The German Information Center USA is proud to support the essay contest for the fifth year. Once again, the winning student and his/her teacher in each age category will receive an amazon.com gift certificate.
ABOUT THE CONTEST
The German Information Center USA fulfills the public diplomacy mission of the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. To encourage American students to get to know modern Germany, the GIC provides classroom materials to educators in the United States. The purpose of the essay contest is to familiarize students with today’s Germany. In addition, the contest offers students and their teachers an opportunity to discuss traditional and modern German culture, language and society. Detailed contest information such as rules, deadlines and the essay questions can be found below.
All entries must be submitted electronically by April 15, 2010.
There will be three grade groupings for the contest: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. Winners will receive prizes and certificates; their essays will appear on this website (www.germany.info), as well as the German Information Center USA’s newsletters.
GUIDELINES
Students must answer the following questions for their appropriate group:
“A World Without Climate Protection”
2010 marks the one year anniversary of the Transatlantic Climate Bridge, a joint commitment between Germany and the United States to invest in newer, cleaner sources of energy can create new jobs and world-class industries, clean up the environment and protect the climate, improve standards of living and enhance global security. The Transatlantic Climate Bridge aims to increase cooperation on both sides of the Atlantic and work towards climate change solutions.
Now imagine life without climate protection. What would the world be like? What about your city? What would change? Would would remain the same? What would your life be like? Would your favorite activities change or remain the same? What about traditions? Can the Groundhog still predict the end of Winter? Can Santa's Workshop stay at the North Pole? Think about the questions below as you write your essay.
Grades 9-12: What immediate problems do you see happening through climate change? What measures could be undertaken to reduce the risk? What will the long-term future look like if nothing is done to clean up the environment and protect the climate?
Grades 6-8: What changes in your daily life do you think will occur due to climate change if nothing more is undertaken to protect the environment? What would the biggest changes be? The smallest?
Grades 3-5: Imagine the world in 100 years if nothing more is done to clean up the earth. What will it look like? What changes do you see in the lives of people? What about animals?
Essay must be in English and in paragraph format.
300 words or fewer for Grades 3-5; 500 words for Grades 6-12. (Note: More does not mean better! Focus on the quality, not quantity.)
Students may submit only one essay per person.
Submit entries as .doc (Microsoft Word), .pdf (Adobe Acrobat), .odt (OpenOffice), scanned-in graphic files (jpg, etc.) or .txt (Simple Text) files only. Email your essay to Jennifer Clardy (dz-12@germanembassy.us). Entry must include the author’s name, grade level, school name and school address at the beginning.
RULES
All students enrolled in 3rd through 12th grade in the U.S. are eligible. Seniors graduating in 2010 are eligible. Students enrolled in DoDDS schools or schools in American overseas territories with APO mailing addresses are eligible. Homeschooled students are also eligible.
Each essay must be the sole work of the author.
Entries may be submitted by individual writers or by their teachers.
Entries must include the name of the student & teacher/advisor, the grade level of student, the email address of student & teacher, and a postal address for the student & teacher. This information enables the GIC USA to quickly award prizes and prize packages. No personal or contact information will be handed over to a third party.
Only electronically submitted essays will be accepted.
Entries must be 300 words or fewer for elementary students; 500 words or less for middle and high school students.
Submitted entries will become the property of the German Information Center USA; they may appear in GIC USA or associated publications.
The decision of the panel of judges from the German Information Center USA and German Embassy Washington is final.
Students are encouraged to review spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Receipt of essays will be confirmed by email. Please contact us if you do not receive a confirmation within a week.
DEADLINE for entries is April 15, 2010. Winners will be notified by May 15, 2010.
CRITERIA FOR JUDGING
Winners will be determined by a panel of judges from the German Information Center USA and the German Embassy Washington. Entries will be judged based on their content, style and grammar.
Successful entries will:
Follow the guidelines.
Show that student has done research on her/his subject
Include the author’s own opinions
Demonstrate superb critical and creative thinking
PRIZES
Amazon.com gift certificates will be awarded to first place winners in each age group.
1st place - grades 3 - 5: $50 bookstore gift certificate
1st place - grades 6 - 8: $75 bookstore gift certificate
1st place - grades 9 - 12: $100 bookstore gift certificate
For Teachers or Advisors of 1st place winners:
$100 bookstore gift certificate for classroom resources
In addition, 10 runners-up will receive a package from the German Information Center USA.
Good luck!
