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2010
Statewide Contest
The Ohio Statewide Laws of Life Essay Contest is
a competition for winners of local Laws of Life,
Foundations for Life, or other character-related
essay contests. Ohio Partners in Character
Education sponsors the Statewide Contest to
recognize the achievements of these exceptional
youth who participate in local contests and to
encourage schools and communities in Ohio to
engage in this enriching and valuable
experience.
Who
is eligible?
What
grade levels can participate?
What
is the essay topic and length?
How
many entries may be submitted?
When
are entries due?
What
are the judging criteria?
What
awards are given?
Submitting
entries on-line
Submitting
entries by mail
Eligibility
for entering
Any Ohio school or youth services/community
organization that conducts a Laws of Life,
Foundations for Life, or other character-related
essay contest or its award ceremony during the
2009-2010 school year may submit their local
winners to the statewide contest. Only essays
that have been judged and won a local contest
may be submitted to the Statewide Contest.
What
grades levels are included?
There are two judging divisions - one for middle
school (grades 6-8) and one for high school
(grades 9-12).
What
is the essay topic and is there a maximum
length?
There
is no specific essay prompt; essays should
follow either the Laws of Life essay contest
recommendations or use a “maxim” or
quotation as in the Foundations
for Life essay contest. You can also use the
UncommonSense™
themes.
See the new award
for a special essay theme suggestion below.
Essays
should be no more than 3 typed, double spaced
pages.
Finalists will be asked to submit an electronic
version of their essays, so contest coordinators
are encouraged to ask for electronic files from
their winners also.
How
many entries can each local contest submit to
the statewide contest?
In
each division,
the number of entries is determined by the
number of essays written in that division in the
local contest,
according to the following table:
Timeline
and contest award ceremony:
All entries must be postmarked no later than May
21, 2010. Finalists will be notified by August
16, 2010. Each student finalist, their parents,
teacher and the local contest coordinator will
be invited to attend the Laws of Life Awards
Banquet (date TBA) in Columbus at which time the
awards will be announced. Authors of the first
place winning essays for middle and high school
will be asked to read their essays at the
ceremony. Finalists will be notified of this
possibility so they can be prepared.
Judging
criteria:
Only essays that have won a local contest,
either Laws of Life, Foundations for Life, or
another character-related essay contest may be
submitted for judging. Essays will be judged
primarily on their content – whether they are
positive and life-affirming, include a “law of
life” that the author believes will make the
world a better place, capture a value or ideal
in a special way, or explain and relate a quote
or “Timeless Truth” effectively. Some
importance to presentation and the mechanics of
writing will be considered in judging to the
extent that the ideas put forth by the author
are clearly understood. In cases where the
content is judged as having equal merit, the
essay which is better written or presented will
be given a higher score. Before submitting
essays, local contest coordinators should assure
that students have proofed and typed their
essays.
Click
here for a sample scoring rubric
Awards:
Cash prizes will be awarded in both the middle
and high school categories. Amounts are
indicated below. All student finalists will
receive recognition in the banquet program as
well as a certificate of recognition signed by
the Governor. Teachers and the local contest
coordinator will also receive cash awards. For a
full list of awards click
here
|
Level
|
Best
Overall
|
Best
Male & Female
|
Second
(2)
|
Third
(3)
|
Superior
(4)
|
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HIGH
SCHOOL
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Student
|
$500
|
$200
|
$150
|
$100
|
$50
each
|
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Teacher
|
$75
|
$50
|
$25
|
$25
|
$25
each
|
|
Local
Coordinator
|
$100
|
$50
|
$50
|
$50
|
$50
each
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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MIDDLE
SCHOOL
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Student
|
$200
|
$150
|
$100
|
$75
|
$25
each
|
|
Teacher
|
$50
|
$50
|
$25
|
$25
|
$25
each
|
|
Local
Coordinator
|
$75
|
$50
|
$50
|
$50
|
$50
|
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Local
Contest Awards for
2010
To
encourage greater participation, the following
awards will be given to local
contests with
-
Greatest increase in number of
essays written
(over 2009) $100
-
Highest
percent of student body writing essays $100
-
New
contest with the highest number of essays
written $100
-
New
contest with the highest percentage of
student body writing an essay $100
New
Awards for
2010
-
New
award for the best essay on the topic of COURAGE.
One middle and one high school essay will be
awarded $100 each for the best essay on the theme
of COURAGE. This does not mean that all
essays must be on that topic, but if
students choose to write on the topic of
courage, the best essay in the local contest
may be submitted as an additional
entry.
-
Cover
design contest -
Each local contest that submits essay
entries may submit one entry for a design
for the cover of the winning essay booklet
that is published each year. The cover entry
does not have to be judged locally or the
result of a competition. The design should
be a graphic representation that depicts a
student's "law of life". Entries
can be full color, but not larger than 8.5 x
11. The cover design can be submitted on
paper, but preferably as a .jpg file. Include
an entry form with the student's entry. The
winning student will receive $100 and be
invited to the Awards Banquet. More
info
Submitting
entries on-line:
Coming
soon
Submitting
entries by mail:
To
submit entries by mail
-
Fill
out an entry form for each essay to be submitted
(see “how many entries” above),
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Obtain
the student and parent/guardian signatures and
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Paperclip
(please no staples) the entry form to 5 (five) copies of each essay. No names or identifying information
should appear on the essays.
-
Complete
a Contest Coordinator Questionnaire and submit with your
essays.
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Entries
must be postmarked by May 21, 2010
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Send
entries and Contest Coordinator
Questionnaire postmarked by May
21,
2010 to:
Lucy Frontera Ph.D.
Ohio Partners in Character Education
1169 Dublin Rd
Columbus, OH 43215
For
further contest information:
Email lucy.frontera@charactereducationohio.org
or call 614-486-6531 x137 with questions or for
further information.
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