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Optimist
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Official
Topic: Essay Contest Rules Each contestant must be given a copy
of the rules and complete the entry form. The rules contain
information about the contest, judging and awards. Section I - General Rules 1. The Optimist International Essay
Contest is divided into three levels of competition: Club, District
and International. 2. Contestants must enter through a
local Optimist Club. 3. Contestants must compose an
original essay with limited guidance from others. Webster’s
Dictionary defines an essay as an analytic or interpretive literary
composition. Works of fiction or poetry will not be
accepted. 4. All District-level contests must
have a minimum of 3 contestants participating. 5. Optimist International will have
the right to edit, publish or otherwise duplicate any essay entered
into the contest without payment to the author. Section II - Qualifications for
Contestants 1. The contest is open to students
under age 19 as of December 31st of the 2008-2009 school year.
(December 31, 2008) Students must enter in the District in which they
reside. U.S. students attending school on a military installation
outside the United States are eligible to enter in their last home
of record. Students residing in non-Districted areas are not
eligible. 2. Contestants are eligible for only
one Club’s essay contest during any given year. (October 1st -
September 30th) 3. No individual having previously
won an Essay scholarship will be eligible to compete at any level of
the competition again. Section III - Contest Rules 1. Each contestant must be given a
copy of the rules and must complete the entry form. The rules
contain information about the contest, judging and awards. 2. Participants must write on the
official topic. The official topic must be listed with the total number
of words at the top of the first page of the manuscript.
(Deduction of 2 points for lack of topic and 5 points for each 25 words
over/under limit) 3. Each entry must begin with a title
page containing: topic, number of words, writer’s name,
address, phone number, name of school and date of birth. (Deduction of 5
points for incorrect total of words) 4. Essays must be type-written and
double-spaced. (Deduction of 5 points) 5. Essays must contain at least 400
words but no more than 500 words. Every word of the essay is
counted. This does not include the title, bibliography or
footnotes. 6. Each page of the essay must be
numbered starting with the first page of the essay, not the title
page. The numbers must be centered at the bottom of each page. 7. Any quotations or copyrighted
material used in the essay must be identified properly. For example, use
of a specific writer’s format (such as MLA) may be specified by the
instructor overseeing the contest. Failure to identify
non-original material will result in disqualification. 8. No reference can be made in the
essay that identifies the student, parents, school, community,
sponsoring Optimist Club or District. (Deduction of 5 points or fraction
based on degree of identification) 9. An essay may be written in either
English, French, or Spanish if the language used is an official
language of the country in which the sponsoring Club is located. 10. The entry must be stapled
together in the upper left-hand corner. Covers of any type are not accepted. 11. Any protest in the conduct of any
Club or District contest must be made immediately. The Essay Contest
Chair will decide all protests in conformity with the contest rules.
The decision of the Contest Chair is final, and no higher appeals
will be recognized. ® Section IV – Judging and Timing 1. Judging will be completed by a
panel of three non-Optimist qualified judges. 2. In an effort to conceal the
identity of each contestant, each entry will be assigned a number by the
Essay Contest Chair. The assigned number will be placed on the
title page and first page of the essay. The title page will then
be detached and retained by the Essay Contest Chair. The judges
will be given the essays bearing only the assigned numbers. 3. Judges will not discuss or compare
essays being judged. 4 Only judges can assign a penalty or
award points. Section V – Scoring of Contest Scoring procedures at all levels of
the contest will be identical. 1. Material Organization (Logical
interpretation of the subject, adherence to topic): 40 points 2. Vocabulary and Style (Phrasing and
continuity): 30 points 3. Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling: 20
points 4. Neatness: 5 points 5. Adherence to contest rules
(prepared in the proper format): 5 points Section VI – Penalties 1. Failure to list official topic: 2
points 2. Failure to identify total number
of words: 5 points 3. Failure to stay within the 400-500
word limit: 5 points for each 25 words over/under limit 4. Self-identification: 5 points or
fraction based on degree 5. Failure to type essay and
double-space: 5 points Section VII - Awards Only Optimist International awards
obtained from Shumsky Enterprises or the Canadian Service
Centre are to be given at all Club and District level contests. 1. Club level – medallion and
$100 cash. 2. District level - plaque and a $650
college scholarship for the first place winner 3. International level - First-place: $6,000 college scholarship,
winner’s plaque Second-place: $3,750 college scholarship,
winner’s plaque Third-place: $2,250 college scholarship,
winner’s plaque A. Scholarships are funded by the
Optimist International Foundations of the United States and
Canada. B. Scholarships awarded are for use
only at a college, university, or trade school. C. All scholarships will be payable
to the educational institution of the recipient’s
choice, subject to the approval of Optimist International. D. All scholarships will be
administered by Optimist International. E. Scholarships are held for 12 years from the
effective date. Entry Deadline Entries must be received no
later than Brad
Riebel Hand deliveries to club members will not be accepted. Entries arriving after the deadline will not be accepted. Protests For More Information: Complete official rules are online at: http://www.optimist.org/default.cfm?content=members/mbrcdpa5.htm Note: In the event of errors or omissions on this web page, the official rules contained in the above document will prevail. |
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