Essay Contest
The Essay Contest awards a first place prize in 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, and 12th grade. Each winner will receive $750 cash or a $1500 savings bond.
All entries must be submitted electronically by 5 p.m. (EST) Friday, November 16, 2007 or postmarked by that day to be eligible for consideration.
Winners will be notified no later than March 2008.
 |
Enter the Contest |
 |
To submit your Essay, please click here.
Entries may also be mailed to:
ATTN: Slogan and Essay Contest
Office of the Secretary of State
Suite 152, State Capitol
700 Capital Avenue
Frankfort, KY 40601
|
Contest Rules |
|
1. The essay contest is open to all Kentucky high school students in grades 9-12.
2. Essay entry is limited to one per student.
3. Essay entry is limited to 600 words. All entries must be typed and double-spaced.
4. Essays will be judged on purpose, idea development, organization, language, correctness, and subject comprehension.
5. All entries must be submitted electronically by 5 p.m. (EST) Friday, November 16, 2007 or postmarked by that day to be eligible for consideration.
6. Entries will not be returned and must be submitted in the required format to be considered.
|
Essay Prompt |
|
The Internet is shaping up to be a critical factor in the 2008 presidential election. The debates in which ordinary citizens asked questions of the major candidates through “YouTube” and the media coverage of those debates show the growing importance of the Internet as a way for people to learn about the candidates and to discuss election issues.
But people are concerned that some information on the Internet is inaccurate or unfair. Some bloggers and other Internet communicators intentionally distort a candidate’s record or character. One way to ensure citizens vote on the basis of correct information would be a law requiring organizations such as America Online (AOL) and YouTube to remove any such communication from blogs and other websites for which they offer access within 48 hours. Failure to do so would result in criminal penalties such as a large fine.
Would you support such an action by Congress?
In your discussion, you may consider:
• Will the availability of information on the Internet encourage more people to vote and would such a law discourage voting because an important source of information about candidates – even if some of it is inaccurate – might be affected?
• Would such a law violate the First Amendment’s protection for freedom of speech and press?
|
Judging Rubric |
|
Essays will be judged on the following criteria:
| Idea Development and Support |
|
| Minimal idea devlelopment; limited and/or related details. |
1 |
| Unelaborated idea development; unelaborated and/or repetitious ideas. |
2 |
| Depth of idea development supported by elaborated, relevant details. |
3 |
| Depth and complexity of ideas supported by rich, engaging, and pertinent details; evidence of analysis, reflection, insight. |
4 |
|
Organization |
|
| Random and/weak organization. |
1 |
| Some lapses in organization and/or coherence. |
2 |
| Logical, coherent organization. |
3 |
| Subtle, sophisticated organization. |
4 |
|
Purpose/Audience |
|
| Limited awareness of audience and/or purpose. |
1 |
| Some evidence of communicating with an audience for a specific purpose; some lapses in focus. |
2 |
| Focused on a purpose; communicates with an audience; evidence of voice and/or suitable tone. |
3 |
| Establishes a purpose and maintains a clear focus; strong awareness of audience; evidence of distinctive voice and/or appropriate tone. |
4 |
|
Language |
|
| Incorrect and/or ineffective language. |
1 |
| Simplistic and/or imprecise language. |
2 |
| Acceptable, effective language. |
3 |
| Precise, rich language. |
4 |
|
Correctness |
|
| Excessive and/or distracting errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. |
1 |
| Some errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar that do not interfere with communication. |
2 |
| Minimal errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar relative to length and complexity. |
3 |
| Control of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. |
4 |
|
Research, Knowledge, and Understanding |
|
| Limited or no understanding of the prompt. |
1 |
| Basic understanding of the prompt and its concepts with minimal confusion. |
2 |
| Thorough understanding of the concepts presented in the prompt. |
3 |
| Sophisticated mastery of the concepts with demonstrated analysis. |
4 |
|