2008 4-H Honey Bee Essay Contest

State: Louisiana Beekeepers Association and Louisiana 4-H Foundation
Awards: Plaques to top three and certificates to participants

National: Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees, Inc.
Awards: Cash Prizes to 3 Top Winners: 1st Place-$250, 2nd Place-$100, 3rd Place-$50. National winners receive an appropriate book about honey bees, beekeeping, or honey.

TOPIC: For the 2008 Essay Contest, the Essay topic is:

The results of honey bee pollination are many and varied. Essayists are encouraged to become familiar with these pollination activities and, then, survey their communities to see what examples they can find. Some of these will be obvious, i.e., apples on sale at the supermarket. Others may be less obvious, i.e., milk from cows that are fed alfalfa hay with honey bees used to pollinate the original seed from which the alfalfa is grown.

Essayists should not overlook the benefit to farmers who are able to produce more or higher value crops as a result of pollination nor the benefits to the local population from the varied diet to which honey bee pollination contributes.

SOURCES: Two good internet resources are "McGregor's Handbook of Pollination" found at http://beeculture.com/content/pollination_handbook/index.cfm, and "The Value of Honey Bees as Pollinators of U.S. Crops in 2000" which can be found at http://www.masterbeekeeper.org/pdf/pollination.pdf. There are links to additional beekeeping websites at the website: Foundation for The Preservation of Honey Bees, Inc. - http://www.honeybeepreservation.org - where the winning essays from previous years may also be found.

The scope of the research is an essential judging criterion, accounting for 40% of your score. The number of sources consulted, the authority of the sources, and the variety of the sources are all evaluated.

Personal interviews with beekeepers and others familiar with the subject are valued sources of information and should be documented. Sources, which are not cited in the endnotes, should be listed in a "Resources" or "Bibliography" list. Note that "honey bee" is properly spelled as two words, even though many otherwise authoritative references spell it as one word.

The ABF Web site: <www.ABFnet.org> has links to other beekeeping sites. The 2006 winning essays are also published on the ABFnet Web site.

TIPS: All factual statements must be referenced with bibliographical-style endnotes/footnotes. A brief biographical sketch of the essayist, including date of birth, gender, complete mailing address, and telephone number, must accompany the essay. Note that “honey bee” is properly spelled as two words, even tough many otherwise authoritative references spell it as one word.

1. 1. The Contest is open to 4-H’ers who have not placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd at the national level, or 1st place in Louisiana’s Honey Bee Essay Contest.
   
   
2. Typed or computer-generated, double-spaced, 12pt. (Times or similar type style), on one side of white paper following standard manuscript format.
   
   
3. Write on the designated subject only: "The Results of Honey Bee Pollination in My Community."
   
   
4. All factual statements must be referenced with bibliographical-style endnotes.
   
   
5. A HONEY BEE ESSAY COVER SHEET and a brief biographical sketch of the essayist, including date of birth, gender, complete mailing address, and telephone number, must accompany the essay.
   
   
6. Length – The essay should be 750 to 1000 words. The word count does not include the endnotes, the bibliography or references, or the essayist’s biographical sketch.
   
   
7. Essays will be judged on: (A) scope of research, 40%; (B) accuracy, 30%; (C) creativity, 10%; (D) conciseness, 10%, and (E) logical development of the topic, 10%.