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document using Times New Roman, 12pt font. Essays will be judged in relationship to the fair theme, educational content, punctuation and grammar, clarity and organization. Special emphasis will be placed on originality and creativity of the entry. Entries must be submitted with a cover sheet to include: essay title, name, school/group, and grade. To insure that pages do not get lost or separated, all entries must include a header with the essay title and page enumeration using the 1 of ___ format. No additional identification should appear in the body of the essay. The first, second and third place finishers will be awarded prizes. Winning entries will be prominently displayed at the fair.

All entries must be submitted to the Director of Youth Activities and/or the 4-H Office located in the UVI Research and Extension Center, Room 116, on or before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Judging of entries will take place on Friday, February 8, 2008. Due to the large number of submissions, no late entries can be accepted.