2009 10th GRADE ESSAY CONTEST

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners is hosting its second annual essay contest on county government for 10th grade students. The topic of the essay is, “How does my county government improve the lives of its citizens?” Essays will be limited to 500 words. The winning student and his/her teacher will each receive $500 and may be invited to the NCACC’s Annual Conference in August to read the winning entry during a General Session. A complete set of contest rules follows. For more information about the contest, please contact Todd McGee at the NCACC at todd.mcgee@ncacc.org.

County Government Essay Contest Rules

  1. The contest is open to all 10th grade students who are enrolled in a North Carolina public or charter high school.
  2. The contest deadline is April 30, 2009.
  3. Each essay is limited to a maximum of 500 words and must address the following question: “How does my county government enhance the lives of its citizens?” The essay must address specifically the county government of the county in which the student resides.
  4. Each student is limited to one entry, but there is no limit on how many entries a teacher may submit on behalf of his/her students.
  5. Each teacher must fill out an official application form completely. You may list multiple entries on the application form itself, but please submit each entry individually as a Word or PDF document.
  6. All entries must be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF format and must be submitted by the student’s teacher.
  7. All entries must be emailed to essaycontest@ncacc.org prior to midnight on April 30, 2009.
  8. The winning essay will be announced by May 30, 2009.
  9. The winning student will receive $500, and the teacher who submitted the winning essay will receive $500.
  10. In addition, the winning student and a chaperone and the teacher may each receive a one-night stay at the NCACC Annual Conference in Catawba County in August 2009, where they will be recognized during a general session. The student may be asked to read the winning essay during a general session.
  11. The winning essay will be published in CountyLines, the NCACC’s official publication, and posted on the Welcome to Your County Web site (www.welcometoyourcounty.org).
  12. Essays will be judged on the following criteria: understanding of the role of county government; grammar and spelling; clarity and organization of thought.
  13. By entering the contest, each student and teacher agrees to allow his/her name to be used in a news release announcing the contest winner in the event that their essay is selected as the winning essay. In addition, if the student and/or teacher attend the NCACC Annual Conference, they agree to allow their photograph to be published in CountyLines and on the NCACC Web site.
  14. Entries will not be returned.